| A | B |
|---|
| denotation | literal meaning of the word (dictionary definition) |
| connotation | positive or negative feelings or thoughts associated with the word |
| tone | attitude - what the author or character feels about the subject(s), theme(s), conflict(s), and/or other characters |
| mood | overall feeling created by the setting or atmosphere of the story |
| infer | make a guess or draw a conclusion based upon clues in the text |
| simile | comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as" |
| metaphor | comparison between two unlike things stating one thing is something else |
| alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds |
| hyperbole | extreme exaggeration |
| imagery | using sensory details to create a picture in the mind |
| personification | giving nonhuman things human-like characteristics |
| onomatopoeia | words that resemble or imitate sound (e.g. sizzle, cuckoo, buzz, etc.) |
| allusion | a reference to something historically or literarily important |
| theme | a statement regarding a life truth that the author implies in the text (it's not directly stated) |
| symbol | one thing represents something else |
| irony | contrast between expectation and reality |
| verbal irony | a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something completely different |
| situational irony | a contrast between what would seem appropriate and what really happens (often confused with coincidence) |
| dramatic irony | when the audience or reader knows something important that a character or play doesn't know |
