Terms : Hide Images
| 7204419511 | Conceit | a complex metaphor or analogy, often and extended one that (especially in the case of the metaphysical writers) makes an unusual or surprising connection | 0 | |
| 7204420543 | Anachronism | When something is assigned to a time in which it did not exist. For example, Shakespeare references a chiming clock in Julius Caesar. Sometimes these are unintentional errors, but they are sometimes used intentionally for humor or satire. | 1 | |
| 7208109732 | Idiom | an expression that refers to a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language. Ex. In the long run, with a grain of salt. | 2 | |
| 7208121185 | Imagery | to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. Ex. It was dark and dim in the forest. | 3 | |
| 7208123839 | Indirect Characterization | the author showing the audience what kind of person a character is through the character's thoughts, words, and deeds. this requires inference on the part of the reader to determine character traits. | 4 | |
| 7208332358 | Conflict | The opposition between two characters, two large groups of people, or the protagonist and a larger problem such as forces of nature, ideas, public mores. can also be internal and be the character against his own self | 5 | |
| 7208332867 | Connotation | The extra tinge or taint of meaning each word carries beyond the minimal, strict definition found in a dictionary. Used by authors in diction choices to create specific nuances of meaning. | 6 | |
| 7208333194 | Consonance | the recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity | 7 | |
| 7208389177 | Syntax | The way in which words and punctuation are used and arranged to form phrases, clauses, and sentences | 8 | |
| 7208394512 | Theme | A main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A story may have several of these | 9 | |
| 7208400930 | Tone | The attitude of a writer toward a subject or audience. It is generally expressed through syntax, diction, and the level of formality in the writing. | 10 | |
| 7208498804 | Personification | A figure of speech by which animals, abstract ideas, or inanimate things are referred to as if they were human | 11 | |
| 7208502998 | Plot | A plan or scheme, constituting the organizing design that gives a piece of literature such as a play or novel its purpose, structure, or integrity, as well as story-line | 12 | |
| 7208503238 | Point of View | The position or vantage-point from which the events of a story seem to be observed and presented to us | 13 | |
| 7208547113 | Euphemism | a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing | 14 | |
| 7208547962 | Extended Metaphor | metaphor that an author develops over several lines or an entire work; can act as a theme and more deeply explores the similarities between the tenor and the vehicle than a regular metaphor | 15 | |
| 7208548515 | Flashback | Interruption of the story to present something that occurred before the beginning of the story | 16 | |
| 7208558999 | Paradox | It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. this is often used to make a reader think over an idea in an innovative way. | 17 | |
| 7208559000 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. this phrase is commonly a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with contrasting meanings, e.g. "cruel kindness" or "living death". | 18 | |
| 7208563675 | Palindrome | A number, a word, a sentence, a symbol or even signs that can be read forward as well as backward or in reverse order with the same effects and meanings. | 19 | |
| 7208609337 | antagonist | character(s) which stands in opposition to the protagonist (main character) | 20 | |
| 7208609687 | antithesis | rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence (ex: "Setting foot on the moon may be a small step for a man but a giant step for mankind.") | 21 | |
| 7208610020 | apostrophe | rhetorical device in which a character addresses a character or object that is not present | 22 | |
| 7209059453 | synecdoche | a figure of speech which allows a part to stand for a whole or for a whole to stand for a part (ex: "All hands on deck!") | 23 | |
| 7209066701 | symbolism | the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them meanings that are different from their literal sense | 24 | |
| 7209078760 | synesthesia | a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense- hearing, seeing, smell, etc.- at a given time (Her brightly colored dress was very loud.) | 25 | |
| 7209191389 | Epic Simile | a detailed comparison in the form of a simile that are many lines in length. A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as". Therefore, it is a direct comparison. also called homeric simile | 26 | |
| 7209192123 | Ellipsis | a literary device that is used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. It is usually written between the sentences as "...". (dated back to Ernest Hemingway) | 27 | |
| 7209192124 | Epiphany | means "appearance" or "manifestation. In literary terms, an epiphany is that moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story. | 28 | |
| 7210588855 | Archetype | In literature, this is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. | 29 | |
| 7210589307 | Assonance | Typically found in poetry, this takes place when two or more words, close to one another repeat the same vowel sound, but start with different consonant sounds. | 30 | |
| 7210589308 | Asyndeton | means unconnected. It is a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy. Example: She felt tired, beaten, bruised, abandoned. This device can be used to speed up pace. | 31 | |
