English Language Arts

Handbook
For use in 7th grade English and Reading

Troy Area School District

Mrs. Glisson and Mrs. Anderson

PSSA English Language Arts Vocabulary

Mrs. Glisson and Mrs. Anderson

2014-2015

All Sections

PA English Language Arts Common Core Vocabulary

Eligible Content from Literature Text and Informational Text

Literary Elements:
1. plot: the sequence of events that ties the beginning of a story to its end. Each
event causes or leads to the next event.
Most plots develop in five stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, and resolution.
exposition: introduces the storys characters, setting, and conflict
rising action: occurs as complications, twists, or intensifications of the
conflict occur
climax: the storys most dramatic moment- a turning point in a narrative.
Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in
which tension builds to the climax
falling action: the logical result of the climax

resolution: presents the final outcome of the story

2. An important part of any plot is conflict: the struggle between two or more
forces that must be resolved by the end of the narrative. 2 kinds of conflictExternal conflict takes place between the character and an outside force.
man verses man (character vs. character)
man verses nature (character vs. nature)
man verses society (character vs. society)
man verses fate (character vs. fate)
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An internal conflict takes place within the mind of a character.

man verses himself (character vs. self)

(continued Literary Elements)

3. setting: This is the storys time and place. It includes location, weather, the
time of year, ideas, customs, values, and the beliefs of a particular time and
place- historical context.
4. characters: the people, animals, and other individuals in a story or work of
fiction
Authors reveal the personality of each character through characterization, or by
describing the characters physical appearance, thoughts, spoken words, and
actions.
main characters: the most important characters in a story
protagonist: central character around whom the central conflict revolves
antagonist: the character or force that opposes the protagonist
minor characters: those who help or observe the protagonist solve the
conflict
round characters: complex, like a real person, has multiple and sometimes
contradictory traits
flat characters: shows only 1 or 2 personality traits

a stereotype is a flat character of a familiar type (jealous friend, cruel

headmaster)
dynamic character: develops or changes over the course of the story.
Usually the change is spurred by the central conflict of the story. Often the
change results in a characters new understanding of himself or others.
static character: does not undergo a change. Most characters in a story are
static so as not to distract from the significant changes that occur in the
protagonist.

(continued Literary Elements)

5. Authors reveal the personality of each character through characterization,
describing the characters physical appearance, thoughts, spoken words, and
actions.
2 kinds of characterization:
direct characterization: a narrator who is not a character in the
story makes statements about a character
indirect characterization: writer reveals information about a
character through the characters words, thoughts, and actions, and
through words of other characters.
Character trait: words that describe the personality (what one is
generally like on the inside)
6. theme: the main idea, or message about life, that a literary work expresses.
Theme is not the subject of a story, but is an insight about life or human
nature. A theme should be stated in a complete sentence.
2 kinds of theme:
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stated theme: theme is expressed directly (fables)

implied theme: the author reveals through setting, point of view, and
the actions of the characters
subject: what the story is about- can be said in one word

7. point of view: A narrator is the person who tells a story. The relationship
of the narrator to the story is called point of view.
Different points of view:
first person point of view: the narrator is a character in the story,
referred to as I. The main character tells the story and may offer
opinions about the action and characters. The words I or me are used.

(continued Literary Elements)

second person point of view: this is a less common form of
narration. The narrator talks to you and makes you feel as if you are
a part of the story. J.R.R. Tolkien did this wonderfully.
third person point of view: the narrator is outside the story and
uses he or she to tell the story (3 kinds of 3rd person)
3rd person limited: when the narrator reveals the thoughts, feelings,
and observation of only one character

3rd person omniscient: when the narrator knows everything that goes
on- including the thoughts and feelings of every character
3rd person objective: when the narrator tells a story without
describing any of the characters thoughts, opinions, or feelings. The
narrator is not in the head of this character. Instead, the narrator gives
an objective, unbiased point of view. by reporting only on the
characters actions. Often the narrator is self-dehumanized in order to
make the narrative more neutral.
8. voice: the distinctive use of language that conveys the authors or narrators
personality to the reader. Sometimes it is determined by word choices. Voice
is also determined by tone, an authors attitude toward his subject, and
mood, the emotional quality of a literary work.
9. tone: an authors attitude toward his subject matter or audiencethe
authors tone gives the reader an idea about how the author feels about a
certain subject. Things like word choice and the way a subject is presented
create tone. Angry, ridiculing, enthused, critical- An authors tone may be
angry. An author might choose to use the word ridiculous instead of silly,
and this contributes to an angry tone.
(serious or humorous)

