Word Origins
The history of where words come from.
The first language gives clues to meaning
and spelling. Many English words come
from Greek or Latin.
Abbreviation
Shortened form of a word or phrase (Mr., St., Dr.)
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)
Conjunction
A conjunction connects words or groups
of words (and but, so, when, after) Theme 1
Interjection
An interjection is a word or phrase used to
express strong feeling or surprise. It is
followed by an exclamation point or a comma.
(Theme 4)
Affixes
Something added to the beginning, middle, or
end of another word
Suffix
An ending added to a word to change the
meaning.(-ful)
Prefix
A beginning added to a word to change
the meaning (un-)
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.
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 another word (pretty/lovely)
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 from one generation to another
Myths
A traditional story about heroes or supernatural
beings, often to explain natural events such as
the weather.
Fantasies
Stories that have magical events and often take
place in imaginary worlds
Science Fiction
Stories that take place in the future with imaginary
science and technology developments.
Drama
A play written for performance.
Periodicals
Magazine
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