8th Grade English SOL Vocabulary
1. Accurate-a detail that is reliable and
specific.
ex. Information found in
encyclopedias is accurate.
7. Cause & effect-an organization device
that relates at least two events: one,
the cause, which makes the
the effect, happen.
other,
Ex. Because it
is raining, I will use my umbrella.
2. Alliteration-the repetition of the
same or similar sounds at the
beginning of words. ex. Peter Piper
picked a peck of pickled peppers.
3. Analogy-a comparison of two pairs of
words that each share the same
relationship. ex.
Train: track : :
car: road
8. Main conflict-the main goal that must
be reached, or problem that must be
overcome.
ex. Lina and Doon wanted
to find a way out of the city of
Ember.
9. Character-any person (or person-likething) represented in a piece of
literature. It can also mean the
personality traits of the character.
Ex. Cinderella likes animals, works
4. annotations-short comments or
explanations about something that
appears in the main text. ex.
Footnotes or asterisks will refer you
to more info found at the bottom of
the page
hard and is kind.
10. Chronology-a type of sequence that
puts events in the order in which they
happened.
11. Climax-the point of greatest intensity
in a narrative. This is the point at
5. ballad-a songlike poem that tells a
story
6. bias-the author's leaning or opinion
about the subject he or she is writing
about. ex. Someone from AT & T
might write how their phones are
better than Sprint's phones.
which the main character faces the
greatest opposition to achieving his or
her goal.
12. comparison/contrast-showing how
two or more items are alike (compare)
or different (contrast).
13. Conclusion-a statement that must be
true based on a given set of
20. Explicit-Fully and clearly expressed;
leaving nothing implied.
information. OR--- the ending
21. external conflict-a conflict b/w a
14.
Conflict-a struggle between
characters or forces in a story.
character and a force outside that
Type
of External Conflicts:
man vs. man- Two master chess players battle for a
championship title.
man vs. society- A thief vs. the legal system that's
trying to catch him.
man vs. nature- A mountain climber trying to conquer
a treacherous peak.
man vs. supernatural- A homeowner whose house is
haunted by the previous owner.
man vs. machinery/technology- Ex.- The Terminator
movies.
Internal Conflict= man vs. self- Ex. The Cay- Phillip
battles his beliefs about prejudice.
character (ex. The Cay- Timothy and
the hurricane)
22. external text structure-ways to make
some words and phrases stand out
from the rest of the text (pictures
with captions, titles and subtitles,
vocabulary/definitions, words in bold,
etc.)
15. Connotations-shades of meaning in
synonyms (ex.s- youthful/childish,
23. fact-a statement of objective truth
curious/nosy, fragrant/smelly)
24. falling action-the events that unfold
16. Details-specific pieces of information
according to how the main character
responds to the climax
17. Dialogue-conversations b/w
characters
25. figurative language-any word or
phrase that has a meaning beyond its
18. Dynamic-describes a character whose
traits change, either for better or
literal meaning (ex. Simile,
personification, hyperbole, etc.)
worse, during a story (ex. - Bryce in
Flipped)
26. first person-a narrative point of view
where the story is told by one of the
19. enumeration/listing-To count off or
characters.
name one by one; list: A spokesperson
enumerated the strikers' demands.
27. Flashback-returning to a time earlier
than the starting point of a story to
give background info
28. Footnotes-notes that name a source
35. Imagery-the use of words that appeal
or reference the author used for
to the senses of the reader. Imagery
citing a fact or statistic in the main
includes details perceived from the
text. The information is useful, but
five senses. . (ex. He fumed and
not essential to the text, so it is set
charged like an angry bull.--- The F-16
apart for the reader to explore later.
swooped down like an eagle after its
prey.)
29. foreshadowing
-a clue or hint
about an event that will unfold later in
36. Implied-information not stated
a story. Foreshadowing sets up
directly but provided in clues so you
expectations in the reader's mind.
can figure out the information for
yourself (ex. When a person says,
30. free verse -poetry that does not
follow a set meter
“Those brownies sure smell good”--they are actually asking for a
brownie.)
31. generalization-an assumption that all
37. Inference-a judgment based on your
things behave a certain way based on
own knowledge as well as the
observing a few things behaving that
information supplied by an author.
way.
When you make inferences, you also
use info you have found outside the
32. Graphics-provide a visual image to
text.
enhance the material being presented
(ex. Pictures, graphs, etc.)
38. informational sources-pieces of
nonfiction writing that are designed
33. Heading-the title, subtitle, or topic
to tell you something. (ex.
that stands out at the top of or
Advertisement, autobiography,
beginning of the text
research paper)
34. Hyperbole-a type of figurative
39. Initiating event – the FIRST
language that uses an exaggeration
important element of plot structure.
for emphasis (ex. "I'm so hungry I
This is the one event that sets the
could eat a horse!")
rest of the story in motion. (This is
when you find out the protagonist’s
main conflict.)
