Writing Terms

the repetition of initial consonant sounds; used to draw attention to words or ideas or to create music with the language

a repetition of vowel sounds without the repetition of consonant sounds (e.g., dance, clap)

the intended readers of a text

choices an author/poet makes when writing a text (e.g., organizational pattern, style, vocabulary, images, symbols, point of view, audience)

thesis or main point, especially in persuasive writing

high point of interest or suspense in a story; point where the rising action reverses and becomes the falling action of the story

a prewriting technique; the writer maps thoughts about a topic showing how the ideas are connected. The map suggests an organizational pattern for main ideas and supporting details.

logically connected sense that holds parts of text together

conversational, informal language

repetition of consonant sounds particularly at the ends of words (e.g., to kick the black rock)

using writing as a tool for learning or writing within the community or common language of a discipline. (e.g., writing as an historian or scientist might write)

rules of standard English usage, capitalization, punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling

a variation on a word (e.g., imitation is a derivative of imitate)

understanding that most text moves from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom

writes

preparing writing for final draft by checking spelling, punctuation, capitalization, usage, paragraph indentation, neatness, and legibility

writing that explains an idea and informs the reader

a metaphor that continues throughout an entire text; often used to create unity or for rhetorical effect

letter patterns that look similar but sound different (e.g., good, food)

language not meant to be taken literally; also known as figures of speech (e.g., metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and simile)

rhyme that happens in two syllables of a word rather than in one (e.g., yellow, fellow)

interrupting the chronological sequence of a narrative to tell about a related event from an earlier time

an informal assessment where a teacher watches or listens to determine a student’s level of understanding of a specific skill, process, or idea

giving hints or clues of what might happen at a future time in the story

organization of specific types of writing within a general category of purpose/mode (e.g., if the form is editorial, then purpose/mode is persuasive or possibly expository; or if the form is a tall tale, then purpose/mode is narrative)

most often used to refer to layout or visual presentation of text

a prewriting technique; the writer drafts quickly, without stopping, without editing, or self-correcting to discover what he or she knows, thinks, or feels

figurative language used to produce mental pictures and appeal to senses

a journal or notebook in which a student records questions, problems, and thoughts about a particular subject, idea, or concept as it is studied or learned

writing poetry, short stories, novels, plays, scripts; creating original writing rather than analyzing or synthesizing the writing of others

a figure of speech indirectly comparing two essentially dissimilar things; used to create new connections for the reader (e.g., My love is a red, red rose.)

type of writing determined by the writer's purpose (e.g., If the writer's purpose is to explain, then the mode is expository.); often used interchangeably with purpose

atmosphere (e.g., suspenseful, peaceful, mysterious, terrifying) created by the writer's purposeful choice of vocabulary, pacing, and details

a repeated idea in literature

presentation of a series of events in a purposeful sequence to tell a story, either fictional or factual

the use of words that imitate the sounds of movement, animals, or objects (e.g., buzz, hiss, clickety-clack)

frameworks, maps, outlines, grids, or diagrams used to put thoughts in order

a unit of meaning signaled by indenting the first word or by inserting a line space between sections of writing

the repeating of phrases and sentences that are syntactically similar (e.g., phrases all starting with verbs, same tense)

restating the meaning in own words, retaining all of the ideas without making an interpretation or evaluation

a piece of writing that mocks a particular literary work or its style; comic effect is intended

poetry based on a prescribed syllable count, parts of speech, or shape (e.g., diamond poem)

a construction used as a base to create new sentences; young writers substitute a word while keeping the rest of the sentence the same (e.g., I like pizza. I like snowflakes. I like whales.)

point of view; the perspective from which the writer writes (e.g., first person, third person)

writing that convinces the designated audience to support a point of view, make a decision, or take an action

the smallest unit of sound

purposeful collection of student work that exhibits to the student (and/or others) the student's efforts, progress, or achievement in (a) given area(s)

the thinking and planning the writer does before drafting, which includes considering the topic, audience, and purpose; gathering information; choosing a form; determining the role of the writer; and making a plan

a final draft shared with an audience, large or small; displayed publicly; sent to a newspaper, contest, or magazine; or posted on a web site

the ending of a story where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied together

the process of reworking or re-seeing writing, which includes: considering changes in audience, purpose, focus, organization, style; elaborating, emphasizing, clarifying, or simplifying text (adding, deleting, reordering, or substituting)

a question where an answer is not expected; often used to involve the audience and create interest

a figure of speech directly comparing two essentially dissimilar things; the comparison is signaled with like or as; used to make writing more vivid, fresh, or interesting (e.g., as fresh as bread from the oven)

rhyme in which the final sounds of the words are similar but not identical (e.g., cook and lack); also called off rhyme or approximate rhyme

choosing an order for descriptive writing based on space (e.g., front to back, left to right)

a graphic organizer used to plan the development of a story or visual/multi-media presentation

condense the main points using as few words as possible and written in own words

the way words, phrases, and clauses are combined to form sentence order (e.g., in English, subject – verb – object is a common pattern.)

the pulling together of ideas or information to develop a common framework for understanding or to create a new idea; writers synthesize when they create, imagine, or combine ideas

type of expository writing (or sometimes persuasive writing) most often used to convey information (or to convince others) for technical or business purposes

suspense arising from opposing forces or motivations

third level sources (e.g., research summaries)

words or phrases that help make smooth connections between parts of a text

the sense of the person behind the writing (e.g., serious, honest, compassionate, or angry); writing that captures the correct level of distance, formality, or personality for the purpose of the writing and the audience

a graphic organizer, created by the writer during prewriting, to gather and connect facts, ideas, concepts, and/or words