Language features and functions of special literary words

Glossary
Evolution : the scientific idea that plants and animals develop and change gradually over a long period of time.
Consonant:1) a speech sound made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air through your mouth → vowel
2) a letter that represents a consonant sound. The letters ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’, and sometimes ‘y’ represent vowels, and all the other letters are consonants.
Vowel :1) one of the human speech sounds that you make by letting your breath flow out without closing any part of your mouth or throat
2) a letter of the alphabet used to represent a vowel.
Singular, countable noun : Used before a singular noun, something that can be counted, the definite article specifies which one is being referred to. For example, “The thief has run away.
”Plural, countable noun :It may be used before a plural countable noun, when the noun is specific, not general. For instance, “Police officers killed three of the robbers.”
Uncountable noun : It may be used before a noun, which is something that cannot be counted. For instance, “The sand is blown by wind.” Sand cannot be counted, though its individual grains can.
Particular noun : No definite article is used with a particular noun, such as “Mr. Washington.” Simply, one cannot be called “The Washington.” Nevertheless, a definite article can be used to introduce his family group of Mr. Washington: “The Washingtons live down the street.”
Names of countries : It is not used with the proper names of countries and towns, with few exceptions. Exceptions include: the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Names of bodies of water : The names of some water bodies require definite articles, such as the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Indian Ocean, etc. However, there are additional exceptions, such as some lakes (i.e. Lake Michigan), which do not use a definite article.
Abstract: a brief summary of an article, book, or document.
Bibliography: a list of sources on a specific subject.
Citation: a structured reference to a book, article, or other information source. A citation includes author, title, source, publication date and other information necessary to uniquely identify and retrieve the item.
Empirical: describes information derived from an actual experiment, data compilation, case study, or other observation method.
Literature review: a summary of the current state of knowledge on a given topic, with detailed references to significant individual studies or papers. Similar to a review article, but generally used only as a preliminary portion of an article that presents new research.
Meta-analysis: a research study that incorporates the quantitative results of several related previous studies using statistical methods. Its validity is therefore dependent on the quality of the previous studies.
Peer review: Independent review before publication by one or more experts in the field. These "referees" look for valid research methodology and accurate data, but do not necessarily support the conclusions of the author(s).
Periodical: any magazine, journal or newspaper that is published on a continuing basis.
Professional journal: a periodical that contains specialized information relevant to a single profession, such as profession-related news and opinion articles. It may include book reviews, and possibly theoretical or research articles.
Scholarly: describes knowledge resulting from study and research in a particular field, employing the methods, discipline, and attainments of a scholar.
Secondary source: a subsequent description, discussion, or analysis of events or research already presented elsewhere in a primary source, without the participation of the original author(s).
Systematic review: A literature review that focuses on a single research question and tries to identify, synthesize and evaluate all high quality research on the topic. Systematic reviews incorporate independent peer-review and explicit standardized procedures intended to minimize bias.
Trade journal or magazine: a periodical that contains specialized information relevant to a particular trade or business. Typically, the focus is on news articles and not original research.