Terms : Hide Images
| 4328872109 | act | a major unit of action in a drama or play. Each act can be further divided into smaller sections called scenes. | 0 | |
| 4328876193 | allegory | a story in which people, things and actions represent an idea about life; allegories often have a strong moral or lesson. | 1 | |
| 4328884850 | alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words | 2 | |
| 4328888001 | allusion | a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events. | 3 | |
| 4328892345 | analogy | a comparison of two or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well. | 4 | |
| 4328894809 | anecdote | a brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point. | 5 | |
| 4328899173 | aside | an actor's speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking | 6 | |
| 4328901865 | assonance | repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry. | 7 | |
| 4328904219 | audience | the particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing. A writer considers his or her audience when deciding on a subject, a purpose for writing and the tone and style in which to write. | 8 | |
| 4328906945 | author | the writer of a book, article or other text. | 9 | |
| 4328913541 | author's purpose | an author's purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work. The purpose can be to entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to persuade. | 10 | |
| 4328919334 | autobiography | a form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his or her life. | 11 | |
| 4328921507 | ballad | is a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited. | 12 | |
| 4328923611 | biography | the story of a person's life that is written by someone else | 13 | |
| 4328927041 | blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter | 14 | |
| 4328929673 | caesura | a pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry | 15 | |
| 4328934380 | cause and effect | two events are related as cause and effect when one event brings about or causes the other. The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect. | 16 | |
| 4328938487 | character | a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. | 17 | |
| 4328978988 | antagonist | a character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character, or protagonist, in some way. | 18 | |
| 4328984031 | caricature | a picture or imitation of a person's habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way. | 19 | |
| 4328988472 | foil | a character who serves as a contrast or a conflict to another character | 20 | |
| 4328990956 | hero/heroine | a character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often the main character in a story. | 21 | |
| 4328996264 | main character | the characters who are central to the plot of a story | 22 | |
| 4329001815 | minor characters | a less important character who interacts with the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story. | 23 | |
| 4329016231 | characterization | all of the techniques that writers use to create characters. | 24 | |
| 4329025070 | character trait | a character's personality; a trait is not a physical description of a character. | 25 | |
| 4329028975 | direct characterization | the author directly states a character's traits or makes direct comments about a character's nature. | 26 | |
| 4329032710 | dynamic character | a character who changes throughout the course of the story. | 27 | |
| 4329036199 | flat character | a character about whom little information is provided. | 28 | |
| 4329040049 | indirect characterization | the author does not directly state a character's traits; instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a character's traits based upon clues provided by the author. | 29 | |
| 4329043761 | round character | is a character who is fully described by the author | 30 | |
| 4329046271 | static character | a character who does not change or who changes very little in the course of a story. | 31 | |
| 4329053384 | chronological order | the order in which events happen in time. | 32 | |
| 4329057370 | clarifying | the reader's process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he or she understands. | 33 | |
| 4329095668 | cliche | a type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original. | 34 | |
| 4329101237 | comedy | a dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict. | 35 | |
| 4329104423 | comparison | the process of identifying similarities. | 36 | |
| 4329113714 | concrete poetry | a type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message. | 37 | |
| 4329118580 | conflict | the tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces. | 38 | |
| 4329121298 | central conflict | the dominant or most important conflict in the story. | 39 | |
| 4329128697 | external conflict | the problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force. | 40 | |
| 4329132817 | internal conflict | the problem or struggle that takes place in the main character's mind | 41 | |
| 4329136116 | connecting | a reader's process of relating the content of a literary work to his or her own knowledge and experience. | 42 | |
| 4329139078 | connotation | the idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary definition or denotation. | 43 | |
| 4329144454 | consonace | the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry. | 44 | |
| 4329147267 | context clues | hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning. | 45 | |
| 4329155804 | contrast | the process of pointing out differences between things. | 46 | |
| 4329175777 | couplet | a rhymed pair of lines in a poem | 47 | |
| 4329178907 | denotation | is the opposite of connotation in that it is the exact or dictionary meaning of a word. | 48 | |
| 4329190583 | denouement | the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved. | 49 | |
| 4329207903 | dialect | a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people. | 50 | |
| 4329212451 | dialouge | The conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. A dialogue occurs in most works of literature. | 51 | |
| 4329218873 | drama | a form of literature meant to be performed by actors before an audience. | 52 | |
| 4329222176 | drawing conclusions | combining several pieces of information to make an inference is called drawing a conclusion. | 53 | |
| 4329228840 | dramatic monologue | a literary device that is used when a character reveals his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, those that are hidden throughout the course of the story line, through a poem or a speech | 54 | |
