Contractions
Two words are shortened by putting
together and using an apostrophe
where the left out letter should be
(isn’t, he’ll)
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)
Compound
Big word that is made up of
two smaller words
Syllables
A unit of spoken language that
contains a vowel sound; suffixes
and prefixes are often called
common syllables
Table of Contents
The part of the book that names the
chapters or sections in the book and
give the page numbers.
Font Styles
The design and size of the typing in a
text including bold and italic.
Format Styles
The way something is arranged or organized
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.
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)
Homonyms
Words with the same spelling OR sound
(read/read AND plain/plane)
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)
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
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)
Sequence
The order in which the events happen
Description
Details that give sight, sounds, and smells
Cause and Effect
Text tells why things happen and
what happens as a result
Compare/Contrast
Showing how things are alike and how they
are different–Venn Diagram is often used
Captions
A short description about a picture
Charts
A diagram or table that shows detailed information
Headings
The title for a paragraph, section, or page
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
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