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
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taleA story for children that includes fantastic forces and elements of magic. | |
tempoThe rate of speed in which a presentation is given. | |
testimonialA propaganda technique based on quotations or endorsements from famous people, in or out of context, that attempts to connect a famous or respectable person with a product or item. | |
tetrametera four-foot line. | |
text featuresOrganizers of written materials such as indexes, prefaces, appendices, definitional footnotes, sidebars, tables of content, illustrations or photographs. | |
text structureAn author's method of organizing a text (e.g., sequencing, compare and contrast, cause and effect or problem-solution). | |
themeThe main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be stated or implied. Theme differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about the topic. Not every literary work has a theme. Themes may be major or minor. A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It becomes one of the most important ideas in the story. Minor themes are ideas that may appear from time to time. It is important to recognize the difference between the theme of a literary work and the subject of a literary work. The subject is the topic on which an author has chosen to write. The theme, however, makes some statement about or expresses some opinion on that topic. For example, the subject of a story might be war while the theme might be the idea that war is useless.Four ways in which an author can express themes are as follows: 1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us feel.. By sharing feelings of the main character you also share the ideas that go through his mind. 2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations. Authors put words in their character’s mouths only for good reasons. One of these is to develop a story’s themes. The things a person says are much on their mind. Look for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story. 3. Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character usually illustrates the most important theme of the story. A good way to get at this theme is to ask yourself the question, what does the main character learn in the course of the story? 4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions. One thing authors think about is what an action will "say". In other words, how will the action express an idea or theme? | |
thesisThe basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or composition. | |
third person narrationNarration in which the point of view is that of someone outside the story who refers to all characters by name or as "he," "she" and "they." | |
toneThe reflection of an author's attitude toward his or her subject. | |
topicThe general category or class of ideas, often stated in a word or phrase, to which the ideas of a passage as a whole belong. | |
topic sentenceA sentence intended to express the main idea in a paragraph or passage. | |
toponym1. A place name Examples:
2. A word derived from a place name Examples:
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transferA persuasive technique in which a product is associated with something attractive or respectable. | |
transitionsWords and phrases that help explain relationships between sentences and allow a reader or writer to move from one idea to another. | |
transitive verbA verb that takes a direct object, as read in Francesca read the book. | |
trimetera three-foot line. | |
trocheeArray | |