Academic Vocabulary Glossary
Analyze
To purposefully examine the elements of
Annotate
To make critical or explanatory notes in the margin of a text.
Apply
To put to practical use; use; utilize
Argue
To subjectively persuade for or against a claim with specific
reasoning
Build
To add, explain in more detail or paraphrase examples
Cite
To quote an author, passage or literature using specific
punctuation.
Clarify
To ask yourself Why? How so? In what way? And then to
answer that question to make your ideas clear.
Compare and Contrast
To show similarities or differences
Connect
To explain in terms of personal experience, the world
and/or other literature.
Counterargue
To argue against or opposite of another’s claim
Create
To state and present your claim/argument/position
Define
To provide meaning
Demonstrate
To display or exhibit understanding
Evaluate
To judge, assess, determine significance or value
Evidence
Data, proof or research quoted from a text
Exemplify
To show or illustrate by example
Fortify
To provide specific text evidence in quoted format
Illustrate
To clarify a concept with symbols, graphs, charts, drawings,
pictures, or other artwork
Inform
Factual; without opinion
Make Meaning
To restate and/or summarize in your own words to capture
meaning or significance.
Negotiate
To give knowledge objectively about a topic without one’s
personal opinion.
Objective
To state a purpose, significance or value.
Paraphrase
To counter argue or refute an argument; to show the
writer/speaker that his/her argument may be wrong or
require more consideration
Refute
To prove wrong using specific reasoning and/or evidence
Restate
To reword a text or passage in fresh language to clarify
difficult text
Source
A specific text or specific website (URL)
Stimuli
Visual/Auditory displays: pictures, audio, video, graphs,
tables, etc.
Subjective
Containing opinion; opinionated
Synthesize
To combine elements with the purpose of creating a new
complex product
Text
Any reliable printed or Internet-based literature
Thesis
A subjective claim, position or controlling idea of an essay
Topic Sentence
The first sentence of a body paragraph that introduces the
controlling idea or position of the paragraph.
Transition
A word, phrase or clause used between and within
paragraphs to connect ideas.
Venn Diagram
A comparison/contrast diagram
CONTRAST
Concept 1
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CONTRAST
Concept 2