Reading Comprehension Glossary

Context clues - the words around an unfamiliar word that can be used to determine its meaning
Draw a conclusion – to “figure out” or solve; to come to a conclusion
Imply/implied – to hint at or suggest without stating
Infer/inference - to draw a logical conclusion from information presented; to “read between the lines” or “connect the dots.” When an author’s ideas are not explicitly stated, then the reader must examine the evidence in the passage and make an inference, or draw a logical conclusion. A reader may need to infer the main idea of a passage or the author’s beliefs or point of view.
Intended audience – the group of people that the author or passage is meant for
Main idea/Central idea – the overall meaning of a passage
Mainly – the main idea or overall meaning
Mood – the feeling or emotional character of the writing
Perspective – the author’s point of view
Prefix – a syllable added to the beginning of a word that changes its meaning. For example, adding “un” to the word “happy” = unhappy. Some common prefixes are:
“un-” meaning not (as in uncomfortable, or not comfortable), and “pre-” meaning before (as in prenatal, or before birth). A list of the most common prefixes follows this glossary.
Purpose of – the reason
Redundant – repeating more than necessary; saying the same thing more than once
Repetitive – repeating
Sequence – the logical order of ideas; to arrange in order
Setting – the background or surrounding environment
Suffix – a syllable added to the end of a word to change the word’s meaning. Some common suffixes are “-ist” meaning a person (as in dentist), and “-ful” meaning a lot of (as in “hopeful,” and “doubtful”). A list of the most common suffixes follows this glossary.
Supporting details – facts that support the main idea of the writing
Theme – the dominant idea in a piece of writing
Topic Sentence – the sentence that describes the main idea of a paragraph or essay
Tone – the author’s attitude toward the reader or toward the subject
Unify/unifies – to come together