5th Grade Literary Terms

flashback

When the author goes back in the story to an earlier time.

hyperbole

Great exaggeration

irony

Using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its normal meaning.

metaphor

Comparing two things without using "like" or "as".

allusion

Reference to a well-known person, place, thing, event, or work of literature.

personification

Giving human characteristics to an idea, object, or animal.

figurative language

Using words to create a special effect.

foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what is going to happen in the story.

oxymoron

Using two contradictory words together for a special effect.

pun

A word or phrase used in a way that gives it a funny twist.

sarcasm

Use of praise to ridicule someone or something.

satire

Writing that ridicules or makes fun of people's mistakes or weaknesses.

soliloquy

A speech given in a play by a character.

symbol

a concrete or real object used to represent an idea.

dialogue

Talking between characters in a story.

narrator

The person or character who is telling the story.

setting

Time and place of the story.

antagonist

The person or thing fighting against the hero (the villain).

protagonist

The hero of the story.

plot

The action in the story.

plot line

Shows the action or events in a story (5 parts).

exposition

The part that explains the background and setting of the story.

rising action

The part of the story when various problems start to happen.

simile

Comparing two things using "like" or "as".

climax

Turning point in the action of the story.

falling action

The part of the story that follows the climax.

resolution

The satisfying end of a story where the problems are solved.

conflict

The problem in the story that triggers the action.

point of view

The angle from which a story is told.

first-person

One of the characters is telling the story.

third-person

Someone from outside the story is telling it.

theme

The subject or message being written about.

mood

The feeling a reader gets from a story.

tone

The author's attitude or feeling about a piece of writing.

character

A person in a story.

characterization

The author's way of explaining the people in the story.