Terms : Hide Images
| 6483766255 | allegory | A story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or generalization about life, often have a strong moral or lesson. (Ex: Animal Farm; Lord of the Flies) | 0 | |
| 6483771080 | alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds | 1 | |
| 6483772116 | allusion | A brief reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. | 2 | |
| 6483773980 | ambiguity | An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. | 3 | |
| 6483775571 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. Ex: I feel like a fish out of water. | 4 | |
| 6483786738 | anecdote | A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event. | 5 | |
| 6483786739 | antagonist | A character or force in conflict with the main character | 6 | |
| 6483788451 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. Also called a maxim. | 7 | |
| 6483790235 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 8 | |
| 6483792886 | assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity | 9 | |
| 6483794225 | characterization | A method an author uses to let readers know more about the characters and their personal traits. | 10 | |
| 6483795072 | cliche | A worn-out idea or overused expression | 11 | |
| 6483795073 | colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing | 12 | |
| 6483795711 | conceit | A fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor | 13 | |
| 6483798837 | conflict | A struggle between opposing forces or characters | 14 | |
| 6483801559 | connotation | All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word or phrase suggests | 15 | |
| 6483802812 | couplet | Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme | 16 | |
| 6483803888 | dialect | A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. | 17 | |
| 6483804828 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 18 | |
| 6483804829 | elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech | 19 | |
| 6483806948 | epic | A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society | 20 | |
| 6483809093 | figurative language | Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. | 21 | |
| 6483809095 | foil | A character who is in most ways opposite to the main character (protagonist). The purpose of the foil character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast only | 22 | |
| 6483811651 | foreshadowing | A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. | 23 | |
| 6483812401 | free verse | Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme | 24 | |
| 6483812402 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 25 | |
| 6483813166 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 26 | |
| 6483815153 | irony | A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. | 27 | |
| 6483816324 | juxtaposition | Poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit. | 28 | |
| 6483820257 | local color | a term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape. | 29 | |
| 6483822237 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. | 30 | |
| 6483823153 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 31 | |
| 6483823923 | motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 32 | |
| 6483825217 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. | 33 | |
| 6483826653 | parallel structure | the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures | 34 | |
| 6483832188 | parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. | 35 | |
| 6483832189 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 36 | |
| 6483833232 | plot | Sequence of events in a story | 37 | |
| 6483833986 | point of view | The perspective from which a story is told | 38 | |
| 6483833987 | protagonist | Main character | 39 | |
| 6483835162 | quatrain | A four line stanza | 40 | |
| 6483837286 | rhythm | a rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language. | 41 | |
| 6483838529 | rhetoric | The art of using language effectively and persuasively | 42 | |
| 6483839839 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected. | 43 | |
| 6483840793 | satire | A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. | 44 | |
| 6483841686 | simile | A comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as" | 45 | |
| 6483842462 | soliloquy | A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage | 46 | |
| 6483843666 | stereotype | A generalized belief about a group of people | 47 | |
| 6483844948 | stream of consciousness | a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind. | 48 | |
| 6483844949 | style | the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax. | 49 | |
| 6483846761 | suspense | A feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story; key element in fiction and drama; "hook" writer uses to keep audience interested | 50 | |
| 6483847531 | symbol | An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. | 51 | |
| 6483848401 | theme | the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work. | 52 | |
| 6483849248 | tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 53 | |
| 6483850964 | tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character | 54 | |
| 6557281318 | foot | A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables | 55 | |
| 6557282612 | iambic | a foot of poetry that follows an "unstressed-stressed" pattern (da DUM) ( u/ ) | 56 | |
| 6557292661 | trochaic | a foot of poetry that follows a "stressed-unstressed" pattern (DUM da) ( /u ) | 57 | |
| 6557297549 | anapestic | a foot of poetry that follows an "unstressed-unstressed-stressed" pattern (da da DUM) ( uu/ ) | 58 | |
| 6557306481 | dactylic | a foot of poetry that follows a "stressed-ustressed-unstressed" pattern (DUM da da) ( /uu ) | 59 | |
| 9764674021 | anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the BEGINNING of consecutive lines or sentences | 60 | |
| 9764676681 | epistrophe | the repetition of a word at the END of successive clauses or sentences | 61 |
