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| symbol | This word or phrase stands for or represents something else. For example, a dove with an olive branch is a symbol of peace and a crown is a symbol of a king’s status and authority. |
| speaker | This is an imaginary voice a poet uses when writing a poem. The speaker is a character who tells the poem. |
| tone | This is the writer’s attitude towards the audience and subject. |
| explicit | This is information stated clearly and directly with a literal meaning. A literal meaning is to take words and meanings at their most basic sense. |
| repetition | This is a word, phrase, sound or sentence that is repeated more than once in any element of language. |
| theme | This is a central message in a literary work that can usually be expressed in a general statement about human beings or about life. |
| imagery | This is a technique of writing to create images for the reader. |
| compare | This is a way of noting similarities or things that are the same between two things. |
| contrast | This is a way of noting differences between two things. |
| metaphor | This is a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. It points out a similarity between two unlike things. |
| rhyme | This is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. Poets use rhyme to lend a songlike quality to their verses and to emphasize certain words and ideas. |
| rhyme scheme | This is a pattern of end rhymes in a poem. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. |
| rhythm | This is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in spoken or written language. |
| stanza | This is a group of two or more lines that form a unit (like a paragraph in poetry). |
| simile | This is a figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two unlike ideas. Examples would be “pale as ghost,” “spread like wildfire,” and “clever as a fox.” |
| exposition | This is the beginning of a story in which the characters, the setting, and conflict are introduced. |
| rising action | This is the plot stage in which a conflict unfolds and becomes more complicated; obstacles prevent the resolution of the conflict. |
| climax | This is the most exciting moment and turning point in a story, the outcome of the conflict is decided. This is also where the main character comes face to face with the problem or whoever/whatever is causing the problem. |
| falling action | This is the plot stage in which suspense eases and the main character begins to resolve the conflict. |
| resolution | This is a story ending in which the main conflict is usually solved. |
| conflict | This is a struggle between opposing forces, or obstacles that need to be overcome in order for the story to move along. A fight between two friends is an example of conflict. |
| foreshadowing | This is a hint or clue about something that will happen later. In a story, an engine that sputters may foreshadow that the car will break down. |
| suspense | This is a feeling of excitement and tension (the actions that make the reader feel anxious or worried) as the audience wonders what will happen next. As the suspense built, I sat on the edge of my seat. |
| protagonist | This is the character that the story circles around and is the main character; sometimes this is a hero. |
| antagonist | This is the character that is opposite of the protagonist and creates conflict with the main character. Usually, this is the villain. |
| thesis statement | This is usually one sentence that tells the main point of your writing. It is then "proven" throughout the paper with supporting evidence. |
| citations | This is when a writer gives credit to the person who originally gave out the information. An in-text one of these is important when you are writing an essay that does not include footnotes, a bibliography, or a works cited page. |
| explanatory essay | This is sometimes called an expository essay. It presents other people's views, or reports an event or a situation. It expresses another person's information in detail and explains what is difficult to understand. |
| elaboration | Explanation of the evidence and how it supports the topic. |
| informative essay | This is an academic paper written at grade level (7th grade for us). The main purpose is to respond to (or answer) the main question by explaining the topic in details. |