(continued Literary Elements)

10.

mood: the emotional quality of a literary work, the atmosphere that a

writer creates for a reader that plays on the readers imagination and
emotion through the use of descriptive adverbs and or adjectives.
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Gloomy, eerie, tense, quiet, restful, scary, tranquil, serene, suspenseful

What emotions does the writing make you feel?
11.

dialect: a variation of a language spoken by a group of people, often

within a particular region

12.

flashback: An interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to

show an event that happened earlier. A flashback is a device that gives

readers information that may help explain the main events of a story.
Flashbacks are often dreams or recollections of one or more characters.

13.

identifying sequence: finding the logical order of ideas of events.

Helps to follow a writers train of thought

14.

inferences: when you make inferences, you make a guess about things

not directly stated in the passage. You use the details provided by the author
along with what you know of real life to draw conclusions.
15.

paradox: a situation or statement that is contradictory in logic, but

contains and apparent truth.

Example: One must be cruel to be kind.
16.

summarizing: stating the main ideas of a selection in a logical

sequence and in your own words. When you summarize, include the main
characters, setting, conflict, and important plot details including the climax
and resolution.

(continued Literary Elements)

17.

imagery: descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five

senses
18.

foreshadowing: a device used in literature to create expectation or to

set up and explanation of later developments/ when the author uses clues to
hint at events that will happen later in the story
19.

irony: a contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs.

3 kinds:
verbal irony: the speaker or character says one thing, but really
means another
dramatic irony: occurs when the reader knows something that a
character does not know
situational irony: occurs when what actually happen is opposite of
what is expected to happen- situation is thoroughly messed up.
20.

hyperbole: a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express a

strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor. It is important to ask which of

these the author is intending to express.

Terms for Reading Critically:

Affix:

one or more letters occurring as a bound form attached to the

beginning or end of a word or base word. Affixes serve to produce
a derivational word or an inflectional form.
Prefix: an affix occurring at the beginning of a word or base
word.
Suffix: an affix occurring at the end of a word or base word.

Allegory:

a figurative work in which a surface narrative carries a secondary,

symbolic, or metaphorical meaning. Many works contain
allegories or are allegorical in part, but not many are entirely
allegorical.
William Golding, Lord of the Flies (allegorical novel)

Alliteration:

the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words

(e.g. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers..."; "Fair is foul,
and foul is fair:/ Hover through the fog and filthy air."

Allusion:

a reference to another person, place, event, or literary work

Analogy:

a comparison between two pairs of words. It shows a relationship

between the words that are being compared. Analogies can use
different types of relationships to compare words: part/ whole,
item/ purpose, antonym, synonym, characteristic, association,
object/ location, cause/ effect. (e.g., milk : cereal :: butter : bread)
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Antonym:

a word that is opposite of another word (e.g. hot-cold, night-day)

Aphorism:

a general truth or observation about life stated concisely

Apologue:

a moral fable, usually featuring personified animals or inanimate

objects which act like people to allow the author to comment on
the human condition. Often, the apologue highlights the
irrationality of mankind. The fables of Aesop are examples
George Orwell, Animal Farm

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Archetype:

a symbol, character, image, or story pattern that is common to

human experience across cultures and throughout the world and
evokes strong responses, often based on unconscious memory.

Assonance:

Repeating identical or similar vowels (especially in stressed

syllables) in nearby non-rhyming words. [e.g. the trio of "bat,"
"cap," and "man" is assonance because only the vowel sound is
similar; "I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and
restless." (Thin Lizzy, "With Love")]

Authors Purpose:

The authors intent either to inform or teach someone about

something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince
their audience to do or not to do something.

Autobiographical novel:

a novel based on the authors life experience. More

common is that a thoroughly autobiographical novel is
the inclusion of autobiographical elements among other
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elements. Many novelists include in their books people

and events from their own lives, often slightly or even
dramatically altered. Nothing beats writing from
experience because remembrance is easier than
creation from scratch and all the details fit together.
Ballad:

songlike poem that tells a story- four or six line stanza

Bias:

a judgment based on a personal point of view

Biography:

The story of a persons life written by someone other than the

subject of the work.

Blank verse:

unrhymed iambic pentameter. Shakespeares plays are largely

blank verse, as are other Renaissance plays. Blank verse was the
most popular in the 16th and 17th centuries in England.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Cause/ Effect:

an organizational structure in nonfiction texts where the author

typically presents the cause (actions and events) and the effect
(what happens as a result of the action or event).

Coming-of-age story: a type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into

adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a
process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the
dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of
security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts
that take place are:
ignorance to knowledge
innocence to experience
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 false view of world to correct view

idealism to realism
immature responses to mature responses

Connotation:

The extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the
minimal, strict definition found in a dictionary. It is often the
suggestive emotional or historical qualities that a word brings
with its meaning.

Consonance:

repetition of consonant sounds- dissimilar vowel sounds (e.g.

linger, longer, and languor or rider, reader, raider, and rude.
"Whose woods these are I think I know/ His house is in the village
though..." In these two lines, the "z" sound, created by an "s," is
repeated)

Context Clues: information from the reading that identifies a word or a group of
words
Contrast:

to compare or appraise differences

Conventions of Language: mechanics, usage and sentence completeness

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Denotation:

The minimal, strict definition of a word as found in a dictionary,

disregards any historical or emotional connotation.

Descriptive Text: Descriptive writing is intended to allow the reader to picture the
scene or setting in which the action of the story takes place.

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Dialogue: In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between people in a

literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the
speech of characters in a drama.
Differentiate:

distinguish, tell apart and recognize differences between two or

more items

Drama:

A composition in prose or verse that presents a narrative through

pantomime or dialogue; dramas are design for presentation on a
stage in front of an audience.

Dystopian novel:

an anti-utopian novel where, instead of a paradise,

everything has gone wrong in the attempt to create a perfect
society
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Editorials:

a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the

editors or publishers; an expression of opinion that resembles such
an article

Epic:

a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero of great

historic or legendary importance

Epigrams:

a short, pointed, or witty saying

Euphemism:

substitution of a milder word for a harsher one- passed away

instead of die

Evaluate:

to examine and to judge carefully

Exaggeration:

to make an overstatement or to stretch the truth

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(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Explanatory Sentence:

a sentence that explains something (passage,

paragraph, word)
Explicit:

referring to specific text that is included in the reading passage or

in the directions

Expository Text: text written to explain and convey information about a specific
topic. Contrasts with narrative text.
Fable:

narrative intended to convey a moral. Animals or inanimate

objects with human characteristics often serve as characters in
fables.

Fairy Tale:

short narratives featuring mythical beings such as fairies, elves,

and sprites. These tales originally belonged to the folklore of a
particular nation or region.

Fiction:

any story that is the product of imagination rather than a

documentation of fact. Characters and events in such narratives
may be based in real life, but their ultimate form and
configuration is a creation of the author.

Figurative Language: language that cannot be taken literally since it was written
to create a special effect or feeling
Folktale:

a story that has been passed down from one generation to the next
by word of mouth. They generally reflect on the values of that
society.

Free Verse:

Poetry that lacks regular metrical and rhyme patterns but that
tries to capture the cadences of everyday speech. The form allows
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a poet to exploit a variety of rhythmical effects within a single

poem.
Generalization: a conclusion, drawn from specific information that is used to make
a broad statement about a topic or person.
Genre:

a category used to classify literary works, usually by form,

technique or content (prose, poetry)

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Hyperbole:

An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so embarrassed I

could have died.)

Idiomatic Language (idiom): an expression peculiar to itself grammatically or that

cannot be understood if taken literally (Lets get on the ball!)
Imagery:

a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or

more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell;
figurative language. The use of images serves to intensify the
impact of the work.

Implicit:

meanings which, though unexpressed in the literal text, may be

understood by the reader; implied

Inference:

a judgment based on reasoning rather than on direct or explicit

statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances;
understandings gained by reading between the lines.

Informational Text:

nonfiction- written primarily to convey factual information.

Informational texts comprise the majority of printed material

adults read (textbooks, newspapers, reports, directions, brochures,
technical manuals)
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Legends:

a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events, or a story

coming down from the past, especially one popularly regarded as
historical although not verifiable

Limericks:

a light or humorous verse form of five lines, of which lines 1, 2 and

5 rhymes and lines 3 and 4 rhyme,

Literary Devices:

tools used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the

writing (dialogue, alliteration)

Literary Elements:

the essential techniques used in literature (characterization,

setting, plot, theme)

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Literary Nonfiction:

text that includes literary elements and devices usually

associated with fiction to report on actual persons, places, or

events. Examples include nature and travel writing, biography,
memoir, and the essay.
Magic Realism: a literary style where the work has a realistic setting, but contains
elements of the fantastic. Magical realism also reveals a new
perspective of reality.
Main Idea:

the authors central thought; the chief topic of a text expressed or

implied in a word or phrase; the topic sentence of a paragraph

Maxim:

a short saying that contains a general truth or gives practical

advice about how to behave and live morally

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Metaphor:

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly

unlike things without using the words like or as

Meter:

the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of

poetry

Mood:

the atmosphere that a writer creates for a reader that plays on the
readers imagination and emotion through the use of descriptive
adverbs or adjectives, diction, imagery, tone, and setting. The
mood of a work is not always what might be expected based on its
subject matter.
screeching moan of claws contributes to a scary mood

Multiple-meaning words: Words that have several meaning depending upon how
they are used in a sentence.
Myth:

a traditional story that explain some aspect of human life or the

natural world. Myths reflect the religious beliefs of a particular
people. Creation myths explain the origin of the world for a
particular people.

Narrative:

Text which conveys a story or which relates events or dialogue;

contrast with expository text.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Nonfiction:

prose writing that is not fictional; designed primarily to explain,

argue, instruct, or describe rather than entertain. For the most
part, its emphasis is factual.

Omniscient:

the narrative perspective from which a literary work is presented

to the reader from a godlike perspective, unrestricted by time or
place, from which to see actions and look into the minds of
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characters. This allows the author to comment openly on

characters and events in the work.
Onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning
Oxymoron:

seemingly self-contradiction- words that do not go togetherpleasing pains, sweet sorrow, or lovely death

Parable:

a brief story that illustrates a moral or lesson

Parallelism:

repeating the same pattern of words to show that two or more

ideas have the same function. It gives a balance to a piece of
writing and makes the writing easier to read.
Not parallel:
Parallel:

Paraphrase:

Paul likes reading, writing, and to swim.

Paul likes reading, writing, and swimming.

restate text or passage in other words, often to clarify meaning or

show understanding

Personification: a figure of speech in which things are given human qualities or

are shown as having human form. (e.g., The thunder boomed
angrily. The moon smiled down on Earth.)
Plot:

the structure of a story. The sequence in which the author

arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the
exposition, rising action, the climax, falling action, and resolution.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

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Poetry:

In the broadest sense, writing that aims to present ideas and

evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of
meter, imagery, connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has
a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. It
typically relies on figurative language and imagery.

Problem/ Solution:

an organizational structure in nonfiction texts, where the

author typically presents a problem and possible solutions to it.

Propaganda Techniques and Persuasive Tactics:
Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to
influence people to believe, buy, or do something. Students should
be ab le to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques
and persuasive tactics listed below:
Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue.

A bandwagon appeal tries to persuade the reader to do, think or buy

something because it is popular or because everyone is doing it.
A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not
relevant to the argument.
An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that
appeal to the readers emotions instead of to logic or reason.
A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous
person to endorse a product or idea (celebrity endorsement)
Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message
over and over again.
A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified
statement about a group based on limited information.
A circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the
argument.
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 An appeal to number, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the

reader by showing how many people think something is true.
Repetition:

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in

a short passage--dwelling on a point.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Research:

a systematic inquiry into a subject or problem in order to discover,

verify or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that
subject or problem

Rhyme:

identical or very similar occurring final sounds in words usually at

the end of lines of a poem (e.g., skating/dating, emotion/demotion,
and plain/stain)
Internal rhyme: when a word in the middle of a line rhymes
with a word at the end of the same metrical line. In
Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, We were the first that ever
burst
Slant rhyme: as known also as half-rhyme or imperfect
rhyme, refers to words that almost rhyme (farm, yard) or
appear to the eye to do so (said, paid). Dickinson, for
example, pairs "soul" with "all" here: "Hope is the thing with
feathers/That perches in the soul,/And sings the tune
without the words,/And never stops at all." Likewise, Larkin
pairs "stone" and "shown": "Side by side, their faces
blurred,/The earl and countess lie in stone,/Their proper
habits vaguely shown."

