| A | B |
|---|
| plot | the story line |
| setting | time and place in a story |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| style | writers way of writing |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) |
| symbolism | uses something to represent something else |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| satire | writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, social convention |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work to make the writing stronger |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| rhyme scheme | the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ALLUSION | "He met his Nemesis." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| VERBAL IRONY | As I fell down the stairs headfirst, I heard her say, "Look at that coordination!" |
| SITUATIONAL IRONY | The cobbler's children go barefoot because they have no shoes. |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PARADOX | "Much madness is divinest sense." |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| setting | time and place |
| protagonist | main character with problem |
| antagonist | protagonist's problem |
| plot | events in a story |
| climax | point of greatest emotion in story |
| denouement | conclusion,resolution |
| rising action | complications |
| exposition | beginning of plot |
| dynamic character | character who changes dramatically |
| irony | opposite happens of what is expected |
| pun | play on words |
| allusion | making reference to another work of art |
| foreshadowing | hints of things to come |
| flashback | interrupts chronological plot |
| static character | character doesn't change |
| theme | author's message |
| mood | atmosphere a work creates |
| tone | author's attitude |
| point of view | 1st, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| character | person or animal that takes part in a literary work |
| dynamic | a character who changes |
| static | a character who does not change |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| plot | sequence of events |
| exposition | background;intro of characters |
| climax | point of highest interest or suspense |
| resolution | outcome, result |
| flashback | interruption of action to go to past |
| irony | a contradiction;strange twist |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| plot | the structure of a story |
| connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of word or phrase apart from the explicit meaning |
| denotation | the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word |
| figurative language | language enriched by word images and figures of speech |
| literary devices | rhetorical elements used to create a desired mood ortone in a piece of writing |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes an implied comparison |
| mood | emotional state expressed in a literary work |
| personification | metaphorical figure of speech in which the a nunhuman is given human qualities |
| simile | a comparison of two dissimilar things, using comparison words |
| onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which the sound of a word reflects its sense or meaning |
| style | an author's distinctive manner of using language that suits his or her ideas and purpose in wriitng |
| symbol | a word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else |
| symbolism | the use of a concrete image to express an emotion or an abstract idea |
| theme | a main idea or central idea that may be stated directly or indirectly |
| tone | the reflections of an author's attitude toward the topic and the audience as suggested by his or her word choices and stylistic effors |
| assonance | the repetition of a vowel sound in words |
| consonance | the repetition of final consonant sounds |
| alliteration | the repetition of the beginning sounds of two or more neighboring words |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech in which subject exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect |
| synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, or vice versa; the specific for the general, or vice versa; or the material for the thing made from it |
| irony | the direct opposite of what is said or done |
| onomatopoeia | sounds associated with an object |
| personification | to give inanimate objects human feelings and attributes |
| adjective | word that describes somebody or something. |
| adverb | a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It tells "how, when, where, why, how often, and how much." There are 4 classifications: time, place, manner, and degree. |
| adverbial phrase | a phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Infinitive or prepositional phrases can be used as adverbial phrases. |
| gerund | verb form that ends in -ing and is used as a noun. |
| grammar | the study of the structure and features of a language. |
| plot | the story line |
| setting | time and place in a story |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| style | writers way of writing |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) |
| symbolism | uses something to represent something else |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| satire | writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, social convention |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work to make the writing stronger |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| rhyme scheme | the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| setting | time and place |
| protagonist | main character with problem |
| antagonist | protagonist's problem |
| plot | events in a story |
| climax | point of greatest emotion in story |
| denouement | conclusion,resolution |
| rising action | complications |
| exposition | beginning of plot |
| initial incident of conflict | narrative hook |
| dynamic character | character who changes dramatically |
| irony | opposite happens of what is expected |
| pun | play on words |
| allusion | making reference to another work of art |
| foreshadowing | hints of things to come |
| flashback | interrupts chronological plot |
| static character | character doesn't change |
| theme | author's message |
| mood | atmosphere a work creates |
| tone | author's attitude |
| point of view | 1st, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| character | person or animal that takes part in a literary work |
| dynamic | a character who changes |
| static | a character who does not change |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| plot | sequence of events |
| exposition | background;intro of characters |
| climax | point of highest interest or suspense |
| resolution | outcome, result |
| flashback | interruption of action to go to past |
| irony | a contradiction;strange twist |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| shock of recognition | seeing yourself in a situation or a character |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| plot | the structure of a story |
| connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of word or phrase apart from the explicit meaning |
| denotation | the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word |
| figurative language | language enriched by word images and figures of speech |
| thesis | a statement or idea |
| grammar | the study of the structure and features of a language. |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| litotes | Bill Gates is rather well-off |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| synecdoche | "Have you got your wheels, man?" |
| conceit | "My compass love for you is true." |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| antithesis | "Wretches hang that jury-men may dine." |
| apostrophe | "Goodbye, cruel world." |
| metonymy | "The White House has responded to the criticism." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| parallelism | "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer,/ When the proofs, the figures were ranged before me." |
| SEMICOLON | USED TO SEPARATE TWO INDEPENDANT CLAUSES THAT ARE RELATED. |
| PERIOD | USED AT THE END OF A SENTENCE |
| COLON | OFTEN USED BEFORE A LIST |
| QUOTATION MARKS | USED AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A QUOTE |
| To avoid confusion, use _____ to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more. | COMMAS |
| I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous about this. | Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt the flow of the sentence. |
| If you are not sure about this, let me know now. | When starting a sentence with a weak clause, use a comma after it. |
| If something or someone is sufficiently identified, the description following it is considered nonessential and should be surrounded by commas. | Freddy, who has a limp, was in an auto accident. |
| Use a comma to separate two strong clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction-and, or, but, for, nor. | I have painted the entire house, but he is still working on sanding the doors. |
| Use commas surrounding words such as therefore and however when they are used as interruptors. | I would be happy, however, to volunteer for the Red Cross. |
| Use a semicolon in place of a period to separate two sentences where the conjunction has been left out. | Call me tomorrow; I will give you my answer then. |
| Use the semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. | This conference has people who have come from Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles, California; and Nashville, Tennessee. |
| Use the apostrophe with contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed. | don't, isn't |
| Use the apostrophe to show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession. | one boy's hat |
| To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe. | two boys' hats |
| noun | A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. |
| common noun | A word that names an ordinary noun. |
| proper noun | A word that names a specific noun. |
| pronoun | A word that takes the place of a noun. |
| adjective | A word that modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. |
| adverb | A word that modifies (describes) a verb, adjective, or adverb. |
| verb | A word that shows action or state of being. |
| helping verb | A word that helps the main verb. |
| linking verb | A word that links the subject to a noun, pronoun, or adjective in the predicate. |
| preposition | A word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence. |
| conjunction | A word that joins words or groups of words. |
| article | The adjectives A, AN, THE. |
| interjection | An exclamatory word that expresses emotion. It stands alone - away from the rest of the sentence. |
| adjective | Answers the questions: What kind? Which one? How many? |
| adverb | Answers the questions: How? When? Where? To what degree or extent? |
| plot | the story line |
| setting | time and place in a story |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| style | writers way of writing |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) |
| symbolism | uses something to represent something else |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| satire | writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, social convention |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work to make the writing stronger |
| inference | a guess of what can be |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| rhyme scheme | the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| dynamic character | the character that changes (Scrooge) |
| static character | the character that does not change |
| setting | time and place |
| protagonist | main character with problem |
| antagonist | protagonist's problem |
| plot | events in a story |
| climax | point of greatest emotion in story |
| denouement | conclusion,resolution |
| rising action | complications |
| exposition | beginning of plot |
| irony | opposite happens of what is expected |
| pun | play on words |
| allusion | making reference to another work of art |
| flashback | interrupts chronological plot |
| tone | author's attitude |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of word or phrase apart from the explicit meaning |
| denotation | the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word |
| figurative language | language enriched by word images and figures of speech |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes an implied comparison |
| mood | emotional state expressed in a literary work |
| onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which the sound of a word reflects its sense or meaning |
| style | an author's distinctive manner of using language that suits his or her ideas and purpose in wriitng |
| symbol | a word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else |
| symbolism | the use of a concrete image to express an emotion or an abstract idea |
| theme | a main idea or central idea that may be stated directly or indirectly |
| assonance | the repetition of a vowel sound in words |
| consonance | the repetition of final consonant sounds |
| alliteration | the repetition of the beginning sounds of two or more neighboring words |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech in which subject exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect |
| synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, or vice versa; the specific for the general, or vice versa; or the material for the thing made from it |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| synecdoche | "Have you got your wheels, man?" |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| apostrophe | "Goodbye, cruel world." |
| metonymy | "The White House has responded to the criticism." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| parallelism | "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer,/ When the proofs, the figures were ranged before me." |
| simile | A comparison between two distinctly different things, using the word "like" or "as" |
| personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| plot | The events or main story in a literary work |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| characters | The people or animals in a work of fiction or drama |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| setting | The time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ALLUSION | "He met his Nemesis." |
| ANTITHESIS | "To be or not to be..." |
| APOSTROPHE | "Ah, Muse! Inspire this poor blind poet to glory..." |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| character | person or animal that takes part in a literary work |
| dynamic | a character who changes |
| static | a character who does not change |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| plot | sequence of events |
| exposition | background;intro of characters |
| climax | point of highest interest or suspense |
| resolution | outcome, result |
| flashback | interruption of action to go to past |
| irony | a contradiction;strange twist |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| aside | a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing a character's thoughts |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| autobiography | form on nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story |
| biography | form on nonfiction in which a writer tellst he life story of another person |
| blank verse | poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines |
| character | a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| characterization | the act of creating and developing a character |
| direct characterization | the author directly states a character's traits |
| indirect characterization | an author tells what a character looks like, does, and says, and how other characters react to him |
| round character | shows many different traits--faults as well as virtues |
| flat character | we see only one side of a character |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| climax | the high point of interest or supsense in a story, novel, or play |
| conflict | a sturggle between opposing forces |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| connotation | the set of ideas associeated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning |
| couplet | a pair of rhyming lines usually of the sme lenght and meter |
| denotation | a words dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have |
| dialcect | from of language spoken by people in a particular region or group |
| dialogue | a conversaation between characters |
| diction | word choice |
| drama | a story written to be performed by actors |
| dramatic poetry | poetry that utilizes the techniques of drama |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| epic simile (Homeric simile) | an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects |
| essay | a short nongiction work about a particular subject |
| exposition | the part of the work that introduces the cahracters, the setting, and the basic situation |
| fantasy | a highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life |
| fiction | prose writing that tells about imagninary charactes and events |
| figurative language | writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally |
| foreshadowing | the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur |
| free verse | poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter |
| genre | category or type of literature |
| haiku | a three-line verse form. 5-7-5 syllables |
| image | a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses |
| imagery | the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader |
| verbal irony | words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant |
| dramatic irony | there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true |
| irony of situation | an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters |
| lyric poem | a highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else |
| meter | a poem's rhythmical patter |
| monologue | a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| mood | the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage |
| moral | a lesson taught by a literary work |
| motivation | a reason that explains or partially explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way |
| myth | a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena |
| narration | writing that tells a story |
| narrative | a story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama |
| narrative poem | a poem that tells a story |
| narrator | a speaker or character who tells a story |
| nonfiction | prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events |
| novel | a long work of fiction |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words that imitate sounds |
| oral tradition | passing of songs, stories, and poems from generation to generation by word of mouth |
| personification | a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics |
| persuasion | writing or speech that attempts to convice the reader to adopt a particular opinion or course of action |
| plot | the sequence of events in a literary work |
| poetry | one of the three major types of literature, the others being prose and drama |
| prose | the ordinary form of written language |
| quatrain | a stanza or poem made up of four lines, usually with a definite rhythm and rhyme scheme |
| repetition | the use of any element of language--a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence--more than once |
| rhyme | the repetition of sounds at the ends of words |
| rhyme scheme | a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| rhythm | the patter of beats, or stresses, in spoken or written language |
| science fiction | writing that tells about imagninary events that involve science or technology |
| setting | the timeand place of the action |
| short story | a brief work of fiction |
| simile | a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two basically unlike ideas |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| speaker | the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem |
| stage directions | notes included in a drama to describe how the work is to be performed or staged |
| stanza | a formal division of lines ina poem, considered as a unit |
| suspense | a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about eh outcome of events in a literary work |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else |
| theme | a central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work |
| tone | the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject of a literary work |
| tragedy | a work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe for the main character |
| Nouns | name persons, places, things, or ideas |
| Pronouns | take the place of nouns |
| Adjectives | describe or modify nouns or pronouns |
| Verbs | express action or being |
| Adverbs | describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs |
| Conjunctions | join words or groups of words |
| Prepositions | relate nouns or pronouns to other words in a sentences |
| Interjections | express emotion or feeling |
| proper noun | Harry Potter |
| adjective | scary |
| adverb | suddenly |
| common noun | homework |
| pronoun | it |
| action verb | leap |
| preposition | in |
| conjunction | and |
| interjection | wow |
| article/adjective | the |
| Narrative Poem | A verse that tells a story |
| Dramatic Poem | A verse that relies heavily on dramatic elements such as monologue or dialogue |
| Sonnet | A fourteen line poem that follows one of a number of different rhyme themes |
| Ode | A lofty lyric poem on a serious theme |
| Monologue | One person speaking |
| Dialogue | More than one person speaking |
| Free Verse | Poetry that avoids use of regular rhyme, rhythm, meter, or division into stanzas |
| Lyric Poem | A highly musical verse that expresses the emotions of a speaker |
| Stanza | A group of lines in a poem |
| End Rhyme | Rhyming words at the end of lines |
| Internal Rhyme | Rhyming words within lines |
| Slant Rhyme | Half rhyme, near rhyme, or off rhyme is the substitution of assonance or consonance for true rhyme |
| Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| Consonance | A kind of slant rhyme in which the ending consonant sounds of two words match, but the preceding vowel sound does not |
| Assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with different consonant sounds |
| Onomatopoeia | The use of words or phrases that sound like the things to which they refer (ex: click, snap, and pow) |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another |
| Simile | A comparison using like or as |
| Quatrain | Four lines |
| Rhythm | The pattern of beats or stresses in a line of verse or prose |
| Prose | Broad term used to describe all writing that is not drama or poetry |
| connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of word or phrase apart from the explicit meaning |
| denotation | the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word |
| figurative language | language enriched by word images and figures of speech |
| literary devices | rhetorical elements used to create a desired mood ortone in a piece of writing |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes an implied comparison |
| mood | emotional state expressed in a literary work |
| personification | metaphorical figure of speech in which the a nunhuman is given human qualities |
| simile | a comparison of two dissimilar things, using comparison words |
| onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which the sound of a word reflects its sense or meaning |
| style | an author's distinctive manner of using language that suits his or her ideas and purpose in wriitng |
| symbol | a word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else |
| symbolism | the use of a concrete image to express an emotion or an abstract idea |
| theme | a main idea or central idea that may be stated directly or indirectly |
| tone | the reflections of an author's attitude toward the topic and the audience as suggested by his or her word choices and stylistic effors |
| voice | the expression of an author's self or identity as relected in sentence construction or word choices |
| assonance | the repetition of a vowel sound in words |
| consonance | the repetition of final consonant sounds |
| alliteration | the repetition of the beginning sounds of two or more neighboring words |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech in which subject exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect |
| synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, or vice versa; the specific for the general, or vice versa; or the material for the thing made from it |
| sit | to rest in an upright, sitting position |
| set | to put or place (something) |
| lie | to rest in a reclining position |
| lay | like set; it means to put something down |
| rise | to go up or to get up |
| raise | to lift up or to cause to go up |
| , comma | to make smaller breaks within a sentence, e.g after a clause or a joining word |
