Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Allusion
A reference to another work of literature, person, or event
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
archetype
a very typical example of a certain person or thing
assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
connotation
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
denotation
The dictionary definition of a word
diction
word choice
euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
figurative language
Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
foil character
a character's whose main purpose is to highlight the strengths of another character
Foreshadowing
A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.
free verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
hyperbole
exaggeration
imagery
Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
irony
A contrast between expectation and reality
literal
Exactly true, rather than figurative or metaphorical
metaphor
A comparison without using like or as
mood
Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
motif
A recurring theme, subject or idea
onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.
paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
parody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
personification
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
prepositional phrase
A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.
rhetorical
relating to speech that is used to persuade or have some effect; insincere in expression
satire
A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.
setting
The time and place of a story
simile
A comparison using "like" or "as
soliloquy
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
sonnet
14 line poem
stanza
A group of lines in a poem
symbol
A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
synechdoche
Uses a part to explain a whole or a whole to explain a part. ex. Lend me an ear.
syntax
Sentence structure
theme
Central idea of a work of literature
tone
Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
first person
I" and "Me" standpoint. Personal perspective.
second person
Told from the reader's point of view, using "you
third person omniscient
the narrator knows all of the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a work
third person limited
Narrator sees the world through only one characters eyes and thoughts.
third person perspective
spectator
declarative
makes a statement
Interrogative
asks a question
exclamatory
Having a forceful, excited, or emotional tone
imperative
absolutely necessary
preposition
A word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word
conjuctions
A word that connects other words (and, but, or, yet)
interjections
Expresses strong emotions. Followed by an exclamation point or a comma depending on the strength of emotion. Examples: Wow!, Yuck!, Yes, Holy cow!