ELA PSSA Terms Flashcards
a comparison using like or as
simile
A comparison of two or more things not using like or as
metaphor
Exaggeration or overstatement.
hyperbole
Giving human-qualities to non-human things
personification
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
alliteration
Something happens that was the opposite of what was expected.
irony
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.
author’s purpose
An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.
allusion
The story of a person’s life written by himself or herself.
autobiography
The story of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject of the work.
biography
the high point of suspense in a short story or novel.
climax
The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities.
characterization
The problem or struggle in a short story or novel.
conflict
Information from the reading that identifies a word or group of words.
context clues
conversation between people in a literary work
dialogue
To make an overstatement or to stretch the truth.
exaggeration
A story or novel that is not true; it is made up from the imagination.
fiction
Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
figurative language
Poetry that does not have meter or rhyme scheme. It sounds more like regular speech.
free verse
The use of words or phrases to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Language that appeals to the five senses to describe the way something looks, sounds, feel, tastes or smells.
imagery
understandings gained by “reading between the lines”
inferences
A type of nonfiction, written primarily to convey factual information. (e.g., textbooks, newspapers, reports, technical manuals, etc.).
informational text
The main idea is the author’s central thought; the topic sentence of a paragraph.
main idea
Another name for a story.
narrative
Writing that is true or factual.
nonfiction
The use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning (ex.: hiss, pop, bang)
onomatopoeia
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.
plot
who tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person)
point of view
The solution to the conflict of the story.
resolution
Identical or very similar recurring final sounds in words usually at the end of lines of a poem.
rhyme
The pattern or beat of a poem.
rhythm
The time and place in which a story unfolds.
setting
A device in literature where an object represents an idea.
symbolism
the central idea or truth a story reveals about life.
theme
The narrator tells the story from the viewpoint of one character in the story. (he, she, it, they, them, their, her, his, or character’s names are used)
third person limited point of view
The attitudes, feelings and emotions suggested, or caused, by a word (e.g., slender/thin/scrawny).
connotation
The direct or dictionary meaning of a word.
denotation
To break something down and examine all parts; to examine the elements of a text, or one element of a text, such as character, setting, plot or theme of a story.
analyze
A type of essay requiring readers to support their ideas/claims with textual evidence in writing and to demonstrate comprehension.
TDA (text-dependent analysis)
To tell a shortened version of a text
summarize
A personal point of view using the “I” point of view. May also contain me, our, we, us.
first person point of view
The narrator has unlimited knowledge and can describe the thoughts and feelings of two or more characters in a story. (he, she, it, they, them, their, her, his, or character’s names are used)
third person omniscient point of view
