Action
what happens in a story: the events or conflicts.
Allegory
a story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or generalization about life.
Allusion
a reference in literature to a familiar person, place, thing, or event.
Analogy
a comparison of two or more objects due to their similarities.
Antagonist
the person or thing working against the protagonist or hero.
Characterization
the method an author uses to reveal or represent characters and their various personalities.
Climax
the high point, or turning point, in a story-usually the most intense point.
Conflict
the problem or struggle in a story.
Context
the set of facts or circumstances surrounding an event or a situation in a piece of literature.
Denouement
the final solution or outcome of a play or story.
Colloquialism
an expression/word that is usually accepted in informal situations but not in formal writing.
Epic
a story or poem that tells of the journeys and adventures of a hero.
Exposition
writing that is intended to make clear, or explain, something that might otherwise be difficult to understand.
Falling Action
the part of a plot that follows the climax, where the conflict and tension decreases.
Figurative Language
when language is used to describe things in a non-direct way; often uses many literary devices.
Figure of Speech
a literary device used to create a special effect or feeling by making some type of interesting or creative comparison.
Antithesis
an argument that directly opposes another argument.
Hyperbole
an obvious and intentional exaggeration, or overstatement.
Personification
a literary device in which the author speaks of or describes an animal, object, or idea as if it were a person.
Simile
a comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison is used.
Foil
highlighting differences by introducing contrast.
Foreshadowing
giving hints and clues of what is to come later in a story.
Genre
a category of literary work.
Imagery
when an author uses description of the senses so the reader feels they are there.
Irony
using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or normal meaning; often used for humour.
Parody
a humorous form of literature intended to mock a particular literary work or its style.
Protagonist
the main character or hero of the story.
Pun
a word or phrase that is used in such a way as to suggest more than one possible meaning for humour.
Setting
the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs; can also include weather, social conditions and mood.
Elegy
a poem that expresses sorrow (often about death).
Flashback
a section of a story that jumps back in time to provide information about an earlier occurrence.
Euphony
pleasing or sweet sounds created by words that sound nice to the ear.
Fable
a short tale that teaches a moral lesson, often uses animals and is targeted at children.
Historical Reference
a reference to something historical.
Indirect Presentation
when the reader does not learn about character directly from the narrator and instead must infer information in other ways.
Iambic Pentameter
a set of 5 unstressed/stressed syllabic pairs that is often used in sonnets.
Graphic Text
a combination of pictures and words to tell a story.
Extended Metaphor
a comparison that is carried throughout a longer poem or work.
Farce
a genre of comedic literature (often a play) designed to provoke laughter; often uses caricatures, slapstick and low-brow humour.
Formal Essay
an essay that uses academic language, logical organization, and has a serious purpose.
Internal Conflict
conflict that takes place within a character and is normally psychological.
Idiom
a commonly used expression that has meaning other than its grammatical or logical one.
Editorial
an article in a newspaper or magazine that expresses the author's opinion.
Free Verse
lines of poetry that follow no structural, metrical or rhyming limitations; the lines are 'free' from any rules.
Form
the shape and structure of a literary work that defines it; includes the genre.
Hero
the central character of the story; usually possesses positive qualities
Indeterminate Ending
an ending which is not clearly stated, and relies on the reader's interpretation.
Epiphany
when a character has a sudden realization, or looks at something in a new light.
Epitaph
the words on a tombstone to remember the person buried there.
Formal Language
the use of 'high' or professional/academic language; not conversational.
Comedy
a light and humorous drama with a happy ending.
Epigraph
a quotation at the beginning of a work, suggesting a theme.
Internal Rhyme
rhyme that occurs within one line of poetry.
Fantasy
a genre of literature that is removed from reality and is set in a non-existent world
Euphemism
a gentler, less offensive way of phrasing something.
Juxtaposition
putting two things side by side with the intention of making differences become apparent.
External Conflict
a conflict that takes place between a character and a force outside themselves.
Mystery
a genre of literature; incorporates a problem/crime, suspense and an eventual solution.
Octave
an 8-line stanza (usually written in iambic pentameter, and has an ABBA ABBA rhyming scheme).
Metaphor
a comparison of two things, not using 'like' or 'as', the first thing usually becomes the second.
Limited Omniscient POV
when the narrator tells the story in third person through the perspective of one or two characters.
Myth
a traditional story (usually involving the origins of a people/culture) that involves supernatural characters or events.
Point of View
a perspective through which a story is told.
Propaganda
a form of communication used to influence people and their beliefs that is usually biased.
Purpose
what the writer is trying to achieve through their writing.
Quatrain
a four line stanza.
Narration
the process of telling a story or describing what happens.
