8th Grade ELA Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering core 8th Grade ELA concepts including literary elements, figurative language, argument structure, and grammar based on lecture notes.

Main Idea

What the text is mostly about.

Theme

The message or lesson the author wants you to understand.

Supporting Details

Facts, examples, and evidence that support the main idea.

Plot

The sequence of events: Exposition → Rising Action → Climax → Falling Action → Resolution.

Internal Conflict

The struggle in the story within the character; character vs. self.

External Conflict

The struggle in the story against outside forces like character vs. character, society, or nature.

Characterization

How an author shows what a character is like through what they say, what they do, what others say about them, and what they think.

1st Person Point of View

The perspective told by a character using pronouns like I, me, and my.

2nd Person Point of View

The perspective where the narrator talks to you using the pronoun you.

3rd Person Point of View

The perspective told by an outside narrator using pronouns like he, she, and they.

3rd Person Limited POV

An outside narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

3rd Person Omniscient POV

An outside narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as." Example: He ran like the wind.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that says one thing is another. Example: Time is a thief.

Personification

Giving human traits to nonhuman things. Example: The wind whispered.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration. Example: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Irony

When what happens or is meant is different from what is expected. Example: A fire station burning down.

Claim

The author's main argument.

Evidence

Information that supports the claim.

Reasoning

Explains how the evidence supports the claim.

Counterclaim

An opposing argument.

Rebuttal

A response to the counterclaim.

Context Clues

Clues used to figure out unfamiliar words, categorized as Definition, Example, Contrast, Synonym, Antonym, or Inference.

Independent Clause

A clause that can stand alone as a sentence. Example: I love basketball.

Dependent Clause

A clause that cannot stand alone. Example: Because I practice every day.

Comma Splice

Incorrectly joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Example: I scored a goal, it was awesome.

Subject-Verb Agreement

The rule that the subject and verb must agree in number. Example: He runs fast; They run fast.