Nonfiction Terms

a label or brief explanation that accompanies a photograph or illustration

• signpost

• caption

• compare and contrast

• headline

main point that the author is making; it’s what the article is about

• nonfiction

• hyperbole

• central idea

• sequence

a report of the exact words of an author or speaker

• direct quotation

• subheading

• text structure

• description

the title of an article in a newspaper or magazine or on a website

• text evidence

• text structure

• caption

• headline

another way of saying central idea is

• main thought

• main idea

• sidebar

• text

a short statement that tells what an article is about and does not include your opinion

• sequence

• cause and effect

• central idea

• objective summary

to reword or rephrase something written or spoken by someone else

• direct quote

• paraphrase

• central idea

• supporting evidence

A short article placed alongside a longer article and containing additional or contrasting information; usually appear in a box

• title

• sidebar

• heading

• graph

A short sentence or two that appears in smaller print right below the headline, sometimes called a tagline or a dek.

• heading

• title

• subtitle

• subcaption

A title given to a section within a piece of writing

• title

• subtitle

• central idea

• paraphrase