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Rhythm:

the pattern or beat of a poem

Satire:

writing that uses wit and a biting humor to comment on human

flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to change
them. In order to get his point across, a satirist might use such
literary techniques as irony, exaggeration, and understatement.

Simile:

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly

unlike things, using the words like or as

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Soliloquy:

Dialogue spoken by an actor at a point in the play when the

character believes himself to be alone. The technique frequently
reveals a character's innermost thoughts, including his feelings,
state of mind, motives or intentions. It is assumed that whatever a
character says in a soliloquy to the audience must be true, or at
least true in the eyes of the character speaking (e.g., the character
may tell lies to mislead other characters in the play, but whatever
he states in a soliloquy is a true reflection of what the speaker
believes or feels).

Sonnet:

a lyric poem of 14 lines whose rhyme scheme is fixed. The rhyme

scheme of the English or Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef
gg

Source:
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Primary Source:

text and/or artifacts that tell or show a firsthand account of an event; original work
used when researching (letters, journals)

Secondary Source:

text and/or artifacts used when researching

that are derived from something original
(biographies, magazine articles, research
papers)

Stanza:

An arrangement of lines in a pattern usually repeated throughout

the poem. A stanza may be a subdivision of a poem, or it may
constitute the entire poem.
Line: A line is a unit of language into which
a poem or play is divided. It operates on principles which
are distinct from grammatical structures, such as
the sentence or clauses in sentences. Also known as a verse.

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Style:

how an author writes: an authors use of language; its effects and

appropriateness to the authors intent and theme

Summarize:

to capture all the most important parts of the original text

(paragraph, story, poem), but express them in a much shorter
space, and- as much as possible- in a readers own words

Symbolism:

a device in literature where an object represents an idea- a

person, place, or thing that exists on a literal level, but represents
something else on a figurative (abstract) level. Some symbols have
meanings that are widely understood (archetypes).
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Rushing rivers = passing of time

Synonym:

white= goodness

one of two or more words in a language that have highly similar

meaning s (sorrow, grief, sadness)

Syntax:

the pattern or structure of word order in sentences, clauses, and

phrases

Text Structure: the authors method of organizing a text

Literary Structure: an organizational structure found in fiction or
literary nonfiction (foreshadowing, flashbacks)
Nonfiction Structure: an organizational structure found in
nonfiction (sequence, question-answer, cause-effect, problemsolution, etc.)
Textual Evidence: specific information or details from the passage that is used to
prove, or back up, an answer to a question about the text.
Thesis:

The basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then

attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or
composition

(continued Terms for Reading Critically)

Tone:

the attitude of the author toward the audience, characters, or

subject. The authors tone gives the reader an idea about how the
author feels about a certain subject. Things like word choice and
the way a subject is presented create tone.
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Angry, ridiculing, enthused, critical- An authors tone may be

angry. An author might choose to use the word ridiculous
instead of silly, and this contributes to an angry tone.
(serious or humorous)

Eligible Content from Writing

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Collins Writing (from Collins Education Associates , 2004, 2007)

Type 1:

This type of writing gets ideas on paper brainstorming. The

purpose of a Type 1 is to activate prior knowledge, predict and
reflect. Type 1 is timed and requires a minimum number of items
or lines. Questions and guesses are permitted. It is evaluated
with a check mark (star, smiley face, sticker, stamp, etc.,) or a
minus. One draft.

Type 2:

This type of writing shows that writer knows something about a

topic or has learned about a topic; it focuses on correct content.
The purpose of a Type 2 is to demonstrate knowledge and thinking
skills. Because of that, it has a correct answer to a specific
question, and is graded as a quiz. The quiz grade is based only on
the content of the answer. One draft.

Type 3:

This type of writing is edited for focus correction areas (FCAs).

The purpose of a Type 3 is to use substantive content that
demonstrates knowledge, thinking, and specific writing skills. A
Type 3 is read out loud and reviewed to see if the draft completes
the assignment, is easy to read, and meets the standards set by
the FCAs (self-editing). Revision and editing are done on the
original. The grade is based on mastery of the FCAs. One draft.

