FIRST NINE WEEKS ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
1. genre-the categories or types of literature
2. fiction-stories about characters and events that were made up by the author
3. poetry-a type of literature in which words are chosen and arranged in a compact, precise way to create special effects.
4. drama-stories written in parts and meant to be performed (plays, scripts, etc.)
5. nonfiction-information about real people, places and events (not made up). Types of nonfiction include autobiography/biography, essay, speech, news/feature articles, consumer documents, primary source documents, informational texts
6. plot-the events that take place in a story
7. conflict-the problem or struggle they work to overcome in a story
8. character-the people, animals, or creatures that are in a story
9. setting-the place and time that a story takes place
10. theme-the overall message of a work of literature
11. point of view-the perspective from which the story is told (1st person-main character tells, 2nd person-a minor character in the story tells, 3rd person, an outside narrator tells it.
12. act-a section of a drama similar to a chapter in a book
13. scene-a small portion of an act
14. dialogue-conversation between characters
15. stage directions-written instructions that describe the setting and tell how the characters should look, talk, and act in a drama
16. purpose- the job the material is intended to do (entertain, inform, research, tell how, etc.)
17. organization-how the written material is grouped and presented
18. main idea-the main information it is intended to convey
19. arguments-details that support the main idea
20. medium-the type of media that is used to convey the information (film, news, tv, advertising, websites
21. message-the idea that they are writing to get across to the readers
22. target audience-the specific group the work is targeted toward
23. external conflict-the problem is coming from a person or force on the outside (ex storm, disease, bully, etc)
24. internal conflict-a struggle within a person’s mind (ex. What should they do?)
25. exposition-introduces the story-has characters, setting , hints at conflict (who, where, when, what, and why)
26. rising action- builds suspense, shows how action unfolds
27. climax-most exciting part-the turning point that decides how the story will end
28. falling action-eases suspense, reveals how the conflict will be resolved
29. resolution-ties up loose ends, may have an unexpected twist
30. connecting-finding things in common with the characters; it helps you understand and remember better
HELPFUL LITERARY TERMS: (not in alphabetic order)
spoof-making fun of something such as a story or show using a variety of literary devices
parody-a faithful retelling of a story with funny changes
satire- a dark type of humor that makes fun of a weakness
exaggerate-to make something out to be more than it is
anachronism-something that is in the wrong place or time
irony-when something is the opposite of what is expected
exaggerate-to make something out to be more than it really is-to "stretch" a story
plot-the framework or "bare skeleton" of a story without the details (the basic events in the story)
point of view-the viewpoint from which a story is told
omniscient point of view-told by a narrator looking on
from outside the story
first person point of view-told by one of the characters
in the story
foreshadowing-hints in a story that something is not right or that something is fixing to happen
dialect-regional differences in a language
flashback-interruption in a story to tell what happened at an earlier time
story map-a chart used to pull together the important elements in a story
excerpt-short portion of a longer story
genre-the different categories of literature
drama-story written in parts and meant to be acted out
fable-a short story , usually with animal characters, that teaches a lesson
fairy tale-a fantasy story set in the past
folk tale-a story handed down for generations with no known author
fantasy-a story with elements that could not happen in real life
science fiction-fantasy set in the future
narrative or narration-kind of story that tells "what happened" most used by storytellers
realistic fiction-a story that sounds like real life, but the author made it up
historical fiction-realistic fiction that is set in the past
mystery-characters look for clues to solve a puzzle
suspense-story with many plot twists that keep the outcome uncertain
horror-story in which the characters are threatened by a supernatural force or being
myth-a story that usually deals with Gods or the creation of the earth
legend-a story based on truth that is passed down and changed until the exact truth is unknown
urban legend-sensational stories, usually false, that circulate through the population by word of mouth or internet
periodical-materials published at regular set intervals
magazine-a collection of articles related to a certain topic
biography-an author's story about a real person's life
autobiography-a person's own account of their life story
nonfiction-true, factual material;any written material that is not made up
novel-a long fictional story usually 100-500 pages long that uses all the elements of storytelling
short story-a short fictional narrative that is usually less than 20 pages
essay-a short piece of nonfiction prose that examines a topic
prose-any writing that is not poetry
fiction-stories in any genre that are made up
poetry-a kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery to appeal to our emotions and imaginations
free verse-poetry that is free of rhythm or rhyme
alliteration-repetition of sounds in words that are close together
rhythm-a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that forms a beat
rhyme-words with the same ending sounds that make a chiming sound when recited
internal rhymes-in the middle of lines
end rhymes-found at the end of lines
onomatopoeia-words that are the sounds they make (ex. plop, snap,whirr)
personification-when things that are not human act in a human way (ex. the leaves danced along)
stanza-a group of lines in a poem that form a unit
narrative poetry-story poems
lyric poetry-poems that describe feelings or thoughts but don't tell a story
refrain-a portion of a poem that is repeated in poetry
pun-a play on words;twists word sounds and meanings to
create humor (knock knock jokes)
allusion-a reference to something famous the author expects you to know about
character-all of the elements that make a unique person or entity
character profile-the elements of a character: their looks, thoughts, speech, action, response of others to them, and direct statements they or the author make about them
conflict-the problem in the story
external conflict-character struggles with outside forces
internal conflict-a person problem a character has
climax-the turning point that decides the outcome
resolution-how the conflict is resolved
(action rises up to the climax and fades after it)
connotation-what you associate with a word
denotation-the definition of a word
dialogue-a conversation between characters
monologue-a character talking to himself
figure of speech-a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something else and isn't literally true
(ex. metaphor and simile)
metaphor-a comparison of unlike things in which one becomes the other (his fists were fleshy hammers)
simile-comparison of unlike things using like or as
(the sky was like black velvet)
mood-the overall emotion created by literature
theme-the overall topic of a work of literature
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