primary source
EnglishFrom Grade 4
an original record from the time or an eyewitness
Learn it in: Primary and secondary sources (Grade 4), Comparing sources (Grade 5), Reliable sources (Grade 6)
Glossary: Terms Starting with P
95 definitions in English & Language Arts with links to the lessons that teach each word.
Showing English & Language Arts only. Show all subjects
All terms starting with P
pace
EnglishFrom Grade 1
how fast or slow you speak
Learn it in: Speaking clearly (Grade 1), Giving clear explanations (Grade 2), Reading short passages (Grade 2)
pacing
EnglishFrom Grade 5
the speed at which a story unfolds
pair
EnglishFrom Grade 1
two things that go together
Learn it in: Identifying rhyming words (Grade 1), Opposites (Grade 1)
paragraph
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a group of sentences about one idea
Learn it in: Topic sentences (Grade 2), Short factual reports (Grade 2), Topic sentences (Grade 3)
paragraph unity
EnglishFrom Grade 6
all sentences focused on one idea
Learn it in: Explanatory paragraphs (Grade 6)
paraphrase
EnglishFrom Grade 3
to say it in your own words
Learn it in: Textual evidence (Grade 3), Summarising informational texts (Grade 3), Simple note-taking (Grade 3)
parenthetical
EnglishFrom Grade 6
extra information in commas, dashes or brackets
Learn it in: Punctuation (Grade 6)
part of speech
EnglishFrom Grade 3
a label like noun or verb
Learn it in: Dictionary skills (Grade 3), Dictionary and thesaurus skills (Grade 4)
part-whole
EnglishFrom Grade 4
a link where one thing is part of another
Learn it in: Word relationships (Grade 4)
passage
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a short piece of writing
Learn it in: Reading short passages (Grade 2), Informational passages (Grade 2)
past tense
EnglishFrom Grade 2
happened before
Learn it in: Verbs and verb tenses (Grade 2), Verb tense consistency (Grade 4)
pattern
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a way letters repeat
Learn it in: Common long-vowel patterns (Grade 1), Long-vowel spelling patterns (Grade 2), Word families (Grade 2)
pause
EnglishFrom Grade 1
stop for a moment
Learn it in: Reading with phrasing (Grade 1), Full stops (Grade 1), Punctuation and phrasing (Grade 2)
PEEL
EnglishFrom Grade 6
Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link: a paragraph pattern
Learn it in: Structured essays (Grade 6)
peer feedback
EnglishFrom Grade 4
comments from a classmate
Learn it in: Revision and editing (Grade 4), Revising arguments (Grade 6)
peer review
EnglishFrom Grade 5
feedback from a classmate
Learn it in: Editing and revision (Grade 5), Revision and editing (Grade 6), Digital communication projects (Grade 6)
perfect tense
EnglishFrom Grade 5
shows an action completed or connected to another time
Learn it in: Verb forms (Grade 5), Verb forms and consistency (Grade 6)
permission
EnglishFrom Grade 6
agreement that allows you to use something
Learn it in: Ethical information use (Grade 6)
personal
EnglishFrom Grade 1
about you
Learn it in: Writing personal experiences (Grade 1), Personal narratives (Grade 2)
personal attack
EnglishFrom Grade 6
attacking the person instead of the argument
Learn it in: Evaluating reasoning (Grade 6)
personification
EnglishFrom Grade 4
giving human actions to a non-human thing
Learn it in: Figurative language (Grade 4), Personification (Grade 4), Figurative language (Grade 5)
perspective
EnglishFrom Grade 5
the view from which a story is told
Learn it in: Narrative perspective (Grade 5), Cultural perspectives (Grade 5), Perspective and bias (Grade 6)
persuade
EnglishFrom Grade 2
to convince someone
Learn it in: Posters (Grade 2), Supporting opinions with reasons (Grade 3), Media messages (Grade 3)
persuasive technique
EnglishFrom Grade 6
a method used to influence what people think or buy
Learn it in: Persuasive techniques (Grade 6)
