| A | B |
|---|
| narrative writing | Type of writing that tells a story about something that happened and how it happened |
| descriptive writing | Type of writing that describes something: a person, place, animal, idea, emotion or object. It uses modifiers (adjectives) to tell how something looks or feels |
| persuasive writing | The writer urges, argues and persuades the reader to accept a position or take some form of action |
| expository writing | Writing which explains or informs |
| character | One of the people who has a part in the story; the qualities of such a person |
| setting | The physical and cultural environment in which a story takes place |
| plot | The plan of events in a story (phases of action) |
| narrative | A story |
| conflict | The struggle between two forces. Without it there would be no plot. |
| person vs. person | type of conflict between two people |
| person vs. nature | Conflict arises due to the characters overcoming their physical environment |
| person vs. self | In "Feathers and Fools" this type of conflict was represented. The peacocks and swans created the conflict internally due to their own fear |
| suspense | An effect of intense expectancy |
| theme | The central idea or issue which the text develops. It is the idea, the subject, the topic the author focuses on. |
| foreshadow | Hints of things to come |
| symbol | An object or person that represents something else. Once this connection is made by the reader, meaning is enriched |
| dialogue | The actual speech of characters in the story / punctuated with quotation marks |
| narrator | The person telling the story |
| point of view | The events of a story told as they appear to one or more characters or observers |
| first person | The narrator tells the story as it happened to him/her (I, me, we, us) |
| third person | The narrator tells the story as an outsider |
| protagonist | The central character in a story |
| antagonist | The character / force in opposition of the protagonist |
| irony | What actually occurs is inconsistent with what we expect, usually creating a type of wry humor |
| metaphor | A brief, direct comparison (does not contain like or as). |
| simile | A brief comparison that contains the words like or as |
| alliteration | Repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of words |
| personification | occurs when human characteristics are attributed to objects or ideas |
| TKTV | Time of day, kind of day, time of year, vantage point |
| genre | The category a story or script falls into - such as: thriller, comedy, action, horror, satire |
| allegory | symbolic system in a narrative that allows it to generate a second level of meaning, which develops in tandem with the primary narrative |
| mood | The emotional atmosphere expressed by an author in his/her work |
| exposition | The emotional atmosphere expressed by an author in his/her work - includes setting, main characters, initial conflict |
| rising action | The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity, and complicate the conflict |
| climax | The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the main character moves toward his inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the character makes |
| falling action | The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable |
| resolution | The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion. The hero character either emerges triumphant or is defeated at this point |
| allusion | a brief reference to a historical person, place, event or to another piece of literature |
| anecdote | a brief personal story used to illustrate a point |
| cliche | a timeworn and overused expression |
| connotation | the implied meaning of a word or expression |
| denotation | the literal meaning of a word or expression |
| diction | the words a writer chooses to express his or her meaning |
| epiphany | the sudden flare of revelation and understanding in a character |
| euphemism | the use of pleasant-sounding words or phrases to avoid talking about the unpleasant reality |
| imagery | a description that appeals to any of the five senses used to paint a "mental picture" for the reader |
| figurative language | refers to the figures of speech an author uses to add to or clarify meaning of writing. |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration or overstatement used to generate effect |
| oxymoron | an expression that combines contradictory or opposite ideas |
| parody | a comic imitation of a well-known work for the purpose of ridiculing or criticizing the original |
| satire | a form of literature that ridicules some aspect of human behaviour, customs or attitudes in an attempt to bring about positive change |