| 4329235985 | elegy | a type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died. | 55 | |
| 4329242490 | enjambment | in poetry, the running over of a line or thought into the next of verse | 56 | |
| 4329245833 | epigram | a short poem or verse that seeks to ridicule a thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm. | 57 | |
| 4329249065 | epic | a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group. | 58 | |
| 4329251269 | epiphany | a sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or to act in a certain way. | 59 | |
| 4329255541 | epitaph | a short poem or verse written in memory of someone | 60 | |
| 4329265878 | essay | a short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject. | 61 | |
| 4329274028 | expository essay | essay is one whose purpose is to explain and give information about a subject. | 62 | |
| 4329284313 | evaluating | the process of judging the value of something or someone. | 63 | |
| 4329288145 | extended metaphor | a figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length. | 64 | |
| 4329291375 | fable | a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature | 65 | |
| 4329294896 | fantasy | a work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element. | 66 | |
| 4329297995 | fiction | prose writing that tells an imaginary story. | 67 | |
| 4329303169 | figurative language | expressions that are not literally true | 68 | |
| 4329308362 | an interruption of the chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence. | flashback | 69 | |
| 4329314275 | folklore | traditions, customs and stories that are passed down within a culture. | 70 | |
| 4329317141 | folktale | a simple story that has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. | 71 | |
| 4329324294 | foot | a unit of meter within a line of poetry | 72 | |
| 4329327618 | foreshadowing | when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future event in a story. | 73 | |
| 4329331938 | free verse | poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm. | 74 | |
| 4329335876 | generalization | a broad statement about an entire group. | 75 | |
| 4329341358 | genre | a type or category of literature. | 76 | |
| 4329348368 | haiku | a traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing with nature. | 77 | |
| 4329353156 | heroic couplet | a couplet consisting of two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought. | 78 | |
| 4329358465 | historical fiction | fiction that explores a past time period and may contain references to actual people and events of the past. | 79 | |
| 4329360847 | horror fiction | fiction that contains mysterious and often supernatural events to create a sense of terror. | 80 | |
| 4329368396 | humor | the quality that provokes laughter or amusement. | 81 | |
| 4329371674 | hyperbole | a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect. | 82 | |
| 4329380128 | idiom | a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say | 83 | |
| 4329384996 | imagery | the use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses. | 84 | |
| 4329388934 | inference | is a logical guess based on evidence based on evidence in the text. | 85 | |
| 4329391282 | interview | a meeting in which one person asks another about personal matters, professional matters or both. | 86 | |
| 4329395405 | irony | a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. | 87 | |
| 4329498031 | verbal irony | occurs when the speaker means something totally different than what he or she is saying and often times the opposite of what a character is saying is true. | 88 | |
| 4329506693 | dramatic irony | occurs when facts are not known to the characters in a work of literature but are known by the audience. | 89 | |
| 4329508857 | cosmic irony | suggests that some unknown force brings about dire and dreadful events. | 90 | |
| 4329511629 | irony of situation | the difference between what is expected to happen and the way events actually work out. | 91 | |
| 4329513367 | legend | a story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments. | 92 | |
| 4329516586 | limerick | a short humorous poem composed of five lines that usually has the rhyme scheme aabba, created by two rhyming couplets followed by a fifth line that rhymes with the first couplet. | 93 | |
| 4329519590 | literal meaning | the actual meaning of a word or phrase. | 94 | |
| 4329521661 | lyric poetry | a song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker. | 95 | |
| 4329524457 | main idea | the most important point that a writer wishes to express. | 96 | |
| 4329526836 | memoir | a specific type of autobiography; like autobiography, a memoir is about the author's personal experiences. | 97 | |
| 4329531033 | metaphor | a type of figurative language in which a comparison is made between two things that are essentially unalike but may have one quality in common. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not contain an explicit word of comparison, such as "like" or "as". | 98 | |
| 4329533423 | meter | the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables. | 99 | |
| 4329535068 | metonymy | the metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase. | 100 | |
| 4329539370 | mood | a mood or atmosphere is the feeling that a literary work conveys to readers. | 101 | |
| 4329544625 | motif | a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. | 102 | |
| 4329549523 | motivation | the reason why a character acts, feels or thinks in a certain way. | 103 | |
| 4329551015 | myth | a traditional story that attempts to explain how the world was created or why the world is the way that it is. | 104 | |
| 4329553474 | narrative | any writing that tells a story. | 105 | |
| 4329572439 | nonfiction | is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects or events. | 106 | |
| 4329574816 | novel | a work of fiction that is longer and more complex than a short story. | 107 | |
| 4332826792 | ode | a lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal structure. | 108 | |
| 4332829157 | onomatopoeia | the use of words whose sound suggest their meaning | 109 | |
| 4332831303 | oral history | stories of people's lives related by word of mouth. | 110 | |
| 4332833933 | oxymoron | a form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas | 111 | |
| 4332835906 | paradox | a statement that seems to contradict itself but is, nevertheless, true. | 112 | |
