Keystone Preparation

Author’s Purpose

the authors reason for writing. P.I.E. = Persuade, inform, or entertain. we can ask about word choice, tone, connotations, and opinions an author includes to find the author’s purpose.

Figurative Language

used to visualize an idea and what is happening

Purpose of Figurative language

authors use fig. lang. to better communicate complex ideas that cannot be easily understood. helps to elicit emotion and make mental images.

Fiction vs Nonfiction

Fiction: created from imagination

Nonfiction: based in facts

allegory

simple stories to show the moral; simplified versions of complex stories

personification

giving human-like characteristics to add lifelike personalities to inanimate objects

foreshadowing

giving a hint as to what might happen next. keeps the reader engaged

irony

keeps the story interesting, keeps readers on their toes. unpredictable

dialect

how the characters talk. accent written into the dialogue. used to characterize characters; can tell

allusion

add context by referencing another work. helps us make connections/compare

hyperbole

convey intensity or emotion; used to emphasize a certain situation

flashback

provides context about a character’s history; incite into them

keystone exam: constructed response grading

3- clearly answers prompt

2- partial analysis

1- minimal info

0- irrelevant

main idea

key information that the author wants you to know after reading… not a summary

the main idea is the central point or message that author wants to convey. Most important thought to take away from text.

how to find the main idea

read 1 paragraph at a time and for each paragraph make a short sentence summarizing what was said. then when you have all of the short sentences find the common idea in all of them and that is the main idea

\-ask what is the writing about

\-ask “What does the author want me to know?”

\-authors often explicitly state the main idea in the intro or conclusion

\-look for reversal transition… words like but, otherwise, however

\-look for ideas that are repeated in different ways

main idea vs. theme

the main idea is what the book is mostly about. The theme is the message, lesson, or moral of a book.

Connotation

tone of a word, how it makes you feel. the feeling a word evokes

Denotation

dictionary def of a word

Satire

\-supposed to be funny but also attacking something

\-used to highlight comedy/humor and social activism

\-irony, sarcasm, overdramatic

\-Satire is the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice or folly.

\-A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.

Purpose of satire

\-to promote change THROUGH comedy

affix

one or more letters occurring as a bound form attached to the beginning, end, or base of a word and serving to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form

allegory

a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. the underlying meaning may have moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as charity, greed, or envy.

alliteration

the repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words

allusion

an implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event

analysis

the process or result of identifying the parts of a while and their relationships to one another

antonym

a word that is the opposite in meaning to another word

Argument/Position

The position or claim the author establishes. Arguments should be supported with valid evidence

and reasoning and balanced by the inclusion of counterarguments that illustrate opposing viewpoints

author’s purpose

the author’s intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people or to persuade or convince their audience to do or not do something

Bias

The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic.

Biography

A written account of another person's life.

Character

A person, animal or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work.

Characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities

(e.g., direct, indirect).

Climax

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of

stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax.

Compare/Contrast:

Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary

selections.

Conflict/Problem

A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.

Connotation

The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its dictionary meaning.

Context Clues

Words and phrases in a sentence, paragraph, and/or whole text, which help reason out the meaning of an

unfamiliar word.

Cultural Significance

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture.

Defense of a Claim:

Support provided to mark an assertion as reasonable.

dialect

A variety of a language distinct from the standard variety in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.

Dialogue

In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; in its

most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama.

Diction

An author’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language, which combine to help create

meaning and tone.

Differentiate

Distinguish, tell apart, and recognize differences between two or more items.

Drama

The genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage; a work to be performed by actors on stage,

radio, or television; play.

Dramatic Script:

The written text of a play, which includes the dialogue between characters, stage directions and often

other expository information.

Draw Conclusion

To make a judgment or decision based on reasoning rather than direct or implicit statement

Elements of Fiction:

Traits that mark a work as imaginative or narrative discourse (e.g., plot, theme, symbol).

Elements of Nonfiction:

Traits that mark a work as reportorial, analytical, informative or argumentative (e.g., facts,

data, charts, graphics, headings).

Evaluate

Examine and judge carefully. To judge or determine the significance, worth or quality of something; to assess.

explain

to make understandable, plain or clear

Explicit:

Clearly expressed or fully stated in the actual text

Exposition

\: A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information

about the characters and their circumstances.