| ! exclamation mark | to indicate strong feelings, e.g. surprise, anger, indignation |
| ? question mark | to end a question |
| ; semi-colon | to make a break in a long sentence, which is longer than a comma and shorter than a full stop |
| : colon | before a list |
| - hyphen | to join two words to make a new word |
| 's apostrophe 'S' | to show that something belongs to somebody or to show 2 words have been put together |
| " " speech marke, or quotation marks | to show which words were spoken |
| adjective | exhausted |
| conjunction | because |
| noun | students |
| pronoun | they |
| exhausted | adjective |
| verb | snored |
| adverb | loudly |
| article | The |
| preposition | during |
| object of preposition | class |
| adverb | late |
| possessive pronoun | their |
| noun | milkshakes |
| verb | snored |
| noun- subject of sentence | students |
| adverb phrase (when) | the night before |
| semicolon | used like a period |
| apostrophe | used to show possession |
| colon | used before a list |
| alliteration | pink panther |
| assonance | how now |
| simile | You are as angry as a bee. |
| onomatopoeia | The crackling fire was cozy. |
| metaphor | You are the sunshine of my life. |
| plot | the story line |
| setting | time and place in a story |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| style | writers way of writing |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) |
| symbolism | uses something to represent something else |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work to make the writing stronger |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| passive | when the subject receives the action of a verb |
| adjective | word that describes somebody or something. |
| adverb | a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It tells "how, when, where, why, how often, and how much." There are 4 classifications: time, place, manner, and degree. |
| clause | group of related words that has both a subject and a predicate. |
| gerund | verb form that ends in -ing and is used as a noun. |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| dynamic | a character who changes |
| static | a character who does not change |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| plot | sequence of events |
| exposition | background;intro of characters |
| resolution | outcome, result |
| speech delivered by a character who is alone onstage | soliloquy |
| a type of story that portrays the fall of a noble personusually due to a tragic weakness or flaw in his/her character | tragedy |
| the protagonist in a tragedy who suffers a downfall due to a fatal flaw | tragic hero |
| a speech or performance given entirely by one person or one character | monologue |
| a metrical pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables common in poetry and in Shakespearean plays. contains 10 syllable per line | iambic pentameter |
| literature meant to be performed onstage | drama |
| a lighter form of drama; the purpose is to amuse and it usually has a happy ending | comedy |
| a play on word | puns |
| a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter | sonnet |
| an essential element of Greek dramas; a group of people who speak in a collective voice often restating the action of the play | chorus |
| The sequence of events in a story | plot |
| Poems that tell a story | narrative poems |
| A story that involves the reader in guessing who committed the crime or deed | mystery |
| Prose that explains ideas or is about real events | nonfiction |
| A story about a person written by that person | autobiography |
| An author's account or story of another person's life | biography |
| A Japanese form of poetry with three lines of 17 syllables | haiku |
| Poetry that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker | lyric |
| when character gets what he deserves | poetic justice |
| The part of the story that grabs the reader's attention | narrative hook |
| High point in a story; the point of no return | climax |
| The part of a story or play that explains the background or makes conflict clear | exposition |
| The action that takes place in the story after the climax | falling action |
| repetition of the beginning consonant sound | alliteration |
| the speaker or writer's attitude toward the subject of the work | tone |
| a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman hero | epic |
| reference to something outside of the work | allusion |
| when a character has a problem with an element of society | person vs. society |
| a word or phrase used in place of a person's name to help characterize that person | epithet |
| prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events | fiction |
| a person or thing who opposes the protagonist | antagonist |
| the writer says one thing and means another | verbal irony |
| when a story's sequence is interrupted and a character goes back to an earlier time | flashback |
| repetition of the internal vowel sound | assonance |
| when a character struggles against some outside force | external conflict |
| conflict that exists within a character | internal conflict |
| the use of clues that suggest events yet to come | foreshadowing |
| the way an author reveals his characters | characterization |
| a French word meaning form or type | genre |
| the repetition of consonant sounds inside words or at the ends of words | consonance |
| a word or phrase that is overused | cliche |
| the feeling a work of literature evokes in the reader | mood |
| a character whose actions are inspiring or noble and who overcomes difficulty | hero |
| all the emotions or feelings a word arouses | connotation |
| a character who stays the same | static character |
| a recurring and familiar pattern in literature like a journey or a wise old man | archetype |
| the dictionary definition of a word | imagery |
| when something is different than it is supposed to be or thought to be | irony |
| comparison of two unlike things without using like or as | metaphor |
| time and place of a literary work | setting |
| a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as | simile |
| an author's unique way of writing that involves word choice and sentence patterns | style |
| central truth or idea | theme |
| a fictional tale that explains the actions or gods or heroes | myth |
| words that imitate sounds | onmatopoeia |
| A conversation between at least two characters | dialogue |
| Instructions for staging a play | stage directions |
| In the middle of things | in medias res |
| When a characters words are heard by the audience but not by the other characters onstage | aside |
| An author's assumed or fake name | pseudonym |
| An extended comparison that compares a heroic event to some everyday occurrence using the words like or as | epic simile |
| Lovely lilting lines of like letters. | alliteration |
| An extreme exaggeration | hyperbole |
| Jumbo shrimp | oxymoron |
| She is the star in my sky. | alliteration and metaphor |
| When a character struggles with another character. | person vs. person conflict |
| The trees whispered in the breeze. | assonance and personification |
| The perspective from which a story is told | point of view |
| When the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events of the story but who reveals only one character's thoughts | third person |
| When the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events by who knows and reveals all the character's thoughts and feelings | omniscient |
| a character with only one personality trait | flat character |
| poem which tells the story of a person from the past and is often set to music | ballas |
| a character who changes | dynamic character |
| a character with more than one personality trait | round character |
| a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth | paradox |
| rhyming words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry | end rhyme |
| stories that center upon or incorporate some historical event | historical fiction |
| Metaphor | creation of an image with no like or as |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| apostrophe | "Goodbye, cruel world." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| VERBAL IRONY | As I fell down the stairs headfirst, I heard her say, "Look at that coordination!" |
| SITUATIONAL IRONY | The cobbler's children go barefoot because they have no shoes. |
| DRAMATIC IRONY | Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius, not realizing that he is cursing himself. |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PARADOX | "Much madness is divinest sense." |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| PUN | Mercutio with his dying breath: "Look for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man." |
| SARCASM | "It's easy to quit smoking--I've done it many times." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| simile | A comparison between two distinctly different things, using the word "like" or "as" |
| personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| plot | The events or main story in a literary work |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| characters | The people or animals in a work of fiction or drama |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| setting | The time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| plot | the structure of a story |
| aside | a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing a character's thoughts |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| autobiography | form on nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story |
| blank verse | poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines |
| character | a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| characterization | the act of creating and developing a character |
| direct characterization | the author directly states a character's traits |
| indirect characterization | an author tells what a character looks like, does, and says, and how other characters react to him |
| round character | shows many different traits--faults as well as virtues |
| flat character | we see only one side of a character |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| climax | the high point of interest or supsense in a story, novel, or play |
| conflict | a sturggle between opposing forces |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| connotation | the set of ideas associeated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning |
| couplet | a pair of rhyming lines usually of the sme lenght and meter |
| denotation | a words dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have |
| dialcect | from of language spoken by people in a particular region or group |
| dialogue | a conversaation between characters |
| diction | word choice |
| drama | a story written to be performed by actors |
| dramatic poetry | poetry that utilizes the techniques of drama |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| epic simile (Homeric simile) | an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects |
| essay | a short nonfiction work about a particular subject |
| exposition | the part of the work that introduces the cahracters, the setting, and the basic situation |
| fantasy | a highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life |
| fiction | prose writing that tells about imagninary charactes and events |
| figurative language | writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally |
| foreshadowing | the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur |
| free verse | poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter |
| genre | category or type of literature |
| haiku | a three-line verse form. 5-7-5 syllables |
| image | a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses |
| imagery | the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader |
| verbal irony | words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant |
| dramatic irony | there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true |
| irony of situation | an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters |
| lyric poem | a highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else |
| meter | a poem's rhythmical patter |
| monologue | a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| mood | the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage |
| myth | a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena |
| narration | writing that tells a story |
| narrative | a story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama |
| narrative poem | a poem that tells a story |
| narrator | a speaker or character who tells a story |
| nonfiction | prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events |
| novel | a long work of fiction |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words that imitate sounds |
| personification | a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics |
| persuasion | writing or speech that attempts to convice the reader to adopt a particular opinion or course of action |
| plot | the sequence of events in a literary work |
| poetry | one of the three major types of literature, the others being prose and drama |
| prose | the ordinary form of written language |
| quatrain | a stanza or poem made up of four lines, usually with a definite rhythm and rhyme scheme |
| repetition | the use of any element of language--a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence--more than once |
| rhyme | the repetition of sounds at the ends of words |
| rhyme scheme | a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| rhythm | the patter of beats, or stresses, in spoken or written language |
| science fiction | writing that tells about imagninary events that involve science or technology |
| setting | the timeand place of the action |
| short story | a brief work of fiction |
| simile | a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two basically unlike ideas |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| tone | the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject of a literary work |
| tragedy | a work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe for the main character |
| exaggeration | stretching of the truth |
| action verb | a word that shows action |
| adjective | describes a noun or a pronoun |
| adverb | describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb |
| anecdote | a short story about someone |
| antonyms | opposite words |
| character | a person, animal, or creature in a story |
| conjunction | a word that joins other words |
| context clue | helps a reader find the meaning of an unkown word |
| future tense | shows an action that will happen in the future |
| haiku | a Japanese verse form |
| interjection | expresses strong feeling or emotion |
| interrogative sentence | asks a question |
| linking verb | connects the subject and the predicate |
| main verb | most important word in the predicate |
| metaphor | compares two things by saying one thing is the other |
| noun | a person, a place, a thing or an idea |
| part of speech | tells how a word is used in a sentence |
| plot | series of events in a story itne order in which they happen |
| plural noun | more than one person, place, or thing |
| possessive noun | shows ownership |
| posseive pronoun | my, your, his, her, its, our, and their |
| preposition | relates the noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence |
| pronoun | a word that takes the place of a noun |
| proper noun | names a particular person, place, or thing |
| alliteration | repetition of an initial consonant sound |
| personification | giving life to inanimate objects |
| onomatopoeia | words that sound like what they mean |
| apostrophe | a direct address to a person or thing as if it were alive and present |
| simile | comparing two dissimilar objects using like or as |
| metaphor | an implied comparison between two dissimilar things whereby one object becomes the other |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration |
| irony | when the outcome is the opposite of what is expected |
| oxymoron | a contradiction of terms |
| synedoche | part for the whole |
| the feelings a word arouses | connotation |
| how now brown cow | assonance |
| She sells sea shells. | alliteration |
| repetition of internal consonant sounds | consonance |
| extreme exaggeration | hyperbole |
| when a character says one thing but means another | verbal irony |
| when the audience knows more than the character | dramatic irony |
| normal everyday writing in sentences | prose |
| the language of poetry | verse |
| repetition of grammatical structure | parallelism |
| a long prose narrative | novel |
| punctuation mark used in a contraction or to show possession | apostrophe |
| used after an introductory clause | comma |
| when a character gets what he deserves | poetic justice |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike objects; USES LIKE or AS |
| hyperbole | a large exaggeration |
| personification | giving an non-human thing human qualities |
| onomatopoeia | words that sound like their meaning |
| alliteration | a series of words that begin with the same letter |
| idiom | a common expression used to mean something else |
| alliteration | Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. |
| literal language | means exactly what it says |
| metaphor | Your eyes are diamonds. |
| simile | Your eyes are like diamonds. |
| hyperbole | There were a thousand people at my party. |
| onomatopoeia | We watched the BLIP on the computer monitor. |
| personification | The stars reached down from the sky. |
| metaphor | a comparison of two unlike objects;does NOT use LIKE or AS |
| comma | punctuation mark used to separate items in a series |
| denotation | dictionary definition |
| colon | punctuation mark used before a list |
| omniscient | the narrator knows all the characters' thoughts |
| first person | uses the pronoun I |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| exposition | explains background and makes conflict clear |
| mood | the feelings evoked in the reader |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| parallelism | "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer,/ When the proofs, the figures were ranged before me." |
| noun | A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. |
| common noun | A word that names an ordinary noun. |
| proper noun | A word that names a specific noun. |
| pronoun | A word that takes the place of a noun. |
| adjective | A word that modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun. |
| adverb | A word that modifies (describes) a verb, adjective, or adverb. |
| verb | A word that shows action or state of being. |
| preposition | A word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence. |
| conjunction | A word that joins words or groups of words. |
| article | The adjectives A, AN, THE. |
| interjection | An exclamatory word that expresses emotion. It stands alone - away from the rest of the sentence. |
| adjective | Answers the questions: What kind? Which one? How many? |
| adverb | Answers the questions: How? When? Where? To what degree or extent? |
| plot | the story line |
| setting | time and place in a story |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| style | writers way of writing |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) |
| symbolism | uses something to represent something else |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| satire | writing that ridicules or criticizes individuals, ideas, social convention |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work to make the writing stronger |
| inference | a guess of what can be |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| rhyme scheme | the regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| dynamic character | the character that changes (Scrooge) |
| static character | the character that does not change |
| setting | time and place |
| protagonist | main character with problem |
| antagonist | protagonist's problem |
| plot | events in a story |
| climax | point of greatest emotion in story |
| denouement | conclusion,resolution |
| rising action | complications |
| exposition | beginning of plot |
| irony | opposite happens of what is expected |
| pun | play on words |
| allusion | making reference to another work of art |
| flashback | interrupts chronological plot |
| tone | author's attitude |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of word or phrase apart from the explicit meaning |
| denotation | the literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word |
| figurative language | language enriched by word images and figures of speech |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes an implied comparison |
| mood | emotional state expressed in a literary work |
| onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which the sound of a word reflects its sense or meaning |
| style | an author's distinctive manner of using language that suits his or her ideas and purpose in wriitng |
| symbol | a word or set of words that signifies an object or event which itself signifies something else |
| symbolism | the use of a concrete image to express an emotion or an abstract idea |
| theme | a main idea or central idea that may be stated directly or indirectly |
| assonance | the repetition of a vowel sound in words |
| consonance | the repetition of final consonant sounds |
| alliteration | the repetition of the beginning sounds of two or more neighboring words |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech in which subject exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect |
| synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, or vice versa; the specific for the general, or vice versa; or the material for the thing made from it |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| synecdoche | "Have you got your wheels, man?" |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| apostrophe | "Goodbye, cruel world." |
| metonymy | "The White House has responded to the criticism." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| parallelism | "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer,/ When the proofs, the figures were ranged before me." |
| simile | A comparison between two distinctly different things, using the word "like" or "as" |
| personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| plot | The events or main story in a literary work |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| characters | The people or animals in a work of fiction or drama |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| setting | The time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| alliteration | repetition of the first letters of words |
| hyperbole | exaggeration |
| personification | giving human qualities to something that is not |
| metaphor | comparison with a hidden meaning |
| simile | comparison using "like" or "as" |
| symbolism | a word,thing or picture that represents something else |
| foreshadowing | clues in a story about what will happen later |
| irony | meaning one thing but saying the opposite |
| onomatopeia | a word that imitates the sound |
| paradox | a statement that has a conflicting meaning |
| sarcasm | a hurtful remark |
| satire | use of irony to mock a custom, habit or idea that seems silly |
| oxymoron | a statement that contains contradictory terms |
| simile | A comparison between two distinctly different things, using the word "like" or "as" |
| personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| plot | The events or main story in a literary work |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| characters | The people or animals in a work of fiction or drama |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| setting | The time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of syllables as in Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers |
| assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end in different consonant sounds as in lime light |
| central conflict | the main struggle or problem in the plot of a poem, story or play |
| character | a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| characterization | the act of creating or describing a character, by showing what they say, do and think, showing what other characters say about them, and by showing what physical features, dress and personality they display |
| climax | the point of highest interest and suspense in a literary work. It sometimes signals the turning point of the action in a story or play |
| coming-of-age story | a tale in which a young person makes a discovery about himself or herself or about the world. It also allows different generations to learn about each other |
| concrete poem | a poem with a shape that suggests its subject |
| dialogue | conversation involving two or more people or characters |
| epic | a long story., often told in verse, that tells of a culture's heroes and gods |
| external conflict | a struggle that takes place between a character and something outside that character such as another character, society or nature |
