Reading Glossary

Words and terms that we use on these pages to talk about reading

autobiography (noun)

The story of a person's life written by that same person.

brochure (noun)

A booklet or small magazine with information and images about a product, place or service.

comprehension (noun)

The action of understanding what you are reading.

The ability to understand what you are reading.

dialogue (noun)

Conversation between two or more people that is written in the text.

ebook (noun)

Electronic book. A book you can download and read on a computer or mobile device.

fiction (noun)

Writing that is about imaginary events and people.

genre (noun)

A category based on content, style or form.

gist (noun)

The central idea of a text; the essence of a text.

grade (noun)

A mark or percentage that indicates the quality of your work (test, assignment etc).

graded readers (noun)

Books written at different levels specially for English learners.

heading (noun)

The title of a section or division in a text, such as a chapter heading.

headword (noun)

In a dictionary, a headword is the first and main word of each entry, the word that is being defined. For example, dog is a headword but the plural dogs is not a headword; and run is a headword but the past tense ran is not a headword.

inference (noun)

A conclusion one comes to based on logic and information provided.

infographic (noun)

A visual representation of text or information. Minimal text is used.

keyword (noun)

An important word in a text. A word that holds the "key" to meaning.

literature (noun)

Written materials, especially when considered to be of great artistic merit.

memoir (noun)

A personal account of an aspect of one's life, written from one's own memory.

non-fiction (noun)

Writing that is about facts, real events and real people.

paragraph (noun)

A distinct section of a text, containing one main idea or scene, and usually indicated by a new line.

paraphrase (verb)

To rewrite (or describe) a text in one's own words.

proverb (noun)

A short saying about a general truth or belief.

read aloud | read out loud (verb)

To read audibly, not silently, so that other people, if present, could hear.

reading level (noun)

A grade that defines one's reading ability. Levels may be shown as, for example, beginner to advanced, low to high, or numerically (1 to 5).

scan (verb)

To read a text quickly looking for specific details.

skill (noun)

An ability to do something well. The four main skills that we need in language are listening, speaking, reading and writing.

skim (verb)

To read a text quickly for a general idea or overview.

skip (verb)

To pass a word or section (and possibly go back later).

subtitle (noun)

An additional, more detailed heading that comes under a main heading.

summary (noun)

A brief account of the main points of a text.

text (noun)

A written work; the written words that you read.

transcript (noun)

The written version of spoken words (for example, a transcript of a film or podcast).