9 th Grade Mastery Vocabulary

1. 9th Grade Mastery Vocabulary

2. Allusion • A reference to something outside the text: • EXAMPLE: other literature, historical texts/events, religious texts/events, political texts and events

3. Characters • A character in a story, poem, or play

4. Protagonist • Main Character in a fiction or drama—the character we FOCUS our ATTENTION on, the person who sets the plot in motion.

5. Antagonist • The character or force that blocks the protagonist.

6. Static character • One who does NOT change much in the course of a story.

7. Dynamic Character • One who changes as a result of the story’s events.

8. Flat Character • Has only one or two traits, can be described in few words

9. Round Character • Like a real person, has many different character traits, which sometimes contradict one another

10. Claim • The idea or opinion that a writer tries to prove or defend in an argument.

11. Cohesive • Using a variety of tools, skill, strategies to create a written piece that links multiple elements smoothly: creates a unified end product.

12. Counterclaim • A claim made to effect or argue the point of another claim

13. Dialogue • The conversation between characters in a story of play.

14. Direct Quotation • The report of the EXACT words used from a source. • EXAMPLE: • “It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students” (National Education Association).

15. Evidence • Specific information or proof that backs up the reasons in an argument. • FOR EXAMPLE: Factual evidence, statistics, expert testimony, etc

16. Imply • To indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated • ***READ BETWEEN THE LINES!

17. Infer • To make an educated guess based on observations and prior experience

18. Internal Documentations • Source information cited within a paper utilizing MLA format. • In text: Credit to source of borrowed information given within the sentence. • Parenthetical Documentation: Credit to source of borrowed information given at the end of the sentence and separated by parenthesis ()

19. Irony • Contrast between expectation and reality

20. Verbal Irony • Contrast between what is said and what is really meant • EXAMPLE: When a mother walks into a room and sees that her children, instead of doing their homework, are playing video games, she gives them a stern look and says "Once you're done with your very important work there, let's take some time out for recreation in the form of some chemistry problems."

21. Situational Irony • Contrast between what is expected to happen and what really does happen • EXAMPLE: An example would be a man who takes a step aside in order to avoid getting sprinkled by a wet dog, and falls into a swimming pool."

22. Dramatic Irony • Contrast between what APPEARS to be true and what really is true—Characters do not know this but you the audience does • Example: In a horror movie, suspense is often built up by the use of spooky music. The viewers often know that someone is going to die or get ripped up, or, at least, something is going to jump out because of the music that THEY can hear--and, of course, the characters cannot.

23. Narrative • The form of discourse that relates real or imagined experiences or events. (Stories) • EXAMPLE: Once upon a time, fairy tales, short stories, memoirs, etc

24. Plagiarism • The unlawful use of the words or ideas of another without giving direct credit to the source.

25. Point of View • The vantage point from which a writer tells a story

26. First Person Point of View • This is where the story is told using “I”

27. Third Person Objective • The third-person objective presents the action and the characters' speech, without comment or emotion. The reader has to interpret them and uncover their meaning.

28. Third Person Omniscient Point of View • knows everything, may reveal the motivations, thoughts and feelings of All of the characters, and gives the reader information.

29. Third Person Limited Point of View • With a third-person limited, the narrator records the thoughts and feelings of just one character.

30. Precise • Careful word choice that conveys exactly what the writer means (eliminating non-essential words or phrases)

31. Setting • The time, place, cultural and historical context of a narrative: • Time—Time of Day, Season, Past, Present, Future • Place– Geographical, Topographical, Inanimate Object, Environment

32. Symbolism • The use of a person, place, or thing, or event to REPRESENT something BEYOND the literal.

33. Theme • Central idea of a work of literature. A theme is not the same as a SUBJECT. The theme is the idea the writer wishes to reveal about that subject. The theme is something that is expressed in at least one complete sentence.

34. Thesis Statement • A declarative statement that the entirety of the piece of writing supports most often found in the opening paragraph. (Concise, condenses the central them or argument, once sentence, generalizes the rest of the paper.)

35. Tone • Attitude a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience conveyed through word choice and syntax.

36. Voice • An author’s distinct style