| 4332840421 | parallelism | the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance. | 113 | |
| 4332843770 | paraphrasing | the restatement of a text by readers in their own words or in another form. | 114 | |
| 4332846316 | parody | a literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author's work for comic effect or ridicule. | 115 | |
| 4332849084 | personification | a figure of speech where animals, ideas or inanimate objects are given human characteristics. | 116 | |
| 4332850866 | persuasion | persuasive writing is meant to sway readers' feelings, beliefs, or actions. | 117 | |
| 4332855495 | plot | the sequence of related events that make up a story. | 118 | |
| 4332860214 | exposition | introduces the characters and the conflicts they face. | 119 | |
| 4332863733 | inciting incident | occurs after the exposition and introduces the central conflict within the story. | 120 | |
| 4332873207 | rising action | following the introduction of the central conflict; complications arise as the characters struggle with the conflict. | 121 | |
| 4332875981 | climax | the turning point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot of a story, play, or film. | 122 | |
| 4332879819 | falling action | the end of the central conflict in a story, when the action starts to wind down. | 123 | |
| 4332890659 | resolution | occurs after the climax and is where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up. | 124 | |
| 4332917001 | subplot | an additional minor plot that involves a secondary conflict in the story | 125 | |
| 4332920512 | poetry | a type of literature in which ideas and feelings are expressed in compact, imaginative, and often musical language. | 126 | |
| 4332925572 | point of view | perspective from which a story is told. | 127 | |
| 4332934659 | predicting | the process of gathering information and combining it with the reader's own knowledge to guess what might occur in the story. | 128 | |
| 4332937579 | primary source | a first hand account of an event; primary sources include: diaries, journals, letters, speeches, news stories, photographs, and pieces of art. | 129 | |
| 4332940012 | propaganda | text that uses false or misleading information to present a slanted point of view. | 130 | |
| 4332942874 | prose | the ordinary form of spoken and written language; that is, language that lacks the special features of poetry. | 131 | |
| 4332951559 | simile | makes a comparison between two otherwise unlike objects or ideas by connecting them with the words "like" or "as." | 132 | |
| 4332959791 | soliloquy | a speech delivered by a character who is alone on the stage. | 133 | |
| 4333096956 | sonnet | a distinctive poetic style that uses a system or pattern of metrical structure and verse composition usually consisting of fourteen lines, arranged in a set rhyme scheme or pattern | 134 | |
| 4333184134 | speaker | the voice that talks to the reader in a poem, as the narrator does in a work of fiction. | 135 | |
| 4336297910 | stage directions | the instructions to the actors, director and stage crew in the script of a play. | 136 | |
| 4336299653 | stanza | a grouping of two or more lines within a poem. | 137 | |
| 4338936625 | questioning | the process of raising questions while reading in an effort to understand characters and events. | 138 | |
| 4338939981 | realistic fiction | imaginative writing set in the real, modern world. | 139 | |
| 4338942831 | refrain | repetition in literature of one or more lines at regular intervals; sometimes called the chorus. | 140 | |
| 4338945281 | repetition | a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis. | 141 | |
| 4338949496 | rhyme | repetition of an identical or similarly accented sound or sounds in a work. | 142 | |
| 4338954588 | rhythm | refers to the pattern of flow of sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry | 143 | |
| 4338958319 | sarcasm | the use of praise to mock someone or something; the use of mockery or verbal irony | 144 | |
| 4338960723 | satire | a literary technique in which ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. | 145 | |
| 4338967039 | scanning | the process of searching through writing for a particular fact or piece of information. | 146 | |
| 4338970001 | scene | a section in a play presenting events that occur in one place at one time. | 147 | |
| 4338974316 | sensory details | words and phrases that help readers see, hear, taste, feel, or smell what an author is describing. | 148 | |
| 4338976505 | sequence | the order in which events occur or in which ideas are presented. | 149 | |
| 4338980689 | setting | the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a story occurs | 150 | |
| 4338985560 | short story | brief work of fiction that generally focuses on one or two main characters who face a single problem or conflict. | 151 | |
| 4338994537 | stereotype | a broad generalization or an oversimplified view that disregards individual differences. | 152 | |
| 4338996844 | storymapping | a visual organizer that helps a reader understand a work of literature by tracking setting, characters, events and conflicts. | 153 | |
| 4338999192 | style | how a writer says something; many elements contribute to style, including word choice, sentence length, tone and figurative language | 154 | |
| 4339003747 | summarizing | the process of briefly recounting the main ideas of a piece of writing in a person's own words, while omitting unimportant details. | 155 | |
| 4339006584 | suspense | a feeling of growing tension and excitement. | 156 | |
| 4339009672 | symbolism | using something specific to stand for something else, especially an idea. | 157 | |
| 4339013038 | tall tale | a humorously exaggerated story about impossible events. | 158 | |
| 4339016797 | theme | a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. | 159 | |
| 4339032769 | tone | the writer's attitude or feeling about his or her subject. | 160 | |
| 4339036187 | tragedy | a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character or characters who are involved in historically or socially significant events. | 161 | |
| 4339041045 | understatement | a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said; the opposite of hyperbole. | 162 | |
| 4339045215 | urban legend | a contemporary story that is told in many rumored versions that have little basis in fact. | 163 | |
| 4339048118 | voice | an author or narrator's distinctive style or manner of expression. | 164 |