40. Internal conflict – the main
character’s inner struggle or moral
47. Onomatopoeia – when words imitate
sounds (ex. Buzz, hiss, tick-tock)
dilemma
48. Opinion – how the author feels about
41. Internal text structures- the way
informational text is organized so
something, or beliefs we all hold
based on our experience and values
that the reader can get the most out
of it. (Compare/contrast,
49. Oxymoron – a word or phrase that
enumeration, cause/effect,
combines two terms (words) that
sequencing)
seem to be contradictory (ex.
Deafening silence, jumbo shrimp)
42. Literal – a word’s “dictionary” meaning
(also called denotation) Taking the
word at face value….nothing implied…
50. Personification- a type of figurative
language – giving human qualities to
inanimate objects (ex. The sun’s rays
43. Literary devices – techniques such as
touched me. The flowers smiled at
foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism
me. My porch greeted me with a
that an author uses to enrich a
bright grin.)
literary work.
51. Plot – what happens in a story from
44. Main idea – what the specific story is
beginning to end.
about. (THIS IS NOT THE SAME
THING AS “THEME!”)
52. Point of view – the perspective of a
story’s narrator (ex. Usually 1st or 3rd
45. Metaphor- a type of figurative
person)
language that compares two unlike
things WITHOUT using the words
“like” or “as.”
(ex. You are a rose.)
53. Prefixes- groups of letters added to
the BEGINNING of a root word to
add meaning.
46. Nuance (or connotation) – the feeling
of a word that makes it different
54. Process – an organizational pattern
from its synonym. (ex. Lie, fib,
involving a series of steps to
misstatement—all basically the same
accomplish a task.
thing---but, “lie” is negative, while a
“misstatement” is usually more
positive)
55. Protagonist – a story’s main
character.
63. Rising action – the part of a plot
structure when the main character’s
efforts to achieve his or her goal are
56. Pun – a deliberate confusion of similar
complicated by some form of conflict
sounding words or phrases, usually for
comic effect. (ex. I don’t know how to
put on a helmet, the whole thing goes
right over my head.)
64. Root word – the base of a word. It
only has one part and cannot be made
smaller. (in-correct, love-able, unhappy)
57. Refrain – a line or stanza that repeats
throughout the work.
65. Scheme – a pair of rhyming words.
Also called a rhyme pattern. (ex. Cat bat. Near – fear.)
58. Relevant – description of a detail that
is important to the author’s purpose.
66. Sequence / chronology – an
organizational pattern that puts
59. Repetition – writing a sound, word, or
idea again for effect or emphasis.
things in the order in which they
happened.
67. Sidebar – a short, often boxed bit of
60. Resolution – where the main conflicts
information that is printed near a
of the story are worked out, after
longer article and provides additional
the climax and near the end of the
information about that article.
story.
68. Simile – a type of figurative language
61. Rhyme – any repetition of identical or
that compares two unlike things using
similar sounds among words at the
the words “like” or “as” (ex. The cat
ends of lines. (ex. She had a cat, who
stalked the mouse like an assassin)
chased after a bat)
69. Stanza - a set of lines that are
62. Rhythm – the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllable within a poem
grouped together in a poem
70. Static – something unchanging, often
77. Thesaurus – a word reference book
used to describe characters whose
that supplies a reader with the
traits stay the same throughout a
synonyms of a given word.
story (the “flat” character).
78. Third person – a narrative point of
71. Style – the distinctive way in which an
view where the narrator is not in the
author uses words to achieve an
story. The third-person narrator may
effect in the reader
or may not know all the details of the
story.
72. Subheading – the heading or title of a
subdivision or section of a story or
article
79. Third person limited – a narrative
point of view written as if someone
outside the story is observing the
characters. Sometimes the third
73. Suffixes – groups of letter or short
person point of view is limited to the
words added to the end of a root
thoughts and actions of a single
word to change its meaning (ex. Love-
character
able, instruct-ion)
80. Third person omniscient – a narrative
74. Summarize – to create a brief
point of view written from the point
statement describing the category of
of view of a narrator who knows
a list or main ideas of a passage
everything that’s going on in the
story, including the thoughts of every
character, and even things that
75. Symbolism – using a familiar and real
object to represent an abstract idea.
76. Theme – a basic truth that goes
characters have no way of knowing
about.
81. Tone – a writer’s attitude toward the
beyond the actual story. It is about
subject he or she is writing about.
something more universal than the
Tone can also include the writer’s
story itself.
attitude toward the reader.
82. Viewpoint – an author’ particular point
of view about the subject that he or
she is writing about.
83. Voice – what distinguishes the mood
or personality of an author or
character.