| first person | narrator (person telling the story) takes part in the action and refers to himself or herself using words such as I and we |
| foreshadowing | the act of hinting at events that will happen later in a literary work |
| image | language that creates a concrete representation of an object or an experience |
| imagery | the images in a poem or passage considered all together |
| inciting incident | the event that introduces the central conflict or struggle, in a poem, story, or play |
| internal conflict | a struggle that takes place inside the mind of the character |
| irony | a difference between appearance and reality, an event that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience of a literary work |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that is spoken or written about as if it were another |
| mood | the feeling or emotion that the writer creates in a literary |
| myth | a story that explains the beginning of things or events in the natural world. These objects are explained as being caused by some supernatural force or being, often a god. |
| narrative poem | a verse that tells a story |
| novella | a work of fiction shorter than a novel but longer that a short story |
| one-dimensional character | flat character who reveals only one quality or character trait |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words or phrases like meow or beep that sound like what they name |
| personification | a figure of speech in which something not human is described as if it were human |
| repetition | more than one use of a sound, word, or group of words |
| resolution | the point in a poem, story, or play at which the central conflict or struggle ends |
| rhythm | the pattern of beats in a line poetry or prose |
| setting | the time and place in which a literary work happens |
| simile | a comparison using like or as |
| stress | the amount of emphasis given to a syllable |
| symbol | a thing that stands for or represents both itself and something else |
| tag lines | a phrase like she said used in a story to tell who is speaking |
| theme | a central idea in a literary work |
| third person point of view | in a story, when the narrator does not take part in the action and tells the story using words such as he and she and avoiding the use of I and we |
| three-dimensional character | a character who seems to have all the complexities of an actual human being |
| allusion | reference to a person, literary work, or work of art |
| character | person or animal that takes part in a literary work |
| dynamic | a character who changes |
| static | a character who does not change |
| dialogue | conversation of two |
| monologue | conversation |
| soliloquy | long speech by a character who is alone |
| plot | sequence of events |
| exposition | background;intro of characters |
| climax | point of highest interest or suspense |
| resolution | outcome, result |
| flashback | interruption of action to go to past |
| irony | a contradiction;strange twist |
| dramatic irony | contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows |
| symbol | an object that has extended meaning |
| shock of recognition | seeing yourself in a situation or a character |
| theme | central message, purpose, or concern of a literary work |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| plot | the structure of a story |
| speech delivered by a character who is alone onstage | soliloquy |
| a type of story that portrays the fall of a noble personusually due to a tragic weakness or flaw in his/her character | tragedy |
| the protagonist in a tragedy who suffers a downfall due to a fatal flaw | tragic hero |
| a speech or performance given entirely by one person or one character | monologue |
| a metrical pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables common in poetry and in Shakespearean plays. contains 10 syllable per line | iambic pentameter |
| literature meant to be performed onstage | drama |
| a lighter form of drama; the purpose is to amuse and it usually has a happy ending | comedy |
| a play on word | puns |
| a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter | sonnet |
| an essential element of Greek dramas; a group of people who speak in a collective voice often restating the action of the play | chorus |
| The sequence of events in a story | plot |
| Poems that tell a story | narrative poems |
| A story that involves the reader in guessing who committed the crime or deed | mystery |
| Prose that explains ideas or is about real events | nonfiction |
| A story about a person written by that person | autobiography |
| An author's account or story of another person's life | biography |
| A Japanese form of poetry with three lines of 17 syllables | haiki |
| Poetry that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker | lyric |
| when character gets what he deserves | poetic justice |
| The part of the story that grabs the reader's attention | narrative hook |
| High point in a story; the point of no return | climax |
| The part of a story or play that explains the background or makes conflict clear | exposition |
| The action that takes place in the story after the climax | falling action |
| repetition of the beginning consonant sound | alliteration |
| the speaker or writer's attitude toward the subject of the work | tone |
| a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman hero | epic |
| reference to something outside of the work | allusion |
| when a character has a problem with an element of society | person vs. society |
| a word or phrase used in place of a person's name to help characterize that person | epithet |
| prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events | fiction |
| a person or thing who opposes the protagonist | antagonist |
| the writer says one thing and means another | verbal irony |
| when a story's sequence is interrupted and a character goes back to an earlier time | flashback |
| repetition of the internal vowel sound | assonance |
| when a character struggles against some outside force | external conflict |
| conflict that exists within a character | internal conflict |
| the use of clues that suggest events yet to come | foreshadowing |
| the way an author reveals his characters | characterization |
| a French word meaning form or type | genre |
| the repetition of consonant sounds inside words or at the ends of words | consonance |
| a word or phrase that is overused | cliche |
| the feeling a work of literature evokes in the reader | mood |
| a character whose actions are inspiring or noble and who overcomes difficulty | hero |
| all the emotions or feelings a word arouses | connotation |
| a character who stays the same | static character |
| a recurring and familiar pattern in literature like a journey or a wise old man | archetype |
| the dictionary definition of a word | imagery |
| when something is different than it is supposed to be or thought to be | irony |
| comparison of two unlike things without using like or as | metaphor |
| time and place of a literary work | setting |
| a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as | simile |
| an author's unique way of writing that involves word choice and sentence patterns | style |
| central truth or idea | theme |
| a fictional tale that explains the actions or gods or heroes | myth |
| words that imitate sounds | onmatopoeia |
| A conversation between at least two characters | dialogue |
| Instructions for staging a play | stage directions |
| In the middle of things | in medias res |
| When a characters words are heard by the audience but not by the other characters onstage | aside |
| An author's assumed or fake name | pseudonym |
| An almost superhuman character that represents the values of an entire nation or culture--He is also clever | strong and brave. |
| An extended comparison that compares a heroic event to some everyday occurrence using the words like or as | epic simile |
| Lovely lilting lines of like letters. | alliteration |
| An extreme exaggeration | hyperbole |
| Jumbo shrimp | oxymoron |
| She is the star in my sky. | alliteration and metaphor |
| When a character struggles with another character. | person vs. person conflict |
| The trees whispered in the breeze. | assonance and personification |
| The perspective from which a story is told | point of view |
| When the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events of the story but who reveals only one character's thoughts | third person |
| When the story is told from the perspective of someone outside of the events by who knows and reveals all the character's thoughts and feelings | omniscient |
| a character with only one personality trait | flat character |
| poem which tells the story of a person from the past and is often set to music | ballas |
| a character who changes | dynamic character |
| a character with more than one personality trait | round character |
| a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth | paradox |
| rhyming words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry | end rhyme |
| stories that center upon or incorporate some historical event | historical fiction |
| Metaphor | creation of an image with no like or as |
| Simile | creation of an image with like or as |
| Apostrophe | direct address of person or thing |
| Alliteration | repetition of consonants |
| Assonance | rhyming or harmony of vowels |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Climax | high point |
| Puns | play on words |
| Personification | give inanimate object human characteristics |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| Irony | use of a word to convey opposite meaning |
| Oxymoron | a linking of an adjective and noun which contradict each other |
| Paradox | a contradictory situation |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| allusion | "My boyfriend dances like King Kong." |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| apostrophe | "Goodbye, cruel world." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| parallelism | "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer,/ When the proofs, the figures were ranged before me." |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ALLUSION | "He met his Nemesis." |
| APOSTROPHE | "Ah, Muse! Inspire this poor blind poet to glory..." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| VERBAL IRONY | As I fell down the stairs headfirst, I heard her say, "Look at that coordination!" |
| SITUATIONAL IRONY | The cobbler's children go barefoot because they have no shoes. |
| DRAMATIC IRONY | Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius, not realizing that he is cursing himself. |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PARADOX | "Much madness is divinest sense." |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| PUN | Mercutio with his dying breath: "Look for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man." |
| SARCASM | "It's easy to quit smoking--I've done it many times." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| simile | A comparison between two distinctly different things, using the word "like" or "as" |
| personification | A figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| fiction | A literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| fantasy | Imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters; things happen that can not happen in real life |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| autobiography | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| plot | The events or main story in a literary work |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| resolution | The last part of the story when the characters’ problems are solved and the story ends |
| characters | The people or animals in a work of fiction or drama |
| narrator | The person who tells the story |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| setting | The time and place in which the events of a work of literature take place |
| dialect | The way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain geographical area or a certain group of people |
| nonfiction | Writing that deals with real people, things, events, or places |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Metaphor | making a direct comparison |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| plot | the structure of a story |
| aside | a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing a character's thoughts |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| autobiography | form on nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story |
