Middle School Reading Terms

Front 1

simile

Back 1

comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Front 2

subject/verb agreement

Back 2

The subject and verb must agree in number. Both must be singular, or both must be plural

Front 3

time order/transitional words

Back 3

a word or phrase helping the reader to make the step from one event/sentence to the next. (first, next, then, after that, last)

Front 4

topic sentence

Back 4

A sentence that expresses the main idea in a paragraph or passage.

Front 5

verb tense

Back 5

verb that tells the time of the action or state of being

Front 6

inferring

Back 6

offering a reasoned opinion based on observations and experience

Front 7

suffix

Back 7

a group of letters placed at the end of a word to change its meaning (ful, ment, ly, etc.)

Front 8

prefix

Back 8

a group of letters placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning (un, im, re, etc.)

Front 9

genre

Back 9

One of the categories based on form, style, or subject matter that books are divided into. (realistic fiction, historical fiction, poetry, non-fiction, biography, etc.)

Front 10

homonyms

Back 10

words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings (sale/sail)

Front 11

index

Back 11

An alphabetical listing of topics and the page numbers where they can be found in a text. It is usually found in the back of the book.

Front 12

making inferences

Back 12

When you can assume or guess something in a story that isn't told to you directly. (a guess based on facts from the story)

Front 13

metaphor

Back 13

A comparison of two unlike things without using the word like or as.

Front 14

possessive nouns

Back 14

Nouns that show ownership

Front 15

prediction

Back 15

a statement of what will happen next in a sequence of events

Front 16

proofread

Back 16

To read and correct mistakes in a piece of writing

Front 17

quotation marks

Back 17

These are used to enclose direct quotations, titles of chapters, articles, short poems or stories, song and essays