SAT · Literature & Rhetoric · Beginner

• author

  n. a person who writes a book

  The author wrote a famous novel.

• story

  n. a telling of events real or imagined

  She told us an exciting story.

• poem

  n. a piece of writing in verse

  He read a short poem aloud.

• character

  n. a person in a story

  The main character is very brave.

• plot

  n. the main events of a story

  The plot of the movie was exciting.

• theme

  n. the central idea of a work

  The theme of the book is friendship.

• chapter

  n. a main division of a book

  I read the first chapter last night.

• reader

  n. a person who reads

  The reader enjoyed the mystery novel.

• title

  n. the name of a book or work

  The title of the poem is short.

• write

  v. to put words on paper

  She likes to write in her journal.

• read

  v. to look at and understand words

  He reads a book every week.

• mean

  v. to express an idea

  What does this word mean?

• describe

  v. to say what something is like

  Please describe the setting clearly.

• explain

  v. to make something clear

  The teacher explained the poem.

• compare

  v. to look at how things are alike

  We compare two short stories.

• imagine

  v. to form a picture in the mind

  Try to imagine the lonely castle.

• believe

  v. to think something is true

  I believe the narrator is honest.

• agree

  v. to have the same opinion

  Most readers agree with the author.

• clear

  adj. easy to understand

  Her writing is simple and clear.

• simple

  adj. not hard to understand

  He used simple words in the essay.

• funny

  adj. causing laughter

  The funny scene made us laugh.

• sad

  adj. full of sorrow

  The ending of the novel is sad.

• exciting

  adj. causing strong interest

  The exciting plot kept me reading.

• serious

  adj. not joking; important

  The poem deals with a serious topic.

• quote

  n. words taken from a text

  She used a quote to support her point.

• idea

  n. a thought or opinion

  The essay has one main idea.

• opinion

  n. a personal belief

  The writer shares her opinion clearly.

• fact

  n. something that is true

  The article is full of useful facts.

• reason

  n. a cause or explanation

  Give a reason for your answer.

• example

  n. a sample that shows a point

  This sentence is a good example.

• detail

  n. a small fact or part

  The story includes vivid details.

• sentence

  n. a group of words with meaning

  Each sentence has a clear subject.

• word

  n. a unit of language

  Choose the right word for the tone.

• voice

  n. the writer's distinct style

  The narrator's voice feels honest.

• mood

  n. the feeling of a work

  The mood of the poem is calm.

• tone

  n. the writer's attitude

  The tone of the letter is friendly.

• audience

  n. the people who read or watch

  The author writes for a young audience.

• message

  n. the main point being sent

  The story has a hopeful message.

• hero

  n. the admired main character

  The hero saves the small village.

• setting

  n. where and when a story happens

  The setting is a quiet seaside town.

• fiction

  n. stories that are invented

  She prefers fiction to news.

• fact-based

  adj. based on real information

  The book is a fact-based account.

• clearly

  adv. in an easy to understand way

  He clearly states his main idea.

• mainly

  adv. for the most part

  The essay is mainly about courage.

• likely

  adv. probably true

  The hero will likely return home.

• support

  v. to give evidence for

  These facts support the argument.

• suggest

  v. to hint at an idea

  The ending suggests a new start.

• show

  v. to make something visible

  The author shows the boy's fear.

• focus

  v. to give attention to one thing

  The essay focuses on family ties.

• state

  v. to say in a clear way

  Please state your opinion briefly.

• introduce

  v. to bring in for the first time

  The first page introduces the hero.

• conclude

  v. to bring to an end

  The writer concludes with hope.

• repeat

  v. to say or do again

  The poet repeats the same line.

• mention

  v. to refer to briefly

  The author mentions her childhood.

• notice

  v. to become aware of

  Readers notice the changing tone.

• feel

  v. to experience an emotion

  We feel sympathy for the old man.

• mean-spirited

  adj. unkind in nature

  The villain is cruel and mean-spirited.

• brave

  adj. showing courage

  The brave girl faces the storm.

• kind

  adj. gentle and caring

  The kind stranger helped the child.

• honest

  adj. telling the truth

  The honest narrator admits his mistakes.

• quiet

  adj. making little noise

  The quiet village seemed peaceful.

• strong

  adj. powerful or firm

  The essay makes a strong argument.

• weak

  adj. lacking strength

  The weak ending disappointed readers.

• true

  adj. matching reality

  The events in the memoir are true.

• false

  adj. not true

  The rumor in the story is false.

• main

  adj. most important

  The main point is stated early.

• short

  adj. not long

  He prefers short, clear sentences.

• detailed

  adj. full of details

  She gave a detailed description.

• view

  n. a way of thinking

  The article offers a new view.

• point

  n. a single idea or claim

  Her main point is well supported.

• purpose

  n. the reason for writing

  The purpose of the essay is to inform.

• problem

  n. a difficulty to solve

  The hero faces a hard problem.

• solution

  n. an answer to a problem

  The story offers a clever solution.

• event

  n. something that happens

  The key event changes everything.

• ending

  n. the final part

  The surprising ending shocked us.

• beginning

  n. the first part

  The beginning sets a dark mood.

• question

  n. a request for an answer

  The essay raises an important question.

• answer

  n. a reply to a question

  The poem gives no clear answer.

• speaker

  n. the voice in a poem

  The speaker feels deep regret.

• line

  n. a row of words in a poem

  The last line is very powerful.

• scene

  n. a part of a play or story

  The opening scene grabs attention.

• image

  n. a picture in words

  The poem creates a vivid image.

• feeling

  n. an emotion

  The song brings back warm feelings.

• meaning

  n. what something signifies

  The poem's meaning is open to debate.

• phrase

  n. a small group of words

  The writer repeats a key phrase.

• add

  v. to put more in

  The author adds a final twist.

• change

  v. to make different

  The character changes by the end.

• choose

  v. to pick from options

  Writers choose words with care.

• create

  v. to make something new

  Poets create images with words.

• remember

  v. to keep in mind

  The reader remembers the final line.

• understand

  v. to grasp the meaning

  She helps us understand the theme.

• present

  v. to show or offer

  The essay presents two views.

• picture

  v. to form an image in the mind

  Readers picture a vast desert.

• warm

  adj. friendly and kind

  The poem has a warm, gentle tone.

• cold

  adj. unfriendly in feeling

  The narrator's tone is cold.

• deep

  adj. having great meaning

  The story explores deep emotions.

• common

  adj. usual or shared

  Love is a common theme in poetry.

• famous

  adj. well known

  The famous poem is read in schools.

• modern

  adj. of the present time

  She enjoys reading modern fiction.

• classic

  adj. high quality and lasting

  This classic novel is loved by many.

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