| blank verse | poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines |
| character | a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| characterization | the act of creating and developing a character |
| direct characterization | the author directly states a character's traits |
| indirect characterization | an author tells what a character looks like, does, and says, and how other characters react to him |
| round character | shows many different traits--faults as well as virtues |
| flat character | we see only one side of a character |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| climax | the high point of interest or supsense in a story, novel, or play |
| conflict | a sturggle between opposing forces |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| connotation | the set of ideas associeated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning |
| couplet | a pair of rhyming lines usually of the sme lenght and meter |
| denotation | a words dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have |
| dialcect | from of language spoken by people in a particular region or group |
| dialogue | a conversaation between characters |
| diction | word choice |
| drama | a story written to be performed by actors |
| dramatic poetry | poetry that utilizes the techniques of drama |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| epic simile (Homeric simile) | an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects |
| essay | a short nongiction work about a particular subject |
| exposition | the part of the work that introduces the cahracters, the setting, and the basic situation |
| fantasy | a highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life |
| fiction | prose writing that tells about imagninary charactes and events |
| figurative language | writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally |
| foreshadowing | the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur |
| free verse | poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter |
| genre | category or type of literature |
| haiku | a three-line verse form. 5-7-5 syllables |
| image | a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses |
| imagery | the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader |
| verbal irony | words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant |
| dramatic irony | there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true |
| irony of situation | an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters |
| lyric poem | a highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else |
| meter | a poem's rhythmical patter |
| monologue | a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| mood | the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage |
| motivation | a reason that explains or partially explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way |
| myth | a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena |
| narrative | a story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama |
| narrative poem | a poem that tells a story |
| narrator | a speaker or character who tells a story |
| nonfiction | prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects, or events |
| novel | a long work of fiction |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words that imitate sounds |
| personification | a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics |
| persuasion | writing or speech that attempts to convice the reader to adopt a particular opinion or course of action |
| plot | the sequence of events in a literary work |
| poetry | one of the three major types of literature, the others being prose and drama |
| prose | the ordinary form of written language |
| quatrain | a stanza or poem made up of four lines, usually with a definite rhythm and rhyme scheme |
| repetition | the use of any element of language--a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence--more than once |
| rhyme | the repetition of sounds at the ends of words |
| rhyme scheme | a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| rhythm | the patter of beats, or stresses, in spoken or written language |
| science fiction | writing that tells about imagninary events that involve science or technology |
| setting | the timeand place of the action |
| short story | a brief work of fiction |
| simile | a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two basically unlike ideas |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| tone | the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject of a literary work |
| tragedy | a work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe for the main character |
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| metaphor | a comparison that does not use like or as |
| SIMILE | YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE SUNSET. |
| METAPHOR | SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYE. |
| ALLITERATION | LOVELY LILTING LINES OF LIKE LETTERS |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| hyperbole | an extreme exaggeration |
| HYPERBOLE | I'VE SAID THAT A MILLION TIMES! |
| personification | giving human characteristics to non-human things |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| epic hero | an almost superhuman character who represents the values of a particular culture and often goes on a long journey or quest |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| invocation | a prayer for inspiration |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character |
| IN MEDIAS RES | THE ODYSSEY BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE. |
| INVOCATION | HOMER BEGINS THE ODYSSEY WITH A ___ TO THE MUSE. |
| EPIC | THE ODYSSEY |
| EPITHET | XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS |
| EPIC HERO | ODYSSEUS |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ WOMAN WORKED HARD TO HELP THE HOMELESS. |
| NOSTALGIC | THE ____ BOY MISSED HIS MOM. |
| MELANCHOLY | THE _______ GIRL CRIED ALL THE TIME. |
| characterization | THE WAY AN AUTHOR REVEALS HER CHARACTERS |
| theme | central message of a work |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PARADOX | "Much madness is divinest sense." |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| PUN | Mercutio with his dying breath: "Look for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| SOLEMN | DEEPLY SERIOUS |
| INDIGNANT | FEELING OR SHOWING ANGER |
| VEHEMENT | CHARACTERIZED BY FORCEFUL EMOTIONS |
| CONDESCENDING | 24. displaying a superior attitude |
| STATIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO STAYS THE SAME |
| DYNAMIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO CHANGES |
| SENTIMENTAL | EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Pun | play on words |
| Personification | give inanimate object human characteristics |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| Irony | use of a word to convey opposite meaning |
| oxymoron | ACT NATURALLY |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| FICKLE | CHANGEABLE |
| SOLILOQUY | A LONG SPEECH GIVEN BY A CHARACTER WHO IS ALONE ONSTAGE |
| irony | A term that suggests some sort of discrepancy between appearance and reality; says one thing and means another |
| biography | An account of a person’s life written or told by another person |
| metaphor | An imaginative comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is said to be another thing |
| hyperbole | An overstatement or exaggeration |
| flashback | Interruption in the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| theme | The general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals |
| protagonist | The main character in a literary work |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end in different consonant sounds as in lime light |
| characterization | the act of creating or describing a character, by showing what they say, do and think, showing what other characters say about them, and by showing what physical features, dress and personality they display |
| epic | a long story., often told in verse, that tells of a culture's heroes and gods |
| external conflict | a struggle that takes place between a character and something outside that character such as another character, society or nature |
| foreshadowing | the act of hinting at events that will happen later in a literary work |
| internal conflict | a struggle that takes place inside the mind of the character |
| irony | a difference between appearance and reality, an event that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience of a literary work |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that is spoken or written about as if it were another |
| mood | the feeling or emotion that the writer creates in a literary |
| characterization | THE WAY AN AUTHOR REVEALS HER CHARACTERS |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| SOLEMN | DEEPLY SERIOUS |
| INDIGNANT | FEELING OR SHOWING ANGER |
| VEHEMENT | CHARACTERIZED BY FORCEFUL EMOTIONS |
| CONDESCENDING | 24. displaying a superior attitude |
| STATIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO STAYS THE SAME |
| DYNAMIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO CHANGES |
| SENTIMENTAL | EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL |
| oxymoron | ACT NATURALLY |
| SIMILE | YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE SUNSET. |
| METAPHOR | SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYE. |
| ALLITERATION | LOVELY LILTING LINES OF LIKE LETTERS |
| HYPERBOLE | I'VE SAID THAT A MILLION TIMES! |
| PERSONIFICATION | THE SEA CALLED TO ODYESSEUS. |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| epic hero | an almost superhuman character who represents the values of a particular culture and often goes on a long journey or quest |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| invocation | a prayer for inspiration |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character |
| IN MEDIAS RES | THE ODYSSEY BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE. |
| INVOCATION | HOMER BEGINS THE ODYSSEY WITH A ___ TO THE MUSE. |
| EPITHET | XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS |
| EPIC HERO | ODYSSEUS |
| external conflict | when a character battles an outside force |
| internal conflict | when a character struggles to make a decision |
| conflict | the problem or complication in a story |
| antagonist | the person who opposes the main character |
| protagonist | the main character |
| ABDICATE | THE KING DECIDED TO ___ THE THRONE. |
| ABSOLVE | HE ASKED THE PRIEST TO ____ HIM OF HIS SINS. |
| ARROGANT | THE ___ BOY THOUGHT HE WAS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ WOMAN WORKED HARD TO HELP THE HOMELESS. |
| NOSTALGIC | THE ____ BOY MISSED HIS MOM. |
| MELANCHOLY | THE MELANCHOLY GIRL CRIED ALL THE TIME. |
| FICKLE | THE ___ BOY BROKE UP WITH JENNY BECAUSE HE SAW TINA AND FELL IN LOVE. |
| SHRIFT | I MUST GO TO ___ IN ORDER TO CONFESS MY SINS. |
| SARCASTIC | BOB WAS PUNISHED FOR BEING ___ TO HIS MOTHER. |
| MALEVOLENT | THE ___ SPIRITS THREATENED US. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ LADY DONATED MONEY TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER. |
| APOTHECARY | THE ___ MADE MEDICINE FOR THE PATIENT. |
| FICKLE | CHANGEABLE |
| SOLILOQUY | A LONG SPEECH GIVEN BY A CHARACTER WHO IS ALONE ONSTAGE |
| ASIDE | WHEN A CHARACTER SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE AND NOT TO THE OTHER CHARACTERS ONSTAGE |
| MONOLOGUE | A LONG SPEECH GIVEN BY A SINGLE CHARACTER |
| STAGE DIRECTIONS | INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAGING A PLAY |
| COUPLET | TWO CONSECUTIVE LINES THAT RHYME |
| DRAMA | LITERATURE MEANT TO BE PERFORMED ON STAGE |
| TRAGEDY | A PLAY IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER SUFFERS A DOWNFALL |
| TRAGIC HERO | THE MAIN CHARACTER IN A TRAGEDY; HE SUFFERS A DOWNFALL DUE TO A FATAL OR TRAGIC FLAW |
| TRAGIC FLAW | THE FLAW THAT BRINGS ABOUT THE DOWNFALL OF THE MAIN CHARACTER |
| CHORUS | A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO COME ONSTAGE TO SUMMARIZE WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN |
| BENEVOLENT | CHARACTERIZED BY CONCERN FOR OTHERS |
| MALEVOLENT | HAVING OR EXHIBITING ILL WILL; WISHING TO HARM OTHERS; MALICIOUS |
| SARCASTIC | CONTEMPTUOUS OR IRONIC IN MANNER OR WIT; NASTY OR MOCKING IN SPEECH |
| FLIPPANT | MARKED BY DISRESPECTFUL LEVITY OR CASUALNESS; IRREVERENT |
| IMPARTIAL | UNPREJUDICED; UNBIASED |