| 7210884532 | Polsyndeton | a stylistic device when several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession to produce rhythm and repetition in order to create a feeling of being built up; tends to slow down pace of sentence; Example: The red and white and blue. | 32 | |
| 7210885973 | Pun | a play on words to create a humorous effect by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings | 33 | |
| 7210886710 | Protagonist | the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, or novel; commonly the "hero" | 34 | |
| 7210903716 | Mood | a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions; creates an atmosphere | 35 | |
| 7210903717 | Motif | a recurrent image, idea or a symbol that repeats throughout a work of literature that develops or explains a theme | 36 | |
| 7210906604 | Onomatopoeia | a word that imitates the natural sounds of a thing making the description more expressive and interesting | 37 | |
| 7210927915 | Foil | A character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character. | 38 | |
| 7210935553 | Foreshadowing | A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. | 39 | |
| 7210941495 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech that involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. | 40 | |
| 7210940557 | Verbal Irony | occurs when a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to | 41 | |
| 7210941638 | Situational Irony | involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected | 42 | |
| 7210941899 | Irony | the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning | 43 | |
| 7210941135 | Dramatic Irony | a useful plot device for creating situations where audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts and their resolutions before leading characters or actors | 44 | |
| 7211260863 | Rhyme | correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. | 45 | |
| 7211261894 | Rhythm | a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound | 46 | |
| 7211262377 | Rhetorical shift | A change or movement in a piece from one point or idea to another | 47 | |
| 7212528393 | Metaphor | a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated. | 48 | |
| 7212532735 | Meter | Stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern found in poetry. The rhythm of poetry. | 49 | |
| 7212537793 | Metonymy | Figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else it's related to; Example: The White House (meaning the president) responded today. | 50 | |
| 7212784508 | Alliteration | The rhetorical device of commencing adjacent or closely connected words with the same sound or syllable | 51 | |
| 7212786187 | Allusion | An indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the writer but relies on the reader's familiarity with what is thus mentioned. | 52 | |
| 7212791347 | anaphora | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. | 53 | |
| 7212854968 | Omniscient third-person point of view | A method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story | 54 | |
| 7212862769 | Limited third-person | A method of storytelling which adheres closely to one character's, usually the main character's, perspective | 55 | |
| 7212866192 | First-person point of view | A literary style in which the narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator speaking directly about himself or herself | 56 | |
| 7212869763 | Objective/dramatic narrator | The perspective in which the author is recording action from a neutral point of view | 57 | |
| 7213844914 | Denotation | Literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings | 58 | |
| 7213844915 | Dialect | Language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them. | 59 | |
| 7213844916 | Detail | An individual feature, fact, or item included in literature to provide more information | 60 | |
| 7214549007 | Sarcasm | Use of irony to show distaste | 61 | |
| 7214551393 | Satire | Use of irony, humor and/or exaggeration to criticize people's or society's faults | 62 | |
| 7214553000 | Setting | A place and time where characters are placed and events take place | 63 | |
| 7217517080 | Dialogue | conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie. | 64 | |
| 7217517081 | Diction | the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. | 65 | |
| 7217517082 | Direct Characterization | the process by which the personality of a fictitious character is revealed by the use of descriptive adjectives, phrases, or epithets. With this, the author tells you what the character is like. No inference is required. | 66 | |
| 7221620287 | Juxtaposition | the act of placing two things (ideas, characters, actions) next to each other to compare and contrast | 67 | |
| 7221648337 | Litotes | "simple"; a figure of speech that creates a positive expression by negating the opposite (think "not too bad"), creating ironic understatement. | 68 | |
| 7221671774 | Malapropism | the incorrect use of a word in place of a word sounding similar (think Dogberry in "Much Ado About Nothing" or Rachel in The Poisonwood Bible) | 69 | |
| 7222566437 | Simile | a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ). | 70 | |
| 7222566438 | Style | literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text. | 71 | |
| 7222566439 | Suspense | The pleasurable emotion of anticipation and excitement regarding the outcome or climax of a book, film etc. The unpleasant emotion of anxiety or apprehension in an uncertain situation. | 72 |