persuasive writing
EnglishFrom Grade 5
writing meant to convince the reader
Learn it in: Opinion and persuasive writing (Grade 5)
photograph
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a picture taken with a camera
Learn it in: Captions and illustrations (Grade 2)
phrase
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a small group of words
Learn it in: Reading with phrasing (Grade 1), Reading connected sentences (Grade 2), Reading fluently (Grade 3)
phrasing
EnglishFrom Grade 2
grouping words in a natural way
Learn it in: Punctuation and phrasing (Grade 2)
picture
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a drawing or photo
Learn it in: Writing about pictures (Grade 1), Listening to stories (Grade 1), Story settings (Grade 1)
picture story
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a story told with pictures and words
Learn it in: Creating picture stories (Grade 1)
place
EnglishFrom Grade 1
where something is
Learn it in: Identifying settings (Grade 1), Naming words (Grade 1)
plagiarism
EnglishFrom Grade 4
copying someone else’s words as your own
Learn it in: Note-taking (Grade 4), Avoiding plagiarism (Grade 5), Paraphrasing and summarising (Grade 6)
plan
EnglishFrom Grade 1
think before you do
Learn it in: Creating oral stories (Grade 1), Story planning (Grade 3)
platform
EnglishFrom Grade 6
where a message is shared, such as TV or social media
Learn it in: Target audiences (Grade 6)
plot
EnglishFrom Grade 2
what happens in a story
Learn it in: Story problems and solutions (Grade 2), Creative storytelling (Grade 2), Setting and plot (Grade 3)
plural
EnglishFrom Grade 2
more than one
Learn it in: Inflectional endings (Grade 2), Singular and plural nouns (Grade 2), Spelling conventions (Grade 3)
poem
EnglishFrom Grade 1
writing in lines that often rhymes
Learn it in: Simple poems (Grade 1), Poems and rhythm (Grade 2), Poetry (Grade 3)
point
EnglishFrom Grade 3
an important idea in a talk
Learn it in: Organised oral presentations (Grade 3)
point of view
EnglishFrom Grade 3
who tells the story: I or he/she
Learn it in: Short fiction (Grade 3), Point of view (Grade 4), Point of view (Grade 6)
point-by-point
EnglishFrom Grade 6
comparing both subjects on one point at a time
Learn it in: Compare-and-contrast writing (Grade 6)
polite
EnglishFrom Grade 1
kind and respectful
Learn it in: Introducing oneself (Grade 1), Taking turns in conversations (Grade 1), Participating in discussions (Grade 2)
position
EnglishFrom Grade 1
where something is
Learn it in: Describing pictures (Grade 1), Prepositions (Grade 3), Summarising discussions (Grade 5)
possession
EnglishFrom Grade 2
showing that something belongs to someone
Learn it in: Commas and apostrophes (Grade 2)
possessive pronoun
EnglishFrom Grade 5
a pronoun showing ownership, like mine or hers
Learn it in: Pronoun usage (Grade 5)
poster
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a large sign with a picture and words
Learn it in: Making simple posters (Grade 1), Posters (Grade 2), Informational posters (Grade 3)
practise
EnglishFrom Grade 1
do again to get better
Learn it in: Phonics review and assessment (Grade 1)
precise
EnglishFrom Grade 3
exact and clear
Learn it in: Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 3), Descriptive vocabulary (Grade 3), Synonyms and antonyms (Grade 4)
precise language
EnglishFrom Grade 6
exact words that say clearly what you mean
Learn it in: Precise language (Grade 6)
predicate
EnglishFrom Grade 1
what the subject does or is
Learn it in: Simple sentence construction (Grade 1), Subject and predicate (Grade 2), Simple sentences (Grade 3)
predict
EnglishFrom Grade 1
guess what will happen next
Learn it in: Making predictions (Grade 1), Predictions (Grade 2), Academic vocabulary (Grade 2)
prediction
EnglishFrom Grade 5
a guess about what will happen
Learn it in: Longer literary texts (Grade 5)
