7th Grade ELA Test Prep

setting

where and when the story takes place.

conflict

the problem in the story

main idea

what a piece of writing is mainly about

theme

the overall message of the story

chronological order

in the time order in which events happened

persuasive

used to convice the reader of the writer's point of view

myth

a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena

autobiography

the story of a person's life written by that person in first person point of view

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

alliteration

the repetition of consonant SOUNDS at the beginning of words. For example, Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.

personification

giving human qualities to non-human things

simile

comparison using like or as. Clue: You "smile" when you see someone you like." Example: The car was as cold as ice.

idiom

an expression with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the individual words

flashback

when a portion of the story goes back in time

foreshadow

The use of clues to suggest events that will happen later in the plot

inference/infer

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

justify / prove

to demonstrate that something is right; to defend with reasons

genre

a type of literature

dialogue

a conversation between two persons

"Let's go!" mom yelled.

captions

small text found near a picture that provides important information about the picture

diagrams

A drawing that shows or explains something...usually includes labels and captions.

fiction

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact.

nonfiction

Writing that tells about real-life, people, places, things, ideas, or events.

onomatopoeia

the use of words that represent sounds

rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhyme in a poem (ex. ABAB)

contradict

to disagree; to say the opposite

mislead

Give the wrong idea; to deceive; to lead someone in the wrong direction.

cause

the reason why something happens

narrator

the person who is telling the story; the speaker

comparison

Shows how two things are alike/different or how one is better than the other ("This blanket is like a fluffy cloud.") (Commercials might show how one product is better or cheaper than other brands. Politicians might show how their policies or positions are better than their opponents.)

exaggerate

Sometimes authors overstate the facts leading to a false of importance. (We will all be doomed if we don't take a stand now!) (This is a one-time offer. You can't get this price after today.) Key words: always, never, everyone

metaphor

a comparison or two unlike things without using like or as

hyperbole

elaborate exaggeration

imagery

a collection of word pictures that appeal to the reader; uses devices such as metaphor, simile, etc.

exposition

the part of a story (usually the beginning) which explains the background and setting of the story. The characters are often introduced.

rising action

the central part of a story during which various problems arise, leading up to the climax

climax

the turning point in the action of a story--the problem is solved

falling action

the part of a story which follows the climax or turning point

resolution

the ending or final outcome of a story

drawing conclusions

combining several pieces of information to make an inference

figurative language

language that means more than what it says on the surface; usually gives us a feeling about its subject

plot

the events that make up a story

prefix

a word part that can be added at the beginning of a word to make a new word

suffix

a word part that can be added at the end of a word to make up a new word

text features

the parts of a text that stand out (diagram, table of contents, index, etc)

affect

to influence

role

the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group

impact

influencing strongly

convey

make known

playwright

The person who wrote the play/drama.

author's purpose

The reason an author writes the text--to persuade, inform, explain and entertain

motivation

the reason the character says or does something

audience

Who the piece of text was originally written for. Example: in a letter, look at who the letter is addressed to (Dear Mom)

stanza

similar to a paragraph but in a poem

line

similar to a sentence but in a poem

result

the outcome of an experiment or problem

related

connected

source

Where information comes from.

message

The theme or central idea of a work, the insight it offers into life

character traits

qualities that characters possess (honesty)

tone

the attitude, or feeling that the author has about the subject

mood

the feeling or emotion the reader gets when reading a passage

symbolism

a person, place, or thing that represents something beyond its literal meaning. (ex. A heart might represent love.)

details

the bits and pieces of information that support the main idea

text structure

the way an author arranges/organizes text (organizational pattern)

effect

what happens as a result of an event or action (what happens after)

fact

a statement that can be proved by experts, looking up information in a book, etc.

opinion

a personal belief or judgement that can not be proven

speaker

the person that narrates the poem

synonym

words that have the same meaning

antonym

words that are opposites

act

part of a play

scene

part of an act in a play

selection

another name for a reading passage

emphasize

to stress upon; something that is important

omni-

Greek root meaning, "all"

chron/o

Greek root meaning, "time"

auto

Greek root meaning, "self"

bio

Greek root meaning, "life"

graph

Greek root meaning, "write"

photo

Greek root meaning, "light"

re-

Latin prefix meaning, "again"

pre-

Latin prefix meaning, "before"

mono

Greek root meaning, "one"

bi-

Greek root meaning, "two"

tri-

Greek root meaning, "three"

omni-

all