| APOTHECARY | SOMEONE WHO PREPARES AND SELLS MEDICINES |
| SHRIFT | CONFESSION TO A PRIEST |
| SONNET | A FOURTEEN LINE POEM WRITTEN IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER |
| IAMBIC PENTAMETER | LINES OF POETRY CONSISTING OF FIVE IAMBIC FEET; THERE WILL BE TEN SYLLABLES PER LINE |
| alliteration | repetition of the first letters of words |
| hyperbole | exaggeration |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| alliteration | The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words |
| assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end in different consonant sounds as in lime light |
| irony | a difference between appearance and reality, an event that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience of a literary work |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that is spoken or written about as if it were another |
| mood | the feeling or emotion that the writer creates in a literary |
| characterization | THE WAY AN AUTHOR REVEALS HER CHARACTERS |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| SOLEMN | DEEPLY SERIOUS |
| SENTIMENTAL | EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL |
| oxymoron | ACT NATURALLY |
| PERSONIFICATION | THE SEA CALLED TO ODYESSEUS. |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| IN MEDIAS RES | THE ODYSSEY BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE. |
| INVOCATION | HOMER BEGINS THE ODYSSEY WITH A ___ TO THE MUSE. |
| EPITHET | XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS |
| EPIC HERO | ODYSSEUS |
| ABDICATE | THE KING DECIDED TO ___ THE THRONE. |
| ABSOLVE | HE ASKED THE PRIEST TO ____ HIM OF HIS SINS. |
| ARROGANT | THE ___ BOY THOUGHT HE WAS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ WOMAN WORKED HARD TO HELP THE HOMELESS. |
| NOSTALGIC | THE ____ BOY MISSED HIS MOM. |
| MELANCHOLY | THE MELANCHOLY GIRL CRIED ALL THE TIME. |
| FICKLE | THE ___ BOY BROKE UP WITH JENNY BECAUSE HE SAW TINA AND FELL IN LOVE. |
| SHRIFT | I MUST GO TO ___ IN ORDER TO CONFESS MY SINS. |
| SARCASTIC | BOB WAS PUNISHED FOR BEING ___ TO HIS MOTHER. |
| MALEVOLENT | THE ___ SPIRITS THREATENED US. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ LADY DONATED MONEY TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER. |
| APOTHECARY | THE ___ MADE MEDICINE FOR THE PATIENT. |
| GRAVE | SOMBER OR SOLEMN; DANGEROUS |
| ECSTATIC | EXTREMELY JOYFUL |
| EMPATHETIC | EXHIBITIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS FEELINGS |
| SERENE | CALM AND UNRUFFLED |
| TAUNTING | JEERING; TORMENTING |
| CHERISH | TO HOLD DEAR |
| RESOLUTION | WHEN ALL THE LOOSE ENDS ARE TIED UP |
| FALLING ACTION | EVENTS THAT OCCUR AFTER THE CLIMAX |
| CLIMAX | POINT OF NO RETURN; POINT OF MOST INTENSE INTEREST |
| RISING ACTION | ALL THE EVENTS THAT LEAD TO THE CLIMAX |
| NARRATIVE HOOK | THE PART OF THE STORY THAT GRABS THE READER'S ATTENTION |
| EXPOSITION | THE PART OF THE STORY THAT EXPLAINS THE BACKGROUND AND MAKES CONFLICT CLEAR |
| PLOT | THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS IN A STORY |
| NOVEL | A LONG WORK OF NARRATIVE PROSE FICTION |
| ANECDOTE | SHORT SUMMARY OF A FUNNY EVENT |
| ARCHETYPE | A REPEATING PATTERN OR FORM IN LITERATURE |
| BALLAD | A SONG ABOUT SOMEONE FROM THE PAST |
| CLICHE | AN OVERUSED WORD OR PHRASE |
| DIALOGUE | CONVERSATION BETWEEN 2 OR MORE CHARACTERS |
| SYMBOL | SOMETHING SEEN THAT STANDS FOR SOMETHING UNSEEN |
| FICTION | STORIES ABOUT IMAGINARY PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS |
| FREE VERSE | POETRY WITHOUT A REGULAR PATTERN OF RHYTHM OR RHYME |
| LYRIC POETRY | SHORT POETRY, USUALLY ABOUT AN EMOTION, AND ONLY HAS ONE SPEAKER |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| mood | the way a work of literature makes the reader feel |
| tone | the author's attitude toward the subject of the work |
| grave | Driving in bad weather could be a ___ mistake. |
| facetious | Mom was angered by his __ attitude. |
| empathetic | Anyone who has lost a beloved pet would feel ___ towards the little girl who lost her kitten. |
| serene | The fisherman enjoyed the calm, __ lake. |
| cherish | I will always ___ my memories of the past. |
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| metaphor | a comparison that does not use like or as |
| SIMILE | YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE SUNSET. |
| METAPHOR | SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYE. |
| ALLITERATION | LOVELY LILTING LINES OF LIKE LETTERS |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| hyperbole | an extreme exaggeration |
| HYPERBOLE | I'VE SAID THAT A MILLION TIMES! |
| PERSONIFICATION | THE SEA CALLED TO ODYESSEUS. |
| personification | giving human characteristics to non-human things |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| epic hero | an almost superhuman character who represents the values of a particular culture and often goes on a long journey or quest |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| invocation | a prayer for inspiration |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character |
| INVOCATION | HOMER BEGINS THE ODYSSEY WITH A ___ TO THE MUSE. |
| EPIC | THE ODYSSEY |
| EPITHET | XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS |
| EPIC HERO | ODYSSEUS |
| external conflict | when a character battles an outside force |
| internal conflict | when a character struggles to make a decision |
| conflict | the problem or complication in a story |
| antagonist | the person who opposes the main character |
| protagonist | the main character |
| assonance | repetition of internal vowel sounds |
| consonance | repetition of consonant sounds inside words or at the ends of words |
| onomatopoeia | words that represent sounds |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | BUZZ |
| ASSONANCE | HOW NOW BROWN COW |
| CONSONANCE | THE CAT ATE THE RAT ON THE PLATE. |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| aside | a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing a character's thoughts |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| ABDICATE | THE KING DECIDED TO ___ THE THRONE. |
| ABSOLVE | HE ASKED THE PRIEST TO ____ HIM OF HIS SINS. |
| ARROGANT | THE ___ BOY THOUGHT HE WAS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ WOMAN WORKED HARD TO HELP THE HOMELESS. |
| NOSTALGIC | THE ____ BOY MISSED HIS MOM. |
| MELANCHOLY | THE _______ GIRL CRIED ALL THE TIME. |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| Metaphor | creation of an image with no like or as |
| Assonance | rhyming or harmony of vowels |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Pun | play on words |
| Oxymoron | a linking of an adjective and noun which contradict each other |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| epic simile (Homeric simile) | an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects |
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| metaphor | a comparison that does not use like or as |
| SIMILE | YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE SUNSET. |
| METAPHOR | SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYE. |
| ALLITERATION | LOVELY LILTING LINES OF LIKE LETTERS |
| hyperbole | an extreme exaggeration |
| personification | giving human characteristics to non-human things |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| epic hero | an almost superhuman character who represents the values of a particular culture and often goes on a long journey or quest |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character |
| characterization | THE WAY AN AUTHOR REVEALS HER CHARACTERS |
| theme | central message of a work |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| stanza | groups of lines in a poem - paragraphs, stanzas |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| SOLEMN | DEEPLY SERIOUS |
| INDIGNANT | FEELING OR SHOWING ANGER |
| VEHEMENT | CHARACTERIZED BY FORCEFUL EMOTIONS |
| CONDESCENDING | displaying a superior attitude |
| STATIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO STAYS THE SAME |
| DYNAMIC CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO CHANGES |
| SENTIMENTAL | EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Personification | give inanimate object human characteristics |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| Irony | use of a word to convey opposite meaning |
| metaphor | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| oxymoron | ACT NATURALLY |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| climax | The point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action; the most emotional or suspenseful moment in story |
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| metaphor | a comparison that does not use like or as |
| SIMILE | YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE SUNSET. |
| METAPHOR | SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYE. |
| ALLITERATION | LOVELY LILTING LINES OF LIKE LETTERS |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| hyperbole | an extreme exaggeration |
| HYPERBOLE | I'VE SAID THAT A MILLION TIMES! |
| PERSONIFICATION | THE SEA CALLED TO ODYESSEUS. |
| personification | giving human characteristics to non-human things |
| concise | clear and succinct |
| in medias res | in the middle of things |
| melancholy | sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom |
| nostalgic | feeling a bittersweet longing for the past and/or homesickness |
| epic hero | an almost superhuman character who represents the values of a particular culture and often goes on a long journey or quest |
| hostile | feeling or showing ill-will |
| epithet | a word or phrase used to replace someone’s name; it helps characterize that person |
| clarity | clearness of thought or style; lucidity |
| invocation | a prayer for inspiration |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character |
| INVOCATION | HOMER BEGINS THE ODYSSEY WITH A ___ TO THE MUSE. |
| EPIC | THE ODYSSEY |
| EPITHET | XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS |
| EPIC HERO | ODYSSEUS |
| external conflict | when a character battles an outside force |
| internal conflict | when a character struggles to make a decision |
| conflict | the problem or complication in a story |
| antagonist | the person who opposes the main character |
| protagonist | the main character |
| assonance | repetition of internal vowel sounds |
| consonance | repetition of consonant sounds inside words or at the ends of words |
| onomatopoeia | words that represent sounds |
| ASSONANCE | HOW NOW BROWN COW |
| CONSONANCE | THE CAT ATE THE RAT ON THE PLATE. |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| epic | a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes |
| ABDICATE | THE KING DECIDED TO ___ THE THRONE. |
| ABSOLVE | HE ASKED THE PRIEST TO ____ HIM OF HIS SINS. |
| ARROGANT | THE ___ BOY THOUGHT HE WAS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE ___ WOMAN WORKED HARD TO HELP THE HOMELESS. |
| NOSTALGIC | THE ____ BOY MISSED HIS MOM. |
| MELANCHOLY | THE _______ GIRL CRIED ALL THE TIME. |
| characterization | personality trait of characters |
| theme | central message of a work |
| foreshadowing | giving clues to suggest events that have yet to occur |
| mood | feeling created (in the reader) by a work |
| irony | contrast between what is stated and what is meant |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| flashback | a section in a literary work that interrupts the chronological order of events to relate an event from an earlier time. (goes back in time) |
| protagonist | the good main character |
| antagonist | the bad main character |
| Metaphor | creation of an image with no like or as |
| Assonance | rhyming or harmony of vowels |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Pun | play on words |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| ASSONANCE | "cry" "side" "mine" "type" |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| HYPERBOLE | "...the shot heard 'round the world..." |
| METAPHOR | "Time is money." |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | "buzz" "bang" "hiss" "splash" |
| OXYMORON | "sweet sorrow" "cold fire" |
| PERSONIFICATION | "The train wailed in the night." |
| SIMILE | "The warrior fought like a lion." |
| antagonist | The character that contends with or opposes another character |
| conflict | The struggle between persons or forces in a work of drama or fiction |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader |
