G8 NH SAS ELA Vocabulary

accurate information/accuracy of information

details, opinions, and statements that are precise, correct, or true

inaccurate information/accuracy of information

details, opinions, and statements that are not precise, incorrect, or untrue

acknowledge/address opposing viewpoint/counterclaims

to identify the differing/opposing views of others, typically to persuade/argue or analyze/explain a topic

address potential counterarguments/opposing claims

to identify the differing/opposing views of others, typically to persuade/argue or analyze/explain a topic

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

analysis

closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices

antonym

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

argument

a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie; a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form

argumentative text/essay

a genre of writing that requires one to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner

audience (as in writer's audience)

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

author's intent

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

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

author'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

blog

a website that contains online personal reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks, videos, and photographs provided by the writer

capitalization

the act of using letters of the alphabet written in upper case, used to designate a proper noun or begin a sentence

central idea

the focus or topic of a piece of written work

character's actions

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

characters' interaction/characters' relationships

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

claim

a statement that persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or provocatively suggests something to a reader who may or may not initially agree with you

clarify claim/counterclaim

to explain an opposing viewpoint or someone else's claim

clause

a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that have a relationship.

compare/contrast

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

comparison

a statement noting a similarity or difference 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

conclusion drawn

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

concrete details/words/phrases/language

facts and examples that support the thesis or topic sentence

conflict/tension

a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces

context

background information or circumstances provided to inform why something is taking place; itcan also be the backstory of a character, provided to inform their behavior and personality

contradict

when two statements conflict, or do not agree with one another

controlling idea/thesis

the main idea that the writer is developing in a composition; it usually expresses a definite opinion or attitude about the topic of the composition

conventions

the mechanical correctness of the writing and includes five elements: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing

counterargument

an argument that goes against your thesis and that expresses the perspective of someone with an opposite point of view from your own

counterclaim

an opposing viewpoint; something said to offset someone else's claim

credible

offering reasonable grounds for being believed

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

draft

any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work; it happens at any stage of the writing process as writers generate trial versions of the text they're developing

edit

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

editorial

a newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue

elaborate/elaboration of ideas

to develop or present an idea, event, or theory in detail

essay

an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view

establish a claim

a statement in which a writer presents an assertion as truthful to substantiate an argument

evidence

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

excerpt

a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied

explanatory article/text/essay/writing

a type of writing in which the author presents some point of view on a certain topic, event or situation

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

focus

also referred to as its thesis, theme, controlling idea, main point; this is when writers tell readers what they plan to cover

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

illustrate

to supply with pictures or diagrams meant to explain or decorate, or to make clear by using examples

inclusion

the action or state of belonging or of being included within a group or structure

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

integrate information/ideas

to blend or merge different pieces of information that's been pulled from different sources into a coherent piece of writing

interaction

an occasion when two or more people or things communicate with or react to each other

interpretation

finding the meaning and significance of an event/story, asking yourself both what the text means and why it is important

introduction

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

justify

to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable

key events

the most important actions that take place in a story

logical progression of ideas

the order of things; writing should be organized so that it clarifies and builds on the reader's understanding of the information

logical sequence of events

a number of events or things that come one after another in a particular order

motive

something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act

multiple meanings

when words that take on different meanings in different contexts

narrative/narrative writing

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

observation(s)

an event, description, or pattern that you notice in a text/story

paraphrase/paraphrasing

a rewording of something written or spoken by someone else

phrases

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

plagiarism/plagiarize/ plagiarizing

the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own

plot

the structure of interrelated actions, consciously selected and arranged by the author; it involves a considerably higher level of narrative organization than normally occurs in a story or fable

point of view/viewpoint

the vantage point from which a story is presented

pre-write

the formulation of ideas and information before writing a first draft

precise/concise language/word choice

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

presentation

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 (explanatory, argumentative, 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

quotation(s)

something that is quoted

reference sources

the combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, and ethically use primary sources within specific disciplinary contexts, in order to create new knowledge or to revise existing understandings

relationships

a connection between two people or things

relevant

having significant importance to the topic at hand

irrelevant

lacking significant importance to the topic at hand

relevant supporting evidence

proves a claim to be true; it can be a summary, paraphrased or a direct quote

resolve/resolution

the conclusion of a story's plot; a literary term for the final plot points that occur after a story's climax and falling action. It can be a scene or series of scenes that tie a narrative arc together near the end of the story

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)

sensory details/language

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

sequence of events

a number of events or things that come one after another in a particular order

setting

the time and place in which a story is told

shift in narrator's perspective/point of view

when an author provides a different view of an event or character to allow the reader to learn more information and expand meaning

point of view

a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated

skim

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

stanza

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

style

the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text

summarize

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

support

to explain, illustrate, or provide evidence for the idea expressed in the topic sentence

synonym

a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase, for example shut is a synonym of close

text structure (compare/contrast;cause/effect; problem/solution;pro/con)

the way authors organize information in text; recognizing the underlying structure of texts can help the reader focus attention on key concepts and relationships, anticipate what is to come, and monitor comprehension as they read

theme

the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work; it can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements

thesis/controlling idea

the main idea of an essay, report, speech, or research paper, sometimes written as a single declarative sentence; it may be implied rather than stated directly