ENGLISH STAAR VOCABULARY

Front

Tone

Back

The author’s attitude towards the topic, such as critical, objective, optimistic, angry, or nostalgic.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

Front

Inference or infer

Back

An educated guess made by connecting what you read with what you already know.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4C

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

CCSS.L.9-10.4C

Front

Paraphrase

Back

To express the author’s ideas in a different way.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Front

Summarize

Back

To describe the most important parts from a larger piece of text.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4C

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

CCSS.L.9-10.4C

Front

Character Foil

Back

A character who serves as a contrast to the main character to highlight their qualities or traits.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4C

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

CCSS.L.9-10.4C

Front

Oxymoron

Back

A figure of speech in which seemingly opposite words are used together to create new meaning (e.g., jumbo shrimp).

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A

Front

Sarcasm

Back

The use of irony in order to mock or insult.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Front

Flashback

Back

The author pauses the story to describe something that happened earlier to help readers understand the current or future events.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Front

Characterization

Back

How the author develops a character.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

Front

Theme

Back

The big idea or lesson you learn from a story; the message the author wants to share.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D