To come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text. By contrast, an explicit idea or message is fully stated or revealed by the author. The author tells the reader exactly what he or she needs to know.

The lesson or message of a text. For example, a story could be about two friends who like to do things together, and the theme might be the importance of friendship.

The most important or idea that the author is making in a passage. The central idea is also known as the main idea.

An overview of a passage that captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions

The specific order of a series of events that form a story.

The way an author develops a character over the course of a passage.

Where and when a story takes place, including the time of day, the season, or the location.

The solution to the problem or the end of the main dramatic conflict.

Literal and figurative meanings of words and phrases.

When a writer describes an object as if it were a person. For example, The trees sighed in the afternoon breeze. The trees cannot really sigh but seemed to as they moved gently in the breeze.

A comparison using like or as; for example, She is as pretty as a picture

A direct comparison that states one thing is another. It isn’t meant to be literal, but descriptive. For example, if someone describes recess by saying that it was a zoo, he or she is using a metaphor. Recess was chaotic, with lots of different people running around; it was not literally a zoo.

An exaggeration beyond belief. My father can lift two tons is an example of hyperbole.

A quirky expression or saying that is specific to a language. I’ve been on cloud nine all day! is an expression used in the English language to express that someone is having a great day.

s the use of the same sound to start several words in a row; for example, The beautiful butterfly blew by the bay. Literary devices such as alliteration can have a big impact on poems, stories, and dramas.

A meaning beyond the explicit meaning of a word. For example, the word childlike connotes innocence. Connotations are meanings inferred from certain words.

A speech in a literary text or drama in which a character tells the audience how he or she feels by talking to herself or himself. This can help the audience gain understanding of a character’s inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations

A form of poetry that contains fourteen lines and a special rhyme scheme. This text contains four stanzas, or sections of a poem. The first three stanzas in a sonnet have four lines each and follow the rhyme scheme abab, in which every other line rhymes. The final stanza has two lines that follow the rhyme scheme cc, in which the final two lines rhyme.

The perspective from which a story is told. The point of view depends on who the narrator is and how much he or she knows. This could be first person (I went to the store), second person (You went to the store), or third person (He went to the store).

Though similar, comparing is analyzing two things, such as characters or stories, in relation to each other, while contrasting is specifically analyzing the differences between two things, such as two different characters or stories.

The category of a text, such as fiction or nonfiction. Each genre has a particular style, form, and content.

A factual description of situations, occasions, or events that actually occurred in the past. By contrast, a fictional portrayal is an imaginative description of situations, occasions, or events that may or may not have actually happened in the past. If a fictional portrayal is based on actual historical events, details may be changed or characters may be added by the author to enhance the situation for greater emotional impact.