Type 4:

This type of writing still uses substantive content that

demonstrates knowledge, thinking, and specific writing skills. It is
also still read out loud with self-editing. Yet it has two additional
steps from a Type 3. The first additional step is that there is peer
editing for FCAs (peer editor reads your writing out loud to you so
that you can hear how it sounds). The second additional step is
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that it is generally rewritten with revisions and editing. The

grade is based on mastery of the FCAs. Two drafts, generally.
Type 5:

This type of writing is publishable and error free. It takes a Type

4 to the level of published quality. All aspects are evaluated; it is
not finished until it is free of errors. Multiple drafts.

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)

Focus Correction Area (FCA): a specific writing skill whether related to content,
organization, style, or conventions that gets focused instruction
and rigorous assessment for a period of time.
Portfolio:

a collection of student writing (in print or electronic form) that is

intended to demonstrate the writer's development

Purpose:

There four main reason to write. Narration (narrative

writing): Narration is story telling. Description (descriptive
writing): Think of description as painting a picture with words.
Exposition (expository writing): Exposition is writing that explains
or informs. Persuasion (persuasive writing): Persuasive writing
seeks to convince the reader of a particular position or opinion.

Evaluation:

to judge the value or condition of (someone or something) in a

careful and thoughtful way.

Focus:

The single controlling point made with an awareness of task about

a specific topic.

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Content:

The presence of ideas developed through facts, examples, anecdotes,

details, opinions, statistics, reasons, and/or explanations.
Relevant Facts: facts (details) which are crucial to the
matter of discussion
Concrete details: the specific details that are the backbone or
center of the body paragraphs. They refer to the distinct
information, facts, data as well as specific information
offered to describe, explain, or justify something.
Quotations: something that a person says or writes that is
repeated or used by someone else in another piece of writing
or a speech

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)

Organization:

The order developed and sustained within and across paragraphs

using transitional devices and including introduction and
conclusion.
Transitions: words or phrases that show relationships
between ideas. They give the reader an idea about what
comes next in the passage, making your ideas flow from one
to another.
Cohesion: strategically using words, phrases, and clauses to
link the major sections of text. When text explains the
relationships between the topic and the examples and/or
facts, you have cohesion.

Style:

The choice, use and arrangement of words and sentence structures

that create tone and voice. It is how an author writes: an authors
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use of language; its effects and appropriateness to the authors

intent and theme
Precise Language: Using the right words to say what you
want to say. It does not mean writing less! Precise writers
always get their point across. They just do it with the most
powerful words they can.
Domain-specific vocabulary: words that consist of relatively
low-frequency, content-specific words that appear in
textbooks and other instructional materials; for
example, apex in math, escarpment in geography,
and isobar in science.
Voice: the fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that
make it unique to the writer

Conventions of Language: Grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage and sentence

formation.

(continued Eligible Content from Writing)

Response to Literature:

an essay in which your understanding of a particular

literary element and its overall meaning within a literary or

informational text are presented. Support your ideas with
examples and/or evidence from the text. Show your understanding
of the authors message and your insight into the characters and/
or ideas presented. Organize the essay around several clear ideas
and/or images. Justify your interpretation by giving examples
and citing evidence from the text.
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Writing Process:
Planning: the first stage of the writing process that is characterized by
elements of prewriting; includes planning, research, outlining,
diagramming, storyboarding or clustering (mind mapping)
Drafting:

the second stage of the writing process where the author begins to
develop a more cohesive product from the previous planning stage.
The writer creates in the initial stages of the document by,
organizing thoughts, discovering a claim, elaborating on key ideas,
explaining examples/ideas, and incorporating transitions into a
more cohesive text.

Revising:

the stage in the writing process where the author reviews, alters,
and amends her or his message in the draft. Drafting and
revising often form a loop as a work moves back and forth between
the two stages.

Editing:

the stage in the writing process where the writer makes changes
in the text to correct errors (spelling, grammar, or mechanics) and
fine-tune his or her style. A proofreading phase.

Publishing: the process of production or making information available to your

intended audience; the distribution of printed works

Eligible Content from Language

Adjectives:

a word that describes a noun or pronoun

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Adverbs:

Adverbs are words that modify a verb (He drove slowly. How did he
drive?), an adjective (He drove a very fast car. How fast was his car?),
another adverb (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. How slowly
did she move?) Adverbs often tell when, where, why, or under what
conditions something happens or happened. Adverbs frequently end in ly; however, many words and phrases not ending in -ly serve an
adverbial function and an -ly ending is not a guarantee that a word is an
adverb.