Monologue
an extended speech by one person.
Ode
a poem written devoted to a person, animal, or thing.
Narrator
the person who tells the story.
Parallelism
refers to using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar/identical in structure, sounds, meaning or meter.
Legend
a story passed down about a person who is usually heroic and their achievements.
Literal Language
language that states things directly and is straight-forward.
Proverb
a short, popular saying that teaches some kind of truth or knowledge.
Lyric
a short poem intended to reflect a state of mind or feeling.
Persuasion
the act of using language to convince people to believe your argument.
Metre
a pattern of rhythm based on stressed and unstressed syllables.
Oxymoron
a figure of speech where two contradictory words are put side by side.
Objective
recounts the facts, typically lacking in emotion, will not express opinion.
Pro & Con Argument
expressing arguments that are both for and against a position.
Prologue
a preface or intro to a literary work.
Pastoral
literature set in rural, rustic landscapes.
Omniscient P.O.V.
a narrator who sees into the thoughts of all the characters at all times.
Narrative
the story itself, or account of events and experiences, whether true or fictitious.
Melodrama
an over-dramatic work with exaggerated emotions and stereotyped characters.
Plot
the series of events that make up a story.
Pathos
writing that appeals to emotion and usually tries to convince the reader of an argument by eliciting an emotional response.
Paradox
an idea or concept that seems contradictory, or to not make sense, but has a deeper significance.
Question & Answer
a technique used where a question is raised and answered directly after.
Onomatopoeia
where words imitate their sounds.
Passive Voice
a voice where the subject receives the action.
Objective P.O.V.
the narrator is a detached observer who simply recounts events; never discloses what the characters are thinking and feeling.
Personal Essay
a persuasive essay using Pathos (emotion), Ethos (trust), and Logos (logic).
Persuasive Essay
an essay designed to convince a reader of the writer's point of view.
Mood
the emotion that the atmosphere of a work inspires in the reader.
Flat Character
a character that is underdeveloped or is in the story for a short time.
Blank Verse
a verse without rhyme; sometimes uses iambic pentameter.
Dramatic Irony
when the audience knows what is going to happen before a character does.
Diary
a personal informal record of daily life that records thoughts, feelings and experiences.
Dialect
the language used by people from a certain area, class or district.
Dissonance
a collection of harsh or discordant sounds intended to have a displeasing effect.
Clich�
a phrase/idea that is overused and lacks originality.
Atmosphere
the feeling that a writer conveys to the reader through setting and description.
Denotation
the literal, dictionary meaning of a word; is different from connotation.
Dialogue
a conversation between two or more people.
Climactic Order
the organization of idea from one extreme to another.
Compare & Contrast
examining the similarities and differences in a text.
Dramatic Form
the structural aspects of a play that set it apart from other genres.
Apostrophe
words spoken to a person or object that is inherently imagined or abstract.
Dramatic Monologue
an extended speech by an individual character, meant to show their feelings and thoughts.
Biography
an account of someone's life written by someone else.
Colloquial Language
language used in ordinary conversations; language that may include slang.
Repetition
used to emphasize an idea and is when a specific word or short phrase is repeated.
Rhyme Scheme
the pattern of rhyme throughout a poem that is marked with letters for each different sound.
Research
a close study of a topic using secondary sources.
Rhythm
the beat of the poem measured by the stressed and unstressed syllables.
Thesis Statement
a statement that presents the main argument of an essay (usually last sentence of introduction).
Refrain
a line of series of lines of verse repeated throughout a poem, usually important to a poem's theme.
Static Character
a character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end.
Slang
an informal way of speaking or writing, usually unacceptable for formal writing.
Stereotype
an over-simplified or inaccurate belief or image that has been accepted by many as the truth.
Symbol
something that means more than what it literally is.
Symbolism
the action of using symbols in a piece of literature.
Sonnet
a 14 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
Stock Character
a character with traits easily recognized by the audience; one-dimensional and requires no development.
Stanza
a group of lines of poetry, set off by white space.
Sarcasm
saying one thing, but meaning another; typically used for comedic effect.
Surprise Ending
an ending meant to shock the reader.
Sestet
a six line stanza.
Statistical Evidence
numerical evidence that proves a theory or argument to be true.
Speaker
the voice recounting events in a poem.
Suspense
a device used to make the audience/reader feel tense and want to know the outcome.
Third Person P.O.V.
a view that relates action through "she/he".
Thesis
the main argument in an essay.
Understatement
stating something with less importance than it deserves.
Subjective Language
language that can be interpreted different ways depending on the reader; can involve emotions and feelings.
Style
the characteristics of an author's writing.
Stylