Ela 6Th Grade Vocabulary

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plot

Back 1

The series of events in a story.

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context clue

Back 2

Words or phrases surrounding a word that provide hints about the word’s meaning.

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compare/contrast

Back 3

Identifying the similarities and differences of two or more subjects.

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rhythm

Back 4

Musical quality created by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

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target audience

Back 5

The group of readers that the writer is addressing.

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nonfiction

Back 6

Writing that tells about real people, places, and events.

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thesis statement

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Main proposition that a writer attempts to support in a piece of writing.

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narrative

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Writing that tells a story.

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character trait

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The qualities shown by a character.

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folktale

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A story that has been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

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literary analysis

Back 11

Reaction to a literary work by analyzing one of its elements.

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exposition

Back 12

First stage of a typical story plot

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biography

Back 13

True account of a person’s life, written by another person.

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persuade

Back 14

To win someone over or convince.

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bandwagon

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Taps into people’s desire to belong to a group.

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conflict

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Struggle between opposing forces.

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internal conflict

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A conflict that occurs within a character.

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external conflict

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A conflict that involves a character who struggles against a force outside himself or herself.

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sensory details

Back 19

Words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

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inference

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A logical guess that is made based on facts and one’s own knowledge and experience.

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falling action

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Stage of the plot in which the story begins to draw to a close.

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expository text

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Texts that explain.

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foreshadowing

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Occurs when a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story.

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etymologies

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Helps you to understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word by telling you its history.

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clarify

Back 25

Strategy that helps readers understand or make clear what they are reading.

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rhyme

Back 26

Repetition of sounds at the end of words.

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setting

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Time and place of the story.

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tone

Back 28

Expresses the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject.

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imagery

Back 29

Consists of words and phrases that appeal to a reader’s five senses.

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paraphrasing

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Restating of information in one’s own words.

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resolution

Back 31

Reveals how everything turns out in a story.

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myth

Back 32

Traditional story that attempts to answer basic questions about human nature, origins of the world, mysteries of nature, and social customs.

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persuasion techniques

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Devices that can convince you to adopt a position or take an action.

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generalization

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Broad statement about a class or category of people, ideas, or things based on a study of, or a belief about, only some of its members.

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analogy

Back 35

Comparison between two things that are alike in some way.

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contribute

Back 36

To give or add something, such as resources or ideas.

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legend

Back 37

A story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments.

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synthesize

Back 38

Taking individual pieces of information and combining them in order to gain a better understanding of a subject.

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opinion

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A statement that cannot be proved because it expresses a person’s beliefs, feelings, or thoughts.

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style

Back 40

A manner of writing involving how something is said rather than what is said.

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autobiography

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A writer’s account of his or her own life.

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rising action

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Stage of the plot that develops the conflict or struggle, building toward a climax.

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connect

Back 43

A reader’s process of relating the content of a text to his or her own knowledge and experience.

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logical appeal

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A way of reading or speaking that relies on logic and facts.

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propaganda

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Any form of communication that is so distorted that it conveys false or misleading information to advance a specific belief or cause.

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onomatopoeia

Back 46

Use of words whose sounds echo their meanings, such as “buzz and whisper”.

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refrain

Back 47

One or more lines repeated in each stanza of a poem.

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climax

Back 48

Point of greatest interest in a story or play, usually occurring toward the end of a story.

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analyze

Back 49

To separate or break into parts and examine.

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preview

Back 50

Looking ahead at titles, pictures, and first paragraph to give you an idea of what you are about to read.

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cause-effect

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The event that happens first and then the event that follows, or when one event brings about the other.

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alliteration

Back 52

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

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meter

Back 53

Regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

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fiction

Back 54

Prose writing that tells an imaginary story.

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main idea (central idea)

Back 55

Most important idea about a topic that a writer or speaker conveys. The idea that is central to the text. ( 2 choices)

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theme

Back 56

Message about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader. The often explored timeless and universal idea/moral of a text. Usually implied rather than stated.

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haiku

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A form of Japanese poetry in which 17 syllables are arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

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dialect

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A form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people.

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graphic aid

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A visual tool that is printed, handwritten, or drawn.

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poetry

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A type of literature in which words are carefully chosen and arranged to create certain effects.

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idioms

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An expression that has a meaning different from the meaning of its individual words.

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simile

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A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using the word like or as.

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prose

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All forms of writing that are not in verse form.

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personification

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Giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

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story element

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Parts of story including setting, characters, and a conflict.

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fact

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A statement that can be proved or verified.

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drama

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A form of literature meant to be performed by actors in front of an audience.

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convey

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To make known or express.

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transition

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Writers use this to move smoothly from one part of a story to another.

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emotional appeal

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A message that creates strong feelings in order to make a point.

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faulty reasoning

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An error of reasoning.

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mood

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The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader.

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author's purpose

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A writer expressing thoughts or feelings, to inform or explain, to persuade, or to entertain.

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conclusion

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A statement of belief based on evidence, experience, and reasoning.

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summary

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Briefly retelling the main idea in one’s own words.

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denouement

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Another word for resolution.

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evidence

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A specific piece of information that supports a claim.

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point of view

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How a writer chooses to narrate a story.

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title

Back 79

The name that is attached to a piece of writing.

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research

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Where to look for answers on a topic and how to tell which sources are reliable.

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claim

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Writer’s position on an issue or problem in an argument.

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anecdote

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Short account of an event that is usually intended to entertain or make a point.

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connotation

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Ideas and feelings associated with a word, as opposed to its dictionary definition.

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predict

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Reading strategy that involves using text clues to make a reasonable guess about what will happen next in a story.

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sound devices

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Ways of using words for the sound qualities they create.

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reliable

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Trusting a source to contain up-to-date, accurate information.

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evaluate

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To examine something carefully and to judge its value or worth.

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script

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The text of a play, film, or broadcast.

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stanza

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Group of two or more lines that form a unit in a poem.

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main heading

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Another name for title.

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stereotype

Back 91

Characters who are defined by a single trait in literature.

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overgeneralization

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A statement that is too broad to be accurate.

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rhyme scheme

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A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. (ab ab ab)

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subheading

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Section titles that hint at the main idea or topic of the section.

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supporting details

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Details in text that support the main idea.

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media

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Communication that reaches many people

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sidebar

Back 97

Additional information set in a box alongside or within a news or feature article.

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dialogue

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Written conversation between two or more characters.

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loaded language

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Words with strongly positive or negative connotations, intended to influence a reader’s or listener’s attitude.

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acts

Back 100

Major divisions within a play.

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repetition

Back 101

A technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity.

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genre

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Refers to a category in which a work of literature is classified.

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stage directions

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Instructions in a play given to the actors, directors, and stage crew.

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irony

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Contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens.

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flashback

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An interruption of the action to present events that took place at an earlier time.

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metaphor

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A comparison of two things that are basically unlike but have some qualities in common.

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tall tale

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A humorously exaggerated story about impossible events.

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figurative language

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Words used in an imaginative way to express ideas that are not literally true.

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denotation

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A word’s dictionary definition.

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testimonial

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A propaganda technique that quotes someone with authority endorsing a product to make it seem desirable.

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fable

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A brief tale told to teach a lesson.

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text feature

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Design elements that present information visually.

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caption

Back 113

Provides information about a graphic aid.

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universal theme

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themes found throughout literature of all time periods

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recurring theme

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themes found in a variety of works

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argumentative writing

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writing that uses reason to show that the writer's position or conclusion is valid.

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central idea

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concept central to a text or section of a text (also known as main idea)

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cite

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to support an idea or opinion by referring to sources

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recount

Back 119

to tell or write about an event or experience