A lesson about life that is taught in a text is the **theme**. It can also be called the message (in fiction), central message, or moral of a story.
Something that people write about. The subject of a text or story, able to be stated in just one or two words is the **topic**.
A sentence with one subject and one predicate that expresses one complete thought is called a **simple sentence**.
The person, place, or thing (who or what) a sentence is about is the **subject**.
The part of the sentence that tells about the subject is the **predicate**.
A hint in a text that helps a reader figure out the meaning of a word or phrase is a **context clue**.
A group of words that does not express a complete thought is a **sentence fragment**.
To say or write something in your own words/voice is to **paraphrase**. This does not mean to shorten the text, and is typically only done with a sentence or short paragraph.
A sentence made up of two simple sentences is a **compound sentence**.
A connecting word that joins words and phrases together is a **conjunction**.
A sentence where two simple sentences are not joined correctly is a **run-on sentence**.
What a text is mostly about is the **central idea**. This can also be called the main idea.
The ability to read naturally and with ease is **fluency**.
To briefly retell what a story is about using only the most important details, or to briefly retell a text’s main events and details is to **summarize**.
The pieces of information that back up a central (main) idea are **supporting details**. These are also called key details.