PSSAVocabulary

AFFIX: one or more letters attached to a word to create a different form of the wordex: preview, colorful

PREFIX: a group of letters (affix) attached to the front of a word to change its meaningex: unchanged, dislike, retell

SUFFIX: a group of letters (affix) attached to the end of a word to change its meaningex: delightful, collectible

SYNONYM: two words with similar meaningsex: pretty/beautiful, cold/freezing

ANTONYM: two words with opposite meaningsex: hot/cold, wet/dry, fast/slow

PSSA Vocabulary

FICTION: a story that is not true; it is created in the author’s imagination

NONFICTION: factual writing that explains, informs, or describes (rather than entertains)

GENRE: a type or category of literature

NARRATIVE: type of text that tells a story (may be fiction or nonfiction)

PSSA Vocabulary

FACT: a statement that can be proven true or false

OPINION: what someone thinks or feels; cannot be proven true or false

CAUSE: an action or event that leads to an effectex: He bumped the table and the cup spilled.

EFFECT: something that happens as a result of an action, an event, or a causeex: He bumped the table and the cup spilled.

COMPARE: to tell how things are alike

CONTRAST: to tell how things are different

PSSA Vocabulary

SUMMARY: to retell including only main points

INFERENCE: a guess based on what you read and what you already know

PARAPHRASE: to restate something you read or hear by putting it in your own words

PSSA Vocabulary

PLOT: the events of a story

THEME: a major idea that is the topic of discussion or writing

SETTING: a story's time and place

DIALOGUE: a conversation between people in a story

PSSA Vocabulary

CONFLICT: a struggle between characters, forces, or emotions (a problem)

CLIMAX: the moment in a story after tension builds and the conflict is most intense (the turning point)

CONCLUSION: the ending of a story

RESOLUTION: where the problem in the story is worked out

PSSA Vocabulary

MAIN IDEA: the author's most important point, usually found in the topic sentence

AUTHOR’S PURPOSE: the author’s reason for writing(to entertain, to inform, or to persuade) POINT OF VIEW: the position from which a story is told

PSSA Vocabulary

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: language that cannot be taken literally because it was written to create a special feeling(similes, metaphors, alliteration, hyperbole, etc.)

SIMILE: comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'ex: The sky was black as coal.

METAPHOR: comparing two things without using 'like' or 'as'ex: The child was a monster when his mother took him to the mall.

ALLITERATION: repetition of the same sound(Tongue twisters are great examples of alliteration.)ex: The blue ball bounced brilliantly.

PSSA Vocabulary

HYPERBOLE: extreme exaggeration(EXAGGERATION: a statement that stretches the truth) ex: I am so hungry that I could eat a horse!

PERSONIFICATION: giving an object human qualitiesex: The cold air slapped me in the face as I went outside.

ONOMATOPOEIA: sound words EX. moo, snap, plop, meow, ETC.ex: The fireworks went BOOM!

PSSA Vocabulary