Fact

\: A piece of information provided objectively, presented as true.

Falling Action

\: The part of a literary plot that is characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot’s

conflicts and complications.

Fiction

Any story that is the product of imagination rather than a documentation of fact. Characters and events in such

narratives may be based in real life but their ultimate form and configuration is a creation of the author.

Figurative Language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

First Person

The “first person” or “personal” point of view relates events as they are perceived by a single character. The

narrating character may offer opinions about the action and characters that differ from those of the author.

Focus

The center of interest or attention.

Generalization

A conclusion drawn from specific information that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or

person.

Genre

A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (e.g., prose, poetry).

Headings, Graphics and Charts

Any visual cues on a page of text that offer additional information to guide the

reader’s comprehension. Headings typically are words or phrases in bold print that indicate a topic or the theme of a

portion of text; graphics may be photographs, drawings, maps or any other pictorial representation; charts (and tables or

graphs) condense data into a series of rows, lines or other shortened lists.

Hyperbole:

An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I had to wait forever.)

Imagery

Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions

Implicit

Though unexpressed in the actual text, meaning that may be understood by the reader; implied

Inference

A judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or

circumstances; understanding gained by “reading between the lines.”

Informational Text

Nonfiction written primarily to convey factual information. Informational texts comprise the majority

of printed material adults read (e.g., textbooks, newspapers, reports, directions, brochures, technical manuals)

Interpret

To give reasons through an explanation to convey and represent the meaning or understanding of a text.

Irony

The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning; incongruity between the

actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result.

Key/Supporting Details

Points of information in a text that strongly support the meaning or tell the story. Statements

that define, describe, or otherwise provide information about the topic, theme, or main idea.

Key Words

Specific word choices in a text that strongly support the tone, mood, or meaning of the text.

Literary Device

Tool used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the text (e.g., dialogue, alliteration).

Literary Element

An essential technique used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme).

Literary Form

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design. Forms may refer to

a literary type (narrative, short story) or to patterns of meter, lines, and rhymes (stanza, verse).

Literary Movement

A trend or pattern of shared beliefs or practices that mark an approach to literature (e.g., Realism,

Naturalism, Romanticism).

Literary Nonfiction

Text that includes literary elements and devices usually associated with fiction to report on actual

persons, places, or events. Examples include nature and travel text, biography, memoir and the essay.

Main Idea

The author’s central thought; the chief topic of a text expressed or implied in a word or phrase; the topic

sentence of a paragraph.

Metaphor

The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison (like or as) are used (e.g., The speech

gave me food for thought.)

Monologue

An extended speech spoken by one speaker, either to others or as if alone.

Mood

The prevailing emotions or atmosphere of a work derived from literary devices such as dialogue and literary

elements such as setting. The mood of a work is not always what might be expected based on its subject matter.

Motif

A recurring subject, theme, or idea in a literary work.

Multiple‐meaning Words

Words that have several meanings depending upon how they are used in a sentence

Narrative

A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in text.

Narrator

A person, animal, or thing telling the story or giving an account of something.

Nonfiction

Text that is not fictional; designed primarily to explain, argue, instruct or describe rather than entertain. For

the most part, its emphasis is factual.

Opinion

A personal view, attitude, or appraisal.

Plot

The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict.

Poetry

In its broadest sense, text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the

use of meter, imagery and connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. Poetry typically relies on words and expressions that have several layers of meaning (figurative

language). It may also make use of the effects of regular rhythm on the ear and may make a strong appeal to the senses through the use of imagery

Point of View

The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the

events are depicted (e.g., first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc). The perspective from which a speaker or author recounts a narrative or presents information. The author’s manner in revealing characters, events, and ideas; the vantage point from which a story is told.

Prefix

Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning

Propaganda

Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people

Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below.

Name‐calling

is an attack on a person instead of an issue.

Bandwagon

tries to persuade the reader to do, think or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.

Red herring

is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument

Emotional appeal

tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of appealing to logic or reason.

Testimonial

attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).

Repetition

attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.

Sweeping generalization

(stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.

Circular argument

states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.

Appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics

attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.