Mr. A's Glossary
This glossary contains definitions for words used throughout the website. If you have a suggestion of a word that should be included here, please e-mail me at tim@mr-anderson.com.
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
P |
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pyrrhic foota two-syllable foot, both syllables unstressed. | |
Q |
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quatraina four-line stanza | |
R |
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reliabilitySuitable or fit to be relied on; trustworthy. | |
resolutionThe point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is resolved. | |
retronymAn adjective-noun pairing generated by a change in the meaning of
the base noun, usually as a result of technological advance Examples:
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reversalArray | |
revisionThe stage of the writing process in which one considers and improves the meaning and underlying structure of a written draft. | |
rhetoricalA method used in writing or speaking in which language is used to device influence or persuade an audience. | |
rhymeArray | |
rhyme schemeusing letters to show the arrangement of rhyme, such as ababcdcdefefgg for a sonnet | |
rimeA vowel and any following consonants of a syllable, as /ook/ in book. | |
Rime Royalseven lines of iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme ababbcc. | |
root wordIn a complex word, the meaningful base form after all affixes are removed. Note: A root may be independent or free, as read in unreadable, or may be dependent or bound, as -liter- (from the Greek for letter) in illiterate. | |
round characterA character who is complex and multi-dimensional. | |
rubricAn authoritative set of rules which can be used as a means of evaluation. | |
S |
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satireA literary technique in which ideas, customs, behaviors or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. | |
scopeThe extent of an author's treatment of a subject. | |
secondary sourceA source that is reporting on or analyzing information from another source. | |
segmentThe division of words into syllables; the minimal units of sequential syllables speech sounds comprising a vowel sound or a vowel-consonant combination, as /a/, /ba/, /ab/ and /bab/. | |
sensory detailsDetails perceived by sight, hearing, smell or any mode by which one perceives stimuli outside or within the body. | |
sequencingThe arrangement in which things follow in a logical order or a recurrent pattern; a following of one thing after another in time. | |
settingThe time and place of the action of a literary work. | |
Shared Inquiry discussionIn Shared Inquiry discussion, participants help one another search for answers to fundamental questions raised by a text. Participants come to the discussion each with their own unique way of viewing the selection and then build on their personal views through a sharing of ideas. The leader's role in this process is to provide direction and guidance for the discussion by asking questions for which they genuinely do not know the answer. Note that the leader is not an expert; the group should not look to the leader for answers. The leader assumes the role of co-learner and helps the group by asking interpretive questions that have more than one possible answer based on the text. The leader also assists the group by asking follow-up questions that encourage participants to clarify comments, support ideas with evidence from the reading, and comment on proposed interpretations. The Four Rules of Shared Inquiry Discussion 1. Only those who have read the selection may take part in discussion. Participants who have not read the selection cannot support their opinions with evidence from the text, nor can they bring knowledge of the text to bear on the opinions of others.2. Discussion is restricted to the selection that everyone has read. This rule gives everyone an equal chance to contribute because it limits discussion to a selection that all participants are familiar with and have before them. When the selection is the sole focus of discussion, it provides a base for all present to judge whether facts are accurately recalled and opinions can be supported by the reading.3. All opinions should be supported with evidence from the selection. Participants may introduce outside opinions only if they can restate those opinions in their own words and support the ideas with evidence from the reading.4. Leaders may only ask questions-they may not answer them The goal of a Shared Inquiry discussion is interpretation. As a participant in the discussion, you will gain more if you remember to: • reserve judgment until you can claim understanding • temper your urge to speak with the discipline to listen • substitute your impulse to teach with a passion to learn • hear what is said and listen for what is meant • marry your certainties with others' possibilities from The Great Books Foundation . Leaders help participants and themselves to arrive at an understanding of the text by asking questions that prompt thoughtful inquiry. | |
sidebarSupplementary information that is printed alongside the main text. | |
sight wordA word that is immediately recognized as a whole and does not require word analysis for identification. | |
simileA figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as" (e.g., she's as sly as a fox).
A simile uses the words “like” or “as” to compare one object
or idea with another to suggest they are alike. | |
skim and scanTo examine or read something quickly, but selectively, for a particular purpose. | |
soliloquyA speech, usually given alone on stage, in which a character speaks aloud his or her thoughts. | |
soundthe manipulation of language sounds | |