| aside | a short speech delivered by an actor in a play, expressing a character's thoughts |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| couplet | a pair of rhyming lines usually of the sme lenght and meter |
| drama | a story written to be performed by actors |
| monologue | a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| setting | the timeand place of the action |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| FICKLE | CHANGEABLE |
| MALEVOLENT | THE __ GHOST FRIGHTENED THE CHILDREN. |
| BENEVOLENT | THE __ MAN DONATED MONEY TO CHARITY. |
| IAMBIC PENTAMETER | MADE UP OF 10 SYLLABLES |
| SONNET | A FOURTEEN LINE POEM |
| ASIDE | WHEN A CHARACTER SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE AND NOT TO OTHER CHARACTERS |
| SOLILOQUY | A SPEECH GIVEN BY A CHARACTER WHO IS ALONE ONSTAGE |
| MONOLOGUE | A LONG SPEECH GIVEN BY A SINGLE CHARACTER |
| STAGE DIRECTIONS | DIRECTIONS FOR STAGING A PLAY |
| APOTHECARY | SOMEONE WHO MAKES MEDICINE |
| SHRIFT | CONFESSION |
| DRAMA | LITERATURE MEANT TO BE PERFORMED ONSTAGE |
| TRAGEDY | A WORK OF LITERATURE IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER SUFFERS A DOWNFALL |
| TRAGIC FLAW | THE PERSONALITY TRAIT THAT BRINGS ABOUT THE DOWNFALL OF A CHARACTER |
| COUPLET | TWO CONSECUTIVE LINES THAT RHYME |
| CHORUS | A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SUMMARIZE EACH ACT IN A PLAY |
| SARCASTIC | NASTY OR MOCKING IN SPEECH |
| SARCASTIC | I DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE __ WAY THE STUDENT TALKED BACK TO HIS MOTHER. |
| FLIPPANT | DISRESPECTFUL LEVITY |
| FLIPPANT | BOB ANGERED HIS MOM BY TELLING __ JOKES AT A FUNERAL. |
| IMPARTIAL | I HOPE THAT THE JURY IS __ WHEN YOU GO TO COURT. |
| SOLEMN | DEEPLY SERIOUS |
| end rhyme | rhyming words at the ends of two or more lines of poetry |
| stanza | a verse paragraph |
| quatrain | a four line stanza |
| pseudonym | an author's assumed name |
| conundrum | an enigma; a puzzle |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Climax | high point |
| Puns | play on words |
| Personification | give inanimate object human characteristics |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| metaphors | "The stream's a snake." |
| simile | "She dances like a princess." |
| hyperbole | "My date last night was the most beautiful girl in the world." |
| personification | "The fog crept in on little cat feet." |
| paradox | "A little learning is a dangerous thing." |
| oxymoron | "Jumbo shrimp" |
| ALLITERATION | "The twisting trout twinkled below." |
| CONSONANCE | "...a murmuring of immemorial elms..." |
| symbol | A person, place, thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well; it can signify something else |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative |
| science fiction | Fiction that deals with the influence of real or imagined science on society or individuals; many of the events recounted are within the realm of future possibility |
| point of view | The angle or perspective from which a story is told |
| foreshadowing | The introduction of clues early in a story to suggest or anticipate significant events that will develop later |
| Personification | giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics |
| Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbolism | when something concrete represents an abstract idea |
| tone | the writer's attitude is revealed through this |
| round character | shows many different traits--faults as well as virtues |
| flat character | we see only one side of a character |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the course of the story |
| static character | does not change or grow |
| external conflict | main character struggles against and outside force |
| internal conflict | involves a character in conflict with himself or herself |
| connotation | the set of ideas associeated with a word in addition to its explicit meaning |
| couplet | a pair of rhyming lines usually of the sme lenght and meter |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| tone | the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject of a literary work |
| imagery | descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader |
| soliloquy | speech a character gives alone on stage |
| oxymoron | phrase or expression that is seemingly contradictory |
| Aside | a short speech heard by audience but not characters in the play |
| iambic pentameter | a meter in poetry consisting of five unrhymed lines-stressed and unstressed syllables |
| tragedy | a drama ending in catastrophe |
| simile | making comparisons between two subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | one thing is spoken of as if it were something else |
| personification | a non-human subject is given human traits |
| alliteration | repetition of first sound (Peter Piper picked) - repeated at least two times |
| Assonance | rhyming or harmony of vowels |
| Onomatopoeia | use of words or sounds to imitate sound effects |
| Hyperbole | exaggeration |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables |
| monologue | a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| soliloquy | a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| FICKLE | CHANGEABLE |
| VERSE | THE OPPOSITE OF PROSE; POETRY |
| PARADOX | A STATEMENT THAT SEEMS TO BE CONTRADICTORY BUT ACTUALLY PRESENTS A TRUTH |
| THEY HAVE EARS BUT HEAR NOT. | PARADOX |
| ALLUSION | A REFERENCE TO SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE WORK; USUALLY MYTHICAL, BIBLICAL OR HISTORICAL |
| FOIL | A CHARACTER WHO HELPS EMPHASIZE THE TRAITS OF ANOTHER CHARACTER THROUGH CONTRAST |
| SYMPATHETIC | COMPREHENDING THE NEEDS AND FEELINGS OF OTHERS |
| FACETIOUS | LACKING SERIOUS INTENT; NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY |
| OBJECTIVE | NOT INFLUENCED BY PERSONAL FEELINGS; BASED ON FACTS |
| CONTEMPTUOUS | SHOWING OR EXPRESSING CONTEMPT OR DISDAIN |
| PORTENTOUS | FOREBODING |
| ADVERSARY | A FOE, AN ENEMY |
| CHASTE | DECENT; PURE |
| CONNOTATION | THE FEELINGS ASSOCIATED WITH A WORD |
| DENOTATION | DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF A WORD |
| PARALLELISM | REPETITION OF GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE |
| PROSE | OPPOSITE OF POETRY; WRITING IN SENTENCES |
| IMAGERY | WORD THAT PAIN A PICTURE AND RECREATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE |
| ADVERSARY | HIS __ CHASED HIM DOWN THE STREET. |
| CHASTE | ROSALINE HAS SWORN TO LIVE __ AND PURE. |
| CONTEMPTUOUS | THE __ AND SCORNFUL CHILD WAS PUNISHED. |
| OBJECTIVE | ZEUS COULD NOT MAKE AN __ AND IMPARTIAL DECISION ABOUT THE GOLDEN APPLE. |
| PARADOX | LOVE IS GENTLE AND ROUGH. |
| OXYMORON | SERIOUS VANITY; COLD FIRE |
| PORTENTOUS | THE THUNDER WAS A __ SIGN THAT SOMETHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN. |
| PORTENTOUS | FOREBODING; FORESHADOWING |
| DISDAIN | TO REJECT AS BENEATH ONESELF |
| POINT OF VIEW | THE PERSPECTIVE FROM WHICH A STORY IS TOLD |
| FIRST PERSON | CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRONOUN "I" |
| THIRD PERSON | TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE STROY WHO KNOES THE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF A SINGLE CHARACTER IN THE STORY |
| OMNISCIENT | TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE STORY WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF ALL THE CHARACTERS |
| DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION | THE AUTHOR TELLS THE AUDIENCE WHAT THE CHARACTER IS LIKE |
| INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION | THE READER MUST USE THE CHARACTER'S THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND ACTIONS TO DETERMINE WHAT THE CHARACTER IS REALLY LIKE |
| FLAT CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WHO HAS ONLY ONE PERSONALITY TRAIT |
| ROUND CHARACTER | A CHARACTER WITH MANY DIFFERENT PERSONALITY TRAITS |
| HAMPER | TO HINDER OR OBSTRUCT |
| PLACID | CALM; SERENE |
| ABRASIVE | COARSE; ROUGH |
| COVERT | HIDDEN |
| COWER | TO RECOIL IN FEAR |
| CREDIBLE | BELIEVABLE |
| REPREHENSIBLE | SHAMEFUL |
| BLATANT | OBVIOUS |
| BLATANT | I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE ___ LIES SHE TOLD! |
| REPREHENSIBLE | SHE WAS EMBARRASSED BY HER SON'S _____ BEHAVIOR. |
| DISDAIN | CANDICE LOOKED AT THE OTHER GIRL'S CLOTHING WITH ____. |
| COWERED | FRIGHTENED BY THE ANGRY, HISSING CAT, THE PUPPY ______ UNDERNEATH THE BED. |
| CREDIBLE | THE ATTORNEY THOUGHT THAT BOB WOULD MAKE A BELIEVABLE, ______ WITNESS. |
| PLACID | THE ____ EXPRESSION ON HER FACE HID HER INNER TURMOIL. |
| ABRASIVE | HIS _____ MANNER DID NOT ENDEAR HIM TO HIS PATIENTS; THEY THOUGHT HE WAS TOO HARSH. |
| COVERT | THE AGENTS WERE SENT OUT ON A ____ OPERATION. |
| HAMPER | THE INVESTIGATION WAS _____(ED) BY CRIME SCENE CONTAMINATION. |
| abbreviation | shortened form of a word |
| action verb | a word that shows action |
| adjective | describes a noun or a pronoun |
| adverb | describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb |
| anecdote | a short story about someone |
| antonyms | opposite words |
| apostrophe | shows where a letter or letters are missing |
| character | a person, animal, or creature in a story |
| common noun | general name for a person, place or thing |
| complete predicate | all of the words telling what the subject does |
| complete subject | all of the words naming someone or something |
| conjunction | a word that joins other words |
| context clue | helps a reader find the meaning of an unkown word |
| contraction | a shortened form of two words |
| declarative sentence | makes a statement and ends with a period |
| direct object | receives the action of the verb |
| exaggeration | stretching of the truth |
| fact | true information that can be checked |
| haiku | a Japanese verse form |
| interjection | expresses strong feeling or emotion |
| interrogative sentence | asks a question |
| linking verb | connects the subject and the predicate |
| main verb | most important word in the predicate |
| metaphor | compares two things by saying one thing is the other |
| noun | a person, a place, a thing or an idea |
| object of the preposition | noun or pronoun following a preposition |
| object pronoun | me, you, him, her, it, us, and them |
| plot | series of events in a story itne order in which they happen |
| plural noun | more than one person, place, or thing |
| possessive noun | shows ownership |
| posseive pronoun | my, your, his, her, its, our, and their |
| predicate adjective | follows a linking verb and describes the subject |
| preposition | relates the noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence |
| prepositional phrase | a prepositon, its object, and any words that come between them |
| pronoun | a word that takes the place of a noun |
| proper noun | names a particular person, place, or thing |
| publishing | the stage when sriters share writing with others |
| the feelings a word arouses | connotation |
| how now brown cow | assonance |
| She sells sea shells. | alliteration |
| repetition of internal consonant sounds | consonance |
| extreme exaggeration | hyperbol |
| when a character says one thing but means another | verbal irony |
| when the audience knows more than the character | dramatic irony |
| normal everyday writing in sentences | prose |
| the language of poetry | verse |
| repetition of grammatical structure | parallelism |
| a long prose narrative | novel |
| punctuation mark used in a contraction or to show possession | apostrophe |
| used after an introductory clause | comma |
| when a character gets what he deserves | poetic justice |
| figurative language | does not mean what exactly what it says;used to add color |
| metaphor | a comparison of two unlike objects;does NOT use LIKE or AS |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike objects; USES LIKE or AS |
| hyperbole | a large exaggeration |
| personification | giving an non-human thing human qualities |
| onomatopoeia | words that sound like their meaning |
| alliteration | a series of words that begin with the same letter |
| idiom/cliche | a common expression used to mean something else |
| idiom/cliche | He let the cat out of the bag. |
| alliteration | Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. |
| literal language | means exactly what it says |
| metaphor | Your eyes are diamonds. |
| simile | Your eyes are like diamonds. |
| hyperbole | There were a thousand people at my party. |
| onomatopoeia | We watched the BLIP on the computer monitor. |
| personification | The stars reached down from the sky. |
| literal language | I like pizza. |
| figurative language | Pizza is food heaven. |
