Ms. Laird's PSSA Vocabulary Review

The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its meaning.

a device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation of later developments

words that have the same final sound in two or more words (Examples: snow/grow, splat/cat)

the attitude/feeling of the author that makes a writing unique (Ex: The turtle retreated into its haven of safety!)

two or more initial consonant sounds used in a sentence (Example: The Philly Phanatic is funny.)

A word that is the opposite of another word.

differences

the manner in which an author writes

Put together characters, situations or ideas to show common or differing features. (Example: The boys wore blue.)

words written to create a feeling (Example: Twisted branches reached out to grab my hair.)

characters, setting, plot and theme in literature

Compare 2 unlike things without using like/as (Example: That new kid in class is really a squirrel.)

repeating a message over and over again

The reason why the author wrote the text - to persuade, to inform, to entertain.

the attitude of the author toward the audience and characters Examples: sarcastic, unhappy, humorous, optimistic

a word part added to the beginning of a baseword which changes the meaning. (Examples: re-: rewind and un-: unwind)

Words that imitate the sounds they refer to. (Examples: swish, boom, pop)

A nonfiction selection.

A reference in literature to a familiar person, place or event.

The story of a person's life written by someone other than the subject of the work.

the point from which the story is told. (Example: each person has a different point of view)

the topic of discussion or of a writing (Example: The theme of the Social Studies Unit was Recycling.)

factual writing

An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so hungry I could have eaten a horse!)

a story, real or fictional

tell in words including all the relevant characteristics, qualities, or events (different than summarize or explain)

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is most intense.

The action or events in a story

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact Example: Harry Potter Series

the portion of a story following a climax, in which the conflict is resolved Example: End of story

a brief statement on the main points of something(different than explain or describe)

The story of a person's life written by himself or herself.

A newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers.

made-up events or characters

An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally. (Example: Let's get on the ball.)

when an object represents an idea Examples: Dove=Peace, Donkey = Democratic Party

giving human qualities to something that is not human (Example: Flowers danced on the lawn.).

A word that is pronounced the same, but that has different meaning. (Examples: hair/hare, scale (fish)/scale(musical)).

comparing two things using 'like/as' (Example: Mrs. Greene eats like a bird.)

A story told by a narrator. Uses words like "he," "she," or "it" when referring to main characters.

an oversimplified statement Example: All boys like to play basketball

When the main character tells the story. Uses words like "I," "me," and "us."

A category used to name written works.(Examples: fiction, nonfiction, poetry).

make an idea clear to someone by describing it in more detail(different than summarize or describe)

Two or more words in a language that have similar meanings. (Example: sorrow, grief, sadness).

to carefully examine

the author's central thought; the topic sentence of a paragraph.

how you gather information from other words

accents and beats in a poem (Example: Hump - ty - Dump - ty - sat- on- a - wall)

a judgment based on a personal point of view

how an author shares a character's personalities (Example: The large, scary man gently picked up the little dog.)

A comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as" Examples: She eats like a bird. She is as quick as a fox.

a word part added to the ending of a baseword which changes the meaning (Example: homeless, beautiful)

real information

to restate a passage in other words