Comprehensive Literary Terms Study Guide for Language Arts Test Preparation

1. Study Guide Language Arts Test Prep

2. LITERARY TERMS • Theme – the deep meaning or insight gained from a passage or selection (life lessons). • Conflict – The problem in a story. • Foreshadowing – Hints the author gives the reader so that he/she can make predictions. • Character - a person, animal or thing that takes part in a story. • Dynamic character – Characters who change significantly throughout the story. • Static character – Characters who stay the same throughout the story.

3. Literary Terms • Tone – The writer’s attitude about the subject; think of the voice of the story (amused or angry). • Mood – The feeling the story evokes in the reader (happiness, sorrow, anger) • Irrelevant – Not Important • Extraneous – Extra, Unimportant

4. Author’s purpose • To Persuade – To use convincing strategies / techniques to try to get someone to agree or see that your view is worth considering. • To Inform – To give information or news. • To Entertain – To humor or enlighten. • To Explain – To discuss how something works or how to do something. • To Teach – To gives directions on how to do something. • To Describe – To give a picture with words of a person, place, event, or item.

5. Reader’s Purpose • There are many reasons you might have for reading the selection. • You might want to gain information, learn something, understand a difficult subject, be entertained, etc.

6. Figurative language • Onomatopoeia – Sound words (buzz, bang, boom, ding, zoom) • Simile – Using “like or as” to compare two things. • Personification – Giving nonhuman things HUMAN traits. • Hyperbole – An exaggerated expression. • Alliteration – Repetition of the same sound or letter within a line. • Imagery – Addresses the senses of a reader. • Idiom – A group of words that have meaning when used together. Cannot be taken literally. • Symbolism – Objects that stand for something else.

7. Organizational Structures • The way a text is organized: • Chronological Order – The order in which events occur (first, next, finally). • Order of importance: organized with the most important facts/information first followed by the least important. • Comparison and Contrast – Shows how two or more things (subjects) are alike and different (signal words . • Signal words – Comparison : like, also, too, all • Contrast: different, unlike, however

8. Organizational Structures • Cause and Effect – Describes an event or condition that causes other things to happen • Signal words – Cause: so, therefore, as a result, • Effect: because, since, as a result • Problem and Solution – Describes a current problem and proposes a solution, or show how a past problem was solved. • Question and Answer – Asks a question and proposes or provides an answer. • Spatial Order – Puts things in order based on their location. • Classification – Writer groups similar things.

9. Plot Diagram • Exposition – Introduces the characters, setting, and tone of a story. • Rising Action – The part of the story that introduces the conflict. • Climax – “Turning Point” or highest anticipation point of a story • Falling Action – The story is headed towards a solution. • Resolution – The major conflict in the story is resolved.

10. Types of Fiction (Genre) • Genre is the name used to identify different types of literature. • Realistic fiction – stories with situations that can happen in real life. • Historic fiction – stories that take place during past historical times. • Mystery – stories involving suspense, danger and intrigue. • Fantasy – imaginative stories, characters and settings are different from real world, often dealing with magic, battles of good vs. evil. • Folktales – Traditional stories that revel the values and beliefs of a culture.

11. Context clues • The different ways authors help readers figure out unfamiliar words. • The clues are usually found around the word as a definition, explanation, example, synonym or antonym.

12. Affixes • Common Prefixes • Ambi- both (ambidextrous, ambiguous) • Anti- against (antibody, antifreeze) • Dis-the opposite of, not (disappear, disagree) • Il- against, not (illiterate, illegal) • In- not, into (incorrect, inject) • Mis-badly, wrong, not (misprint, misjudge) • Non-the opposite of, not ( nonsense, nonrefundable) • Pre-in front of, before (preheat, prejudge) • Un-the opposite of, not (unlikely, unheard)

13. Affixes • Common Suffixes • -able: able to be or to become something (avoidable, lovable) • -al: of, like, or relating to (memorial, industrial) • -en: to make more so; made of s(strengthen, wooden) • -ful: having a lot of (beautiful, fearful) • -ity: having or being a certain way (agility, fertility) • -less: without something (odorless, spineless) • -ly: in such a manner; like or suited to: occurring every so often (heavenly ,quickly ,weekly ) • -ness: the state of being something (preparedness, goodness) • -ous: full of or having something (adventurous, famous) • -tion; act of, state of, result of (regulation, dehydration)

14. Nouns • Singular = man, girl, party • Plural = men, girls, parties • Collective Nouns = group, chorus, herd • Common Nouns = school, park, museum • Proper Nouns = Conyers Middle School, Centennial Park, The High Museum • Abstract Nouns (Ideas) = love, beauty, wisdom, home, courage, intellect • Concrete Nouns (touchable) = house, book, lady, table, desk, phone, stove

15. Adjectives / Adverbs • Adjectives describe and modify nouns and pronouns. • Tells what kind? How many? Which one? • Articles (a, an, the) are adjectives ! • Adverbs modify adjectives (really cute), verbs (extremely fast), and other adverbs (very easily). • Tells how? When? Where? To what extent? • NOT is always an adverb.

16. Pronouns • Pronouns take the place of a noun. An antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaces. • Types of pronouns: • Personal pronouns (subject) – I, he, she, they, we, you, it • Personal pronouns (object) – me, him, her, them, us, you, it • Possessive pronouns – his, her, yours, theirs, ours, its • Demonstrative pronouns – this, that, these, and those • Interrogative pronouns – what, which, who, whom • Reflexive- herself, himself, themselves, ourselves, itself, yourself

17. Conjunctions • Subordinate • Used to join complex sentences • After, although, as, as if, as long as, because, before, even if, even though, if, since, so that, though, unless, when, whenever, whether, while • Coordinate (FANBOYS) • Used to join compound sentences • For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

18. Subject Compliments • Direct Object – Comes after an action verb and answers “what” or “who.” • Indirect Object – Comes in between the action verb and direct object and answers “to/for whom” or “to what” • Predicate Noun- The noun in the predicate that “renames” the simple subject. • Predicate Adjective – The adjective in the predicate that “describes” the simple subject. • NOTE: NONE OF THESE WILL EVER BE IN A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE!

19. Sentence Types • Simple = One independent clause. • Compound = Two independent clauses joined by a semi-colon or a comma and a coordinating conjunction. • Complex = One independent clause and one dependent clause joined by a subordinate conjunction. The subordinate conjunction always begins the dependent clause. • Compound Complex = Two independent clauses and one dependent clause.

20. Sentence Kinds • Declarative – Makes a statement • The musical begins at 9:00. • Interrogative – Asks a question • Does the musical begin at 9:00? • Imperative – Gives a command • Start the musical at 9:00. • Exclamatory – Shows strong expression • Wow! That was the best musical!

21. Test Taking tips • Examine key words (KNOW YOUR VOCABULARY) • Pay attention to signal words in a passage (first, next, finally, similar) • Try to answer the question without looking at answer choices. • Immediately eliminate two incorrect answers.