G4 NH SAS ELA Vocabulary

account

a verbal or written report, description, or narration of some occurrence, event, etc.

adjectives

a part of speech that describes and modifies a noun, to make a writing or conversation more specific, relevant, and coherent

affix

an additional element placed at the beginning or end of a root, stem, or word, or in the body of a word, to modify its meaning

antonym

a word that has the opposite meaning of another word (bad and good)

appropriate information

detailts that are relevant or suitable to a given topic

article/magazine article/newspaper article

a piece of writing on a particular subject that appears in a newspaper, magazine, or book

audience (as in writer's audience)

the target group to whom a writer is speaking through their work

author

the writer of a book, play, story, or other written work

author's message

the "big idea(s)" of the text or a part of the text; it is what the author wants the reader to learn or take away from reading the text

author's point of view

the author's personal opinion, personal beliefs, and/or personal perspective

blog

a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style

capitals/capitalization

a letter of the alphabet written or printed larger than and in a somewhat different form from its lower-case equivalent and used to designate a proper noun or begin a sentence

central idea

the focus or topic of a piece of written work

character(s)

a person in a story, play, or movie

character's actions

the decisions a person makes in a story based on their qualities and needs

characters' relationships

the bond and/or connection one person has to other people, places and things in a story

chart/graph/diagram/table

information represented visually, quantitatively, or a simplified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation

clear language

the author's use specific vocabulary and details to describe something or someone

comma

this symbol indicates a pause between the ending of an introductory word, phrase, or clause, and the beginning of the main part of the sentence

compare/contrast

to note what is similar and different about two or more things

conclude/conclusion

the very end of a piece of writing, and it usually summarizes the main points of an argument or demonstrates an opinion about a topic

concluding statement

the last sentence in a paragraph, its job is to summarize the main idea of the paragraph. If the paragraph is part of an essay, it also transitions to the next paragraph

conclusion drawn/drawing a conclusion

a summary of the main points of an argument or a summary opinion about a topic

conflict

a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces

connect ideas (transitions in writing)

a word or phrase that connects one idea to another; this connection can occur within a paragraph or between paragraphs. THey are used to show how sentences or paragraphs are related to each other and how they relate to the overall theme of the paper

convince

using effective writing in which writers make their opinions believable to the audience through logic, by invoking emotions, and by proving their own credibility

definition(s)

a statement of the exact meaning of a word or group of words

describe/description/descriptive

this is when writing aims to show, not tell, the reader about the subject or experience, often relying on sensory details: what something looks like, what it sounds like, what it feels like, and what it smells or tastes like

details/realistic details

a particular item of information (including descriptive, illustrative, and statistical information) that supports an idea or contributes to an overall impression in an essay, report, or other kind of text

develop ideas (evidence/elaboration)

this is how writers choose to elaborate their main ideas; these specifics help make generalizations (the main idea, claim or thesis) more concrete

dialogue

any communication between two characters—generally spoken out loud, though there are exceptions to this rule. Dialogue is denoted by quotation marks and dialogue tags

dictionary/dictionary entry

a book or electronic resource that lists the words of a language (typically in alphabetical order) and gives their meaning, or gives the equivalent words in a different language, often also providing information about pronunciation, origin, and usage

draft

any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work

edit

a process of making changes to an original text intending to improve it, often to prepare for publication or presentation

encyclopedia

a book, set of books, optical disc, mobile device, or online informational resource containing articles on various topics, usually in alphabetical arrangement, covering all branches of knowledge or, less commonly, all aspects of one subject

errors

mistakes

event

an action or series of actions depicted in a literary work. It may be verbal as well as physical, so that speaking or telling a story within the story may be an example

evidence

factual information that helps the reader reach a conclusion and form an opinion about something

example

an illustration (either to be imitated or to avoid imitation)

explain

make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas

flashback

a sequence of events that interrupts a chronological sequence, the front line action or “present” line of the story, to show readers a scene that unfolded in the past

global notes

a notepad tool available in the writing section of the NH SAS ELA test. It can be used to take notes, record textual evidence, and organize ideas.

grammar usage

the structural makeup of written or spoken language and how words are used in sentences

heading

similar to a title, this is a word, phrase, or sentence at the beginning of a written passage that explains what it's about

imaginary

existing only in the imagination

infer /inference(s)/inference(s) made

the act or process of reaching a conclusion about something from known facts; a conclusion or opinion reached based on known facts

inform

to give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance to; to supply (oneself) with knowledge of a matter or subject

information

facts provided or learned about something or someone

informational paper/informational articles

an academic paper that's written with the main purpose of informing the audience about an object, person, event, or phenomenon; this type of essay requires you to gather information about your topic

Internet

a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols

introduction

a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing; this is generally followed by the body and conclusion

key details

character, setting, problem, major events, and resolution—and how they interact

key events

the most important actions that take place in a story

key idea

the dominant impression or the universal, generic truth found in the story which unites all elements

main characters

the character(s) with the most amount of influence on the plot or the character(s) that the plot has the most influence on

main idea

the author's message about the topic. It is often expressed directly or it can be implied

main problem

when a character wants something but something else gets in the way, a struggle between opposing forces

meaning

what is meant by a word(s), text, concept, or action

mental picture (writing)

an image of something not real or present that is produced by the memory or the imagination

narrative (story)

the telling of related events in a cohesive format that centers around a central theme or idea

narrator

the fictional construct the author has created to tell the story through. It's the point of view the story is coming from

notes

a synthesis of observations collected while reading

opening (beginning)

a short introductory section that gives background information or sets the stage for the story to come; it is usually pretty short, maybe a few pages (five minutes or so in a film)

opinion(s)/agree/disagree

a view or judgment formed in the mind about a particular topic or issue

opposite

a contrast, when something or someone is completely different from another thing or person

order of events

a timeline, usually chronological, in which events occur so that audiences can follow what happens

organize(d)/organization of ideas

the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a perceptible order in a paragraph, essay, or speech

paragraph

a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic

passage

a portion or section of a written work; a paragraph, verse, etc.

phrase

a grammatical term referring to a group of words that does not include a subject and verb

plot

Plot is the series of events that make up a story. Plots have five main parts that always take place in the same order: beginning (where exposition, or setting and characters are introduced), rising action, climax (the most exciting part), falling action, and resolution.

poem

an arrangement of words written or spoken: traditionally a rhythmical composition, sometimes rhymed, expressing experiences, ideas, or emotions in a style more concentrated, imaginative, and powerful than that of ordinary speech or prose

point of view/view (point)

the vantage point from which a story is presented

pre-writing

the formulation of ideas and information before writing a first draft

presentation (listening stimulus)

to convey information from a speaker to an audience; they are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product

punctuation/punctuated

the practice or system of using certain conventional marks or characters in writing or printing in order to separate elements and make the meaning clear, as in ending a sentence or separating clauses

purpose (e.g., author's or speaker's purpose)

the reason for or intent in writing; it may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition

purpose for writing (informative, opinion, narrative writing)

the goal or aim of a piece of writing: to express oneself, to provide information, to persuade, or to create a literary work

quotes/quotation/direct quotations/quoting directly/quotation marks

something that a person says or writes that is repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing or a speech

reason(s)

a statement offered in explanation or justification

relationship

a connection between two people or things

report

a specific form of writing that is organised around concisely identifying and examining issues, events, or findings that have happened in a physical sense, such as events that have occurred within an organisation, or findings from a research investigation

research

finding something new within a literary work; just like a lab scientist, you are being asked to take what is already there and find a new way to interpret the information, and then discuss it

research question

the question around which you center your research

research report

a compilation of research of different previously published scholarly works pertaining to the given topic

revise

to alter something already written or printed, in order to make corrections, improve, or update

root word

a basic word with no prefix or suffix added to it (a prefix is a string of letters that go at the start of a word; a suffix is a string of letters that go at the end of a word)

section

a distinct part or chunk of a body of material; they may be one or more paragraphs long

sensory details/language

the use the five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell) to add depth of detail to writing

sentences/set of sentences/pair of sentences/line/statement

a group of words that makes a statement, asks a question, or expresses a command, wish, or exclamation

setting

the time and place in which a story is told

similar

the act of having characteristics in common

skim

to read quickly and superficially, in order to pick up the important or significant details

sources

the person, place, or thing from which you get information

speaker

someone who is the voice of text, the person who we imagine is saying things

specific/exact word(s)/word choice(s)/language

the usage of effective and precise language that conveys information not just in a functional way, but also to enlighten the reader

spell check

a computer program or function (as in a word processor) that identifies possible misspellings in a block of text by comparing the text with a database of accepted spellings

spelling errors

an error in the conventionally accepted form of spelling a word

stanza

a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter and rhyme

summary/summarize(s)

a brief statement or restatement of main points, especially as a conclusion to a work