prefix
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a word part added to the start
Learn it in: Decoding longer words (Grade 2), Common prefixes (Grade 2), Prefixes and suffixes (Grade 3)
preposition
EnglishFrom Grade 3
a word that shows the position, direction or time of a noun
Learn it in: Prepositions (Grade 3), Prepositional phrases (Grade 4)
prepositional phrase
EnglishFrom Grade 3
a preposition with its noun, such as under the table
Learn it in: Prepositions (Grade 3), Prepositional phrases (Grade 4)
present
EnglishFrom Grade 1
show and tell others
Learn it in: Presenting personal experiences (Grade 1)
present tense
EnglishFrom Grade 4
something happening now or regularly
Learn it in: Verb tense consistency (Grade 4)
presentation
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a short talk to an audience
Learn it in: Short presentations (Grade 2), Oral presentations (Grade 2), Presentations (Grade 3)
preview
EnglishFrom Grade 4
to give a short look ahead
Learn it in: Introductions (Grade 4), Reading complex texts (Grade 5), Introductions (Grade 6)
privacy
EnglishFrom Grade 6
keeping personal information safe
Learn it in: Responsible digital communication (Grade 6)
probing question
EnglishFrom Grade 6
a question that digs deeper
Learn it in: Academic discussions (Grade 6), Critical thinking (Grade 6)
problem
EnglishFrom Grade 1
something that needs fixing
Learn it in: Beginning, middle, and end (Grade 1), Retelling stories (Grade 1), Story problems and solutions (Grade 2)
problem and solution
EnglishFrom Grade 6
describes a problem and ways to solve it
Learn it in: Text structure (Grade 6)
process
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a series of steps
Learn it in: Simple explanations (Grade 2), Explaining information (Grade 3), Explaining processes (Grade 3)
progressive tense
EnglishFrom Grade 5
shows an action in progress
Learn it in: Verb forms (Grade 5), Verb forms and consistency (Grade 6)
project
EnglishFrom Grade 2
a piece of work you plan and finish
Learn it in: Creative-writing projects (Grade 2), Literary response projects (Grade 5), Digital communication projects (Grade 6)
projection
EnglishFrom Grade 4
speaking loudly and clearly so all can hear
Learn it in: Performance (Grade 4)
prompt
EnglishFrom Grade 6
the task or question that sets the essay
Learn it in: Structured essays (Grade 6)
pronoun
EnglishFrom Grade 1
a word that takes the place of a noun
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Pronouns (Grade 1), Pronouns (Grade 2), Nouns and pronouns (Grade 3)
proofread
EnglishFrom Grade 1
read carefully to find mistakes
Learn it in: Basic sentence correction (Grade 1), Editing spelling and punctuation (Grade 2), Punctuation and editing (Grade 3)
proofreading
EnglishFrom Grade 6
checking for small errors of spelling and punctuation
Learn it in: Editing for clarity and style (Grade 6)
proper noun
EnglishFrom Grade 1
the special name of a person or place
Full explanation with examples and practice →
Learn it in: Capital letters (Grade 1), Common and proper nouns (Grade 2), Capitalisation (Grade 2)
prose
EnglishFrom Grade 4
ordinary writing in sentences and paragraphs
Learn it in: Comparing literary genres (Grade 4)
proverb
EnglishFrom Grade 4
a short saying that teaches a lesson
Learn it in: Figurative expressions (Grade 4), Idiomatic expressions (Grade 5)
publish
EnglishFrom Grade 2
to share finished work
Learn it in: Creative-writing projects (Grade 2), Revising narratives (Grade 3), Publishing creative writing (Grade 4)
punctuation
EnglishFrom Grade 2
marks that help us read and write
Learn it in: Punctuation and phrasing (Grade 2), Punctuation and expression (Grade 3)
purpose
EnglishFrom Grade 2
the reason for making something
Learn it in: Understanding media messages (Grade 2), Author’s purpose (Grade 5), Author’s purpose (Grade 6)