| A | B |
|---|
| foreshadowing | hint of what will happen next in a story |
| flashback | break in time, back to an earlier event |
| narrator | character or speaker telling a story |
| omniscient point of view | narrator knows everything, even what goes on in the minds of other characters |
| third-person narration | character or speaker tells the story without using "I" or "we" |
| first-person narration | speaker tells the story using "I" or "we" |
| protagonist | main character in story who faces challenges and struggles |
| antagonist | character against whom the main character struggles |
| plot | series of events; what happens in a story |
| theme | universal human experience which underlies a story or poem |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| rhythm | beat or flow |
| meter | pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables |
| tone | attitude; the "feel" of a story or poem |
| connotation | meaning or feeling that a word suggests or implies |
| denotation | literal meaning; dictionary definition |
| formal outline | structured, labeled plan for a piece of writing |
| sympathy | feel sorry for someone |
| compassion | deep concern; empathy |
| hero | person who does extraordinarily good deeds or shows courage |
| thesis statement | states an essay's topic and contains a defensible opinion |
| research paper | informational essay based on outside sourcess |
| topic sentence | previews what a paragraph will be about |
| self-esteem | how a person feels about his/her abilities or qualities |
| hyperbole | exaggeration |
| rhyme | matching end syllables |
| conflict | opposing forces |
| ethics | code of morally correct behavior |
| morality | person knows the difference between right and wrong |
| bias | opinion leaning toward a person, thing, or idea |
| supporting details | information and examples used to back up a claim |
| brainstorm | pre-writing activity used to generate ideas |
| personification | giving a non-human entity human characteristics |
| setting | time and place |
| value | judgment of what is worthwhile and important |
| genre | category or type of writing |
| symbolism | one thing stands for or represents something else |
| imagery | vivid description using the five senses |
| metaphor | comparison stating or implying that one thing IS another |
| integrity | honesty, morality, reliability |
| allusion | reference to a literary work, historical event |
| repetition | use of a phrase or sound more than once |
| humane | showing kindness or concern for others |
| simile | comparison using "like" or "as" |
| irony | difference between what happened and what was expected |
| stigma | strong cultural bias against a behavior |
| onomatopoeia | word sounds like what it represents |
| stereotype | fixed ideas used to define an entire group |
| characterization | how a writer conveys the qualities of "actors" in the story |
| motivation | reason for a character's behavior |
| foil | character who contrasts with another |
| works cited | list of sources quoted or paraphrased in a research paper |
| stanza | section of a poem |
| plagiarism | stealing another person's ideas or borrowing without giving credit |
| atmosphere | "feel" of a setting |
| plot | series of events; what happens in a story |
