ELA CONCEPTS

What are the eight parts of speech in English grammar?

Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection.

Define a noun.

A person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, school).

What does a pronoun do?

Replaces a noun (e.g., he, they, it).

What is a verb?

It shows action or state of being (e.g., run, is).

What is the function of an adjective?

Describes a noun (e.g., red, tall).

What role does an adverb play in a sentence?

Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb (e.g., quickly, very).

What is the purpose of a preposition?

Shows relationship between nouns or pronouns (e.g., under, before).

What does a conjunction do?

Connects words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but).

Give an example of an interjection.

Expresses emotion or reaction (e.g., wow!, oh no!).

What is a simile?

A comparison using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., brave like a lion).

Define metaphor.

A direct comparison (e.g., time is a thief).

What is personification?

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things (e.g., the wind whispered).

What is hyperbole?

Exaggeration for effect (e.g., I’ve told you a million times).

What is alliteration?

Repetition of beginning sounds (e.g., slippery slithering snake).

Define onomatopoeia.

Words that sound like their meaning (e.g., buzz, crash).

What is an idiom?

An expression with a meaning different from the literal one (e.g., break a leg).

What does imagery refer to in literature?

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Define symbolism.

An object or action that represents something bigger (e.g., a heart for love).

What is irony?

When the opposite of what you expect happens.

What is an oxymoron?

Two opposite words together (e.g., jumbo shrimp).

What is a pun?

A play on words (e.g., Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana).

What is an allusion?

A reference to something well-known (e.g., 'He’s a real Romeo.').

What does chronological order refer to in text structure?

Events arranged in time order.

What is the purpose of cause and effect in writing?

To explain why something happened and its result.

What does compare and contrast entail?

It shows similarities and differences.

Define problem and solution text structure.

Describes a problem and how it’s solved.

What information does a description text structure provide?

Details about a topic.

What is the first-person point of view?

Narrator is a character in the story (uses 'I,' 'we').

What does the second-person point of view entail?

Narrator addresses the reader directly ('you').

Define third person limited point of view.

Narrator knows only one character’s thoughts.

What characterizes third person omniscient point of view?

Narrator knows all characters’ thoughts.

What is the third person objective point of view?

Narrator only describes actions and dialogue (no thoughts).

What is the author's purpose when trying to persuade?

To try to convince the reader.

What does it mean to inform in writing?

To give facts or explain something.

What does entertain mean in the context of an author's purpose?

To tell a story or provide enjoyment.

What defines a character vs. character conflict?

Conflict between people.

What does character vs. self represent?

An internal struggle.

What defines character vs. society conflict?

Fighting against rules, laws, or norms.

What does character vs. nature involve?

Battling elements like weather or animals.

What is character vs. technology conflict?

Struggle with machines or science.

Define character vs. supernatural.

Conflict with ghosts, gods, fate, etc.

What is a declarative sentence?

A sentence that makes a statement (e.g., I like books).

What does an interrogative sentence do?

Asks a question (e.g., Do you like pizza?).

Define imperative sentence.

A sentence that gives a command (e.g., Sit down).

What characterizes an exclamatory sentence?

Shows excitement (e.g., That’s amazing!).

What is a subject and predicate in grammar?

Who/what the sentence is about + what they do.

Define a simple sentence.

One independent clause (e.g., She ran).

What is a compound sentence?

Two independent clauses (e.g., She ran, and he walked).

What is a complex sentence?

One independent + one or more dependent clauses.

What is a sentence fragment?

An incomplete sentence (missing subject or verb).

What is a run-on sentence?

Two or more sentences incorrectly joined.

What is verb tense consistency in writing?

Keeping the same tense throughout writing.

What does pronoun-antecedent agreement mean?

Pronouns must match the noun they replace.

Define subject-verb agreement.

Singular subjects use singular verbs, plural with plural.

What are direct and indirect objects in grammar?

Who or what receives the action.

What is active voice?

The subject does the action (e.g., The dog ate the bone).

What is passive voice?

The subject receives the action (e.g., The bone was eaten by the dog).

What is parallel structure?

Using the same pattern of words for related ideas.

Define main idea in reading strategies.

What the passage is mostly about.

What are supporting details?

Facts or examples that explain the main idea.

What is summarizing?

Brief restatement of main points.

What does making inferences mean?

Reading between the lines.

What does drawing conclusions involve?

Making judgments based on evidence.

What are context clues?

Using nearby words to understand unknown words.

Define theme in literature.

The deeper message or lesson.

What does tone refer to?

The author's attitude (e.g., serious, funny).

What is mood in literature?

The feeling the reader gets (e.g., sad, excited).

What does characterization involve?

How the author shows a character’s traits.

What is direct characterization?

When the author tells you about the character.

Define indirect characterization.

When the character's traits are shown through actions, dialogue, etc.

What is setting in literature?

The time and place of the story.

What is plot structure?

The sequence of events in a story.

What are the elements of plot structure?

Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution.

What is a flashback?

A look into a character’s past.

What does foreshadowing refer to?

Hints about what will happen later.

A ___ is a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, school).

noun

A ___ shows action or state of being (e.g., run, is).

verb

An ___ describes a noun (e.g., red, tall).

adjective

A ___ describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb (e.g., quickly, very).

adverb

___ shows the relationship between nouns or pronouns (e.g., under, before).

preposition

What is a noun?

A person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, school).

What is a verb?

It shows action or state of being (e.g., run, is).

What is an adjective?

Describes a noun (e.g., red, tall).

What does an adverb do?

Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb (e.g., quickly, very).

What is a preposition?

Shows relationship between nouns or pronouns (e.g., under, before