Mr. A's Glossary | mr-anderson.com

Browse the glossary using this index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL

Page: (Previous) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (Next)
ALL

F

fluency

The act of reading easily, smoothly and automatically with a rate appropriate for the text, indicating that students understand meaning.

focus

The center of interest or attention; in writing, the central idea.

foil

A character who provides a contrast to the protagonist.

foot

the repeating unit of meter.

foreshadowing

The technique of giving clues to coming events in a narrative.

Not all foreshadowing is obvious. Frequently, future events are merely hinted at through dialogue, description, or the attitudes and reactions of the characters.

Foreshadowing frequently serves two purposes. It builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is also a means of making a narrative more believable by partially preparing the reader for events which are to follow.

format

The shape, size and general makeup (as of something printed).

functional documents

Works of nonfiction such as "how to" books, technical manuals and instructions.

G

genre

An established class or category of artistic composition or literature (e.g., poetry, drama or novel).

gerund

A verb form that ends in -ing and is used as a noun (e.g., reading is fun).

glittering

A propaganda technique in which words have different positive generalities meanings for individual subjects but are linked to highly valued concepts.

graphic organizer

A method of organization of information which incorporates diagrams or other pictorial devices.

H

Haiku

a form of poetry developed in Japan; in English we use three lines, with syllable counts of 5-7-5 or 3-5-3.

Heroic couplets

rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter

heteronym

One of two (or more) words that have the same spelling, but different meaning, and sometimes different pronunciation too. (Heteronyms that are pronounced differently are also heterophones.)

Examples:

sewer
row
entrance
wind.

A heteronym is a kind of homonym.

hexameter

a six-foot line.

high-frequency word

A word that appears many more times than most other words in spoken or written language.

homograph

A word with the same spelling as another word, whether or not pronounced alike

Examples:

pen (a writing instrument) vs. pen (an enclosure)
bow (and arrow) vs. bow (of a ship)

homonym

A word with different origin and meaning but the same oral or written form as one or more other words

Examples:

bear (an animal) vs. bear (to support) vs. bare (exposed)

Homonyms include homophones and homographs.

homophone

A word with different origin and meaning but the same pronunciation as another word, whether or not spelled alike

Example:

hair and hare

hyperbole

A figure of speech which uses a deliberate exaggeration (e.g., I have told you a million times).

hypernym

A word that has a more general meaning than another

Examples:

in the relationship between chair and furniture, furniture is a hypernym
in the relationship between horse and animal, animal is a hypernym.

• From Greek hyper (=over).

Keyword(s):

hyponym

A word that has a more specific meaning than another

Examples:

in the relationship between chair and furniture, chair is a hyponym
in the relationship between horse and animal, horse is a hyponym

hypothesize

To make an assertion about something assumed but not positively known.

I

i.e.

Id est (Latin), meaning "that is."

iamb

a two-syllable foot with the stress on the second syllable. The English language is naturally iambic, and Shakespeare used iambs for the speeches of good and noble figures.

iambic pentameter

five iambs to a line of ten syllables. Sonnets, rime royal, and heroic couplets all use iambic pentameter.

idiom

A combination of words that is not strictly in accordance with grammatical rules and often possesses a meaning other than its grammatical or logical one (e.g., an easy test might be described as a piece of cake).

imagery

Words and phrases that appeal to the readers' senses.

implicit

To be assumed but not directly expressed.

inference

A general conclusion drawn from information that is given.

Page: (Previous) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (Next)
ALL