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synonym

two words that have the same or nearly the same meaning

antonym

to words that have opposite meanings

homonym

two words that have the same pronunciation and spelling, but have different meanings

homophone

two words that have the same pronunciations, but different spellings and meanings

inference

an educated guess, using reasoning or background knowledge

accuracy

freedom from mistake or error; conformity to truth or to a standard or model

SYNONYMS: correctness, exactness, precision, veracity

affix

a prefix (added to the beginning of a word) or a suffix (added to the end of a word)

allegory

a story, poem, or picture with a symbolic representation

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more words

EXAMPLE: Sidney sips on Sprite every Saturday.

allusion

a reference to a person, place, or thing of literary, cultural, political, or historical significance

Most common example: references to the Bible

ambiguity

a word or expression that can be understood in two or more possible ways

analyze

to study or examine something in detail, in order to discover more about it

SYNONYM: breakdown, deconstruct, dissect

archetype

A recurring symbol, character, landscape, or event found in myth and literature

EXAMPLE: the hero, the joker, the sage // The Cave, The Mountain

argument

a coherent series of reasons, statements, or facts intended to support or establish a point of view

SYNONYM: claim, dispute, assertion

audience

the people who watch, read, or listen to something

SYNONYMS: readers, public, following, listenership, readership, viewership, followers

author's perspective

in informational text, the author's attitude towards a topic or subject

in literary text, a character's attitude

author's purpose

the reason an author has for writing

EXAMPLES:

to persuade - argument/opinion texts

to inform - expository texts

to entertain - fictional texts

NOTE: Authors have many reasons for writing a text and they often overlap.

bias

inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something

SYNONYMS: favor, subjectivity, one-sidedness, partiality, partisanship, prejudice, preference

cause and effect

a relationship between actions or events such that one or more are the result of the other or others

central idea

the most important or central thought that unifies a text

character's perspective

a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something

cite

to speak or write words from another source, giving credit to the original source

SYNONYMS: quote, reference, attribution, credit

claim

the writer's position on a topic, usually supported by evidence

SYNONYMS: assertion, argument

clarify

to make clear or easier to understand

SYNONYMS: clear up, construe, explain, explicate, expound, get across, illuminate, simplify

coherent

logical and well-organized; easy to understand

SYNONYMS: logical, rational, reasonable, sensible, sound, valid, well-founded, clear, understandable

cohesive

naturally or logically connected; holding together

SYNONYMS: connected, close-knit, united

compare and contrast

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

complex

consisting of many different and connected parts

SYNONYMS: complicated, detailed, involved, elaborate

comprehend

to understand fully

SYNONYMS: catch on, decipher, get, grasp, perceive, understand

conclusion

to end something such as a speech, conversation, or piece of writing; to have a particular opinion about something after thinking carefully about it

SYNONYMS: closure, completion, consequence, ending, outcome, result

connotation / connotative language

the feeling associated with a word, in addition to its basic meaning

SYNONYMS: overtone, undertone, association

context

the situation in which something exists or happens; the text or speech that comes immediately before or after a particular piece of the text

SYNONYMS: background, situation, frame of reference

counterclaim

an opposing claim; a claim made in reply to another claim

SYNONYMS: rebuttal, reply, counterargument

credible

capable of being believed

SYNONYM: believable

demonstrate

to show or make something clear; to show something and explain how it works

SYNONYMS: establish, prove, show, substantiate, validate

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

SYNONYMS: meaning, definition

develop

to create over time; to grow or advance

SYNONYMS: elaborate, evolve, unfold, progress

distinguish

to notice differences between people or things

SYNONYMS: differentiate, discern, separate

evaluate

to judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount, or value of something

SYNONYMS: appraise, assess, rate, value

evidence

source-based information including facts, figures, and details used to support the writer's central idea or claim