| A | B |
|---|
| ode | A poem written in praise or celebration of a person, thing, or event. |
| onomatopoeia | Besides being a really fun word to say aloud, refers either to words that resemble in sound what they represent |
| oxymoron | the combination of two terms ordinarily seen as opposites. For example, “terribly good” |
| parallelism | the similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. Julius Caesar’s famous words, “I came, I saw, I conquered,” is an example |
| simile | compare one thing directly to another using the words "like" or "as." |
| slant rhyme | A rhyme that isn’t quite a rhyme. The words sound similar, but they aren’t close enough to make a full rhyme. |
| synecdoche | A part of something represents the whole. For example: "One does not live by bread alone." The statement assumes that bread is representative of all categories of food. |
| syntax | In technical terms, it is the study of how to put sentences together.In poetry, it refers to the way words and phrases relate to each other |
| allusion | when a speaker or character makes a brief and casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event. |
| allegory | a kind of extended metaphor (a metaphor that weaves throughout the poem) in which objects, persons, and actions stand for another meaning. |
| alliteration | when words that begin with the same sound are placed close to one another. For example, “the silly snake silently slinked by” |
| anaphora | involves the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses or sections. Think of an annoying kid on a road trip: “Are we there yet? / Are we going to stop soon? / Are we having lunch soon?”. |
| cadance | the rhythmic or musical elements of a poem. You can think of it as the thing that makes poetry sound like poetry. Whereas “meter” refers to the regular elements of rhythm – the beats or accents – “cadence” refers to the momentary variations in rhythm, like when a line speeds up or slows down. |
| caesura | A fancy word for a pause that occurs in the middle of a line of verse. You can create pauses in a lot of ways, but the most obvious is to use punctuation like a period, comma, or semicolon. |
| denotation | The literal, straightforward meaning of a word. It’s “dictionary definition.” |
| ellipsis | involves leaving out or suppressing words. It’s like . . . well, you get the idea. |
| enjambment | When a phrase carries over a line-break without a major pause. In French, the word means, “straddling.” |
| hyperbole | a gross exaggeration |
| metaphor | when one thing is described as being another thing. “You’re a toad!” |
| first person point of view | the narrator participates in the action of the story |
| third person omniscient point of view | the narrator does not participate in the action of the story and knows all the characters actions and thoughts |
| third person limited point of view | the narrator does not participate in the action in the story and knowledge is limited to one or two character's point of view |
| second person point of view | the author directly addresses the reader/listener using the pronouns 'you,' your,' and yours.' |
| third person objective point of view | the narrator does not participate in the action of the story but does not reveal any character's thoughts or feelings. |
| Protagonist/Hero | The one we root for in the novel—the character whose life we're most concerned with or whose inner life we're given access to. |
| Antagonist/Shadow | The villain or nasty character in the novel that you root against. |
| Mentor | Who helps the hero in some way, furnishing them with important skills and advice. |
| Threshold Guardian | Who provides the obstacles to the hero at transitional points in the story. |
| Herald | Who announces important events verbally, telling us what we do not realize or emphasizing the importance of an event. |
| Shapeshifter | Who represents uncertainty and change, reminding us that not all is as it seems |
| Trickster | Who provides entertainment in the story through wit, foolishness or other means |
| personification | When human qualities are given to non-human things or abstractions, |
