Plural
Word that refers to more than
one person or thing (shoes, mice)
Possessive
Word that shows ownership
(Cindy’s dog, boys’ hats)
Noun
Word that names a person, a place,
a thing, or an idea (Bill, office, fun)
Verb
Word that expresses action of
state of being (run, is)
Adjective
Word that describes a noun or
a pronoun (tall, three)
Adverb
Word that describes a verb, an adjective,
or another adverb (gently, easily, very)
Pronoun
Words used in the place of nouns
(I, him, them)
Suffix
An ending added to a word to
change the meaning (-ful)
Prefix
A beginning added to a word to
change the meaning (un-)
Base Word
The original word to which prefixes
and suffixes may be added.
Root Word
The basic part of a word that is left
when all the affixes are removed. A
root cannot stand alone as a word
Glossary
Alphabetical list of words and meanings
found in the back of a book.
Captions
A short description about a picture
Headings, Subheadings
The title for a paragraph, section, or page
Context Clues
The words, phrases or sentences that come before
and after a word that help explain its full meaning.
Categories
A group of words that are grouped together
because of common characteristics or meanings.
Homographs
Words that are spelled the same but are
different in meaning (e.g., gum, gum)
Homophone
Words that sound the same, but have
different meanings and usually different
spellings (bare, bear)
Homonyms
Words with the same spelling OR sound
(live/live AND plain/plane); both homographs
and homophones
Synonym
A word that means the same or almost
the same as
Antonym
A word that means the opposite of
another word (hot/ cold)
Multiple Meaning Words
Words that are spelled alike but have
different meanings. Reader must use
context to determine what meaning the
author is using.
Author’s Purpose
The reason the author wrote the passage
Explain (how to writing), entertain (narrative),
Inform (reports), persuade, essay (opinion)
Author’s Perspective
The way the author sees a situation or the facts.
Point of View
First person: The author is writing about
himself/herself (I), Second person: the
author is writing to someone else (you),
Third person: author is writing about
someone else (they, he, she). In third
person limited, the narrator knows the
thoughts and feelings of only one person;
in third person omniscient the narrator
knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.
Character
One of the people in a book or story
Setting
Time and place of a story
Plot
Events in a story, usually with a
problem and solution
Theme
The major idea of an entire narrative piece
Summarize
A shortened version with the main points
Literary Devices
The use of language to create a particular
effect or to bring to mind memories or
feeling for the reader
Metaphor
comparing something or someone with words
that are not meant to be literal (e.g., Poetry is
rainbow words and star bursts.)
Simile
A comparison using “like” or “as”
(e.g., as white as a sheet)
Alliteration
A poetic sound created by using several words
that begin with the same consonant sounds
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate sounds
(e.g., hiss, buzz)
Imagery
Words that make pictures in your imagination
(e.g., metaphors, similes, personification)
Rhythm
Beat or pattern heard when reading
poetry aloud
Sequence
The order in which the events happen
Description
Details that give sight, sounds, and smells
Cause and Effect
Text tells why things happen (cause)
and what happens as a result (effect)
Compare/Contrast
Showing how things are alike and
how they are different–Venn
Diagram is often used
Fact/Opinion
A fact is a statement that can be
checked to see whether it is true
or false; an opinion shows how
someone thinks or feels and
can’t be proven true or false.
Charts/Tables
A diagram or table that shows
detailed information
Font Styles
The design and size of the typing
in a text including bold and italic.
Folktales
A traditional story, legend, myth,
fable that has been retold by one
generation to another
Historical Fiction
A story of past events and characters
that is partly true and part imaginary.
Biography
The story of someone’s life told
by someone else
Chapter Books
Books long enough to be divided into
chapters; each chapter with the same
characters and different episodes or events
Textbooks
Books used for classes
(e.g., social studies, health)
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