11+ Comprehension Glossary Flashcards
Abbreviation
When a word or a phrase is shortened e.g January becomes Jan
Active voice
The subject of the sentence is doing and object of the sentence is having it done to them - the boy kicked the ball
Adjectives
Tell us more about a noun e.g the sweet sticky cake
Adverb
They tell us more about a verb. They tell us how, when or where something is done - the girl skipped quickly. Adverbs quite often end in the letters ly.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words - Phil phoned Freya.
Acronym
An abbreviation made from the initial letters of a word - NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Ambiguity
Where a sentence could have more than one meaning - “Jaws is about a man eating shark” or “Jaws is about a man-eating shark” correct punctuation resolves ambiguity.
Analogy
Is wherln we compare two things to each other based on a relationship they share - cold is to hot as young is to old. Here the relationship is based on opposites.
Antonym
A word that had the exact opposite meaning - e.g. arrive/depart.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within words - he fell asleep under the cherry tree - uses repetition of the long “ee” sound
Bullet points
Used to make a list
- eggs
- flour
- milk
Clause
A group of words with a verb
Cliche
Is an expression that has become so overused it has lost its meaning - e.g. “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover”
Connectives
A conjunction (see other flashcards)
Conjunctions
Link two words or phrases - Milo loves football BUT harry hates it
Context
The situation in which something occurs
Definite article
The word “the”
Description
A statement that gives details about something or someone
Determiners
The words “a” “an” and “the”.
(Also called articles)
Dialogue
Conversation between two or more people
Direct speech
Is where the exact words spoken are written in speech marks
Ellipsis
Three dots in a row…
Used to show when something has been left out or a unfinished statement or a slight pause
Exaggeration
When you describe something and make it more that it is - “I’ve heard that a million times!”
Fable
A short story conveying a moral e.g The Tortoise & The Hare.
Formal writing
Using standard language
Homonym
Words that have the same spelling but different meanings
e.g Pen
(a small writing instrument or an area for keeping animals)
Homophone
Words that aren’t spelt the same but have the same sounds
e.g One and Won
Indefinite article
“A” or “An”.
Also known as determiners
Idiom
An expression that isn’t meant to be taken literally but has a different figurative meaning - if you say someone has cold feet it may mean they are nervous about something.
Informal writing
Used when writing a letter to a friend etc. It is much more relaxed than formal writing.
Irony
Using language that expresses the opposite e.g. If it was a cold and rainy day, you may say “what a beautiful day!” or if you were in hospital, you may say with irony, “I feel great today”
Main clause
A clause that makes sense as a sentence
Metaphor
A word or phrase used to describe something as if it was something else
- a wave of terror washed over him
Myth
A traditional story quite often involving the early history of people
Noun - common noun
Nouns for people, animals and objects
Nouns - proper noun
Nouns that name particular things - they begin with a capital letter
Nouns - collective noun
A noun that refers to a group of things as a whole e.g a shoal of fish
Object
The object of the sentence is the person/thing having an action done to it
e.g the cat sat on the MAT
Omission
Leaving words out
Onomatopoeia
Is a word that phonetically suggests the sound it describes
e.g the tick stock of a clock
Parenthesis/Parentheses
Keeping a word, phrase or clause separate from the rest of the sentence using commas, hyphens or brackets - my brother, short but very strong, stopped the thieves getting away.
Passive voice
When the subject isn’t carrying out the action but is having it done to them by someone/something else
Persuasive writing
This is text written to make the reader do something
Prefix
A string of letters added to the front of a root word to change it’s meaning
e.g correct/incorrect
(IN is the prefix)
Preposition
Show the relationship between nouns and pronouns. The can show position according to place or time
e.g
t
The girl put the hat ON the snowman
My mum clapped AFTER the performance
Pronouns - personal
Take the place of the noun once it has already been mentioned, such as I, me, you, he
Pronouns - relative
The words: who, which, that and whose
They introduce a relative clause
Pronouns - possessive
A word to show ownership
- yours, hers
Pronouns - demonstrative
Are used to refer to objects or people that have already been mentioned
E.g I don’t usually like flowers, but I love THESE
Proverbs
A proverb is a traditional saying that people often quote when giving you advice - “it’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted”
Phrase
A group of words that work together without a verb
- the black dog
Pseudonyms
A fictitious name. Quite often authors write using a ficticious name. Dr seuss is actually Theodor Geisel!
Quotation
A group of words copied from a text. If you copy some words from a story without changing the words you are using a quotation. Quotations should be put in quotation marks.
Relative clause
A subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun
Reported speech
Also called indirect speech.
When the general points of what someone has said are written out. The opposite of direct speech.
Root word
A word without a suffix or prefix
Suffix
A string of letters added to the end of a root word to change it’s meaning
- ambition can become ambitious
Verbs - modal verbs
Verbs that show possibility or likelihood
- John MAY play football this Saturday and if he does he COULD be made team captain.
Sentence types - Statement
A sentence that gives information
Sentence types - question
A sentence that asks something - it ends with a “?”
Sentence types - exclamation
A string sentence that shows surprise, shock, pain or a warning. It ends with “!”
Sentence types - command
A sentence that gives an order
Sentence types - simple sentence
Has a subject and a verb
- Joe waited for the train
Sentence types - compound sentence
A sentence that has at least two independent clauses joined by a comma, semi-colon or conjunction
-the dog came rushing in, so the cat ran upstairs
Sentence types - complex sentence
Has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause
- Helen returned the computer after she noticed it was damaged
Simile
Used to compare two things directly and often uses the word AS or LIKE
- the snow is like a white blanket
Subject
The person/thing that performs the verb
- the CAT sat on the mat
Subordinate clause
A clause which depends on the main clause to make sense
Synonym
A word which has an exact or very similar meaning
E.g necessary and essential
Thesaurus
A book of words and their synonyms
Title
The name of a book or piece of written work
Autobiography
When someone writes about their own life
Biography
A life history of someone, written by someone else.
Fiction
A story using made up events and people
Non-fiction
A story based on fact
Science fiction
A type of fiction that focuses in made up science