Antecedent:

the noun that the pronoun replaces

Appositive:

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another

noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long
combination of word (e.g., The insect, a large cockroach
with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table.

Clause:

a group of words that has a subject and a verb

Complex Sentence:

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at

least one dependent clause.

Compound sentence: A compound sentence contains more than one independent

clause.
Compound-complex sentence:

A compound-complex sentence contains more

than one independent clause and at least one
dependent clause.

Conjunctions:

used to link words, phrases and clauses (e.g., and, but, or,
although, because, but...and, not onlybut also)

Coordinate adjectives:

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that appear in

sequence with one another to modify the same noun. For example,
the adjectives in the phrases bright, sunny day and dark and
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stormy night are coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are

usually separated with either commas or and.

(continued Eligible Content from Language)

Dangling modifiers:

A dangling modifier occurs when you start a sentence

without stating the person, thing, or idea being modified,
your readers will think that the modifier is meant for the
subject of the clause that follows the modifying phrase.

Declarative Sentence: A declarative sentence makes a statement and always ends

in a period. (e.g., The moon reflects the light from the sun.)
Exclamatory Sentence:
An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feelings or
emotions. It is a more forceful version of a declarative sentence
only with an exclamation point at the end. (e.g., I hate when that
happens!)
Fragments:

A fragment is an incomplete sentence.

Imperative Sentence:
An imperative sentence gives a command or an
order. Imperative sentences differ from conventional sentences in
that their subject, which is always "you," is understood rather
than expressed. (e.g., Stand on your head.)
Interrogative Sentence:
Items in a series:

An interrogative sentence asks a question. (e.g., Who

won the game last night?)

When writing a series of three or more items, separate each

item with punctuationusually commas. Generally, a conjunction (and,

or) will follow the last comma in the list. (e.g., At the store I bought a
red pepper, salsa, wheat tortillas, and cheese.)
Misplaced modifiers: A misplaced modifier doesn't modify the word it is trying to
modify, and this can confuse the reader.
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Modifiers:

words or phrases that describe, clarify, or give more details.

Modifiers add to or set limits on a certain words or word group.

Nonrestrictive/ parenthetical elements:

a parenthetical element is

information that is nonessential to the meaning of a sentence, such as

an example, a clarification, or an aside. This may include clauses,
phrases, appositives, and examples as long as the information is
nonrestrictive. Nonrestrictive means that the information does not
change the meaning of the sentence.

(continued Eligible Content from Language)

Nouns:

a person, place, thing, idea

Phrase:

a group of words that acts as a single part of speech

Preposition:

A word or group of words that relates time, space, cause, or

manner between its object and another word in the sentence.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement: the pronoun that you choose must agree in

number, person, gender, and case for the antecedent
Pronouns:

refers to a noun or takes the place of a noun in a sentence

Redundancy:

Repetition, unnecessary words, jargon, and over-the-top sentences

& phrases

Run-on sentences:

happen when two sentences are joined together without a

word to connect them or punctuation to separate them

Simple sentence:

A simple sentence contains one independent clause

Subject-verb agreement:

the subject of the sentence and the verb in the sentence

must agree with one another in number
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Verb: Verbs are doing words. A verb can express:

A mental action (e.g., to think, to guess, to consider).
A physical action (e.g., to swim, to write, to climb).
A state of being (e.g., to be, to exist, to appear).
Wordiness:

taking more words than necessary to make your point.

Eligible Content from Text-Dependent Analysis

Alternate or opposing claims:

a claim that goes against your thesis statement;

by considering alternate claims and crafting
arguments against them, you make your original
argument stronger.

Analysis: the process or result of identifying the parts of the whole and their
relationships to one another
Claim:

a clear, arguable position that can be supported by reasons and

evidence.

Draw evidence: using information directly from the text to support a claim
Reflection: a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new
information. Involves revisiting your prior experience and knowledge of
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the topic you are exploring. Also involves considering how and why you
think the way you do. True reflection examines your beliefs, values,
attitudes and assumptions that form the foundation of your
understanding.
Research: a systematic inquiry into a subject or problem in order to discover,
verify or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that
subject or problem.
Support:

the details that provide significant facts, definitions, concrete details,

and quotations to fully develop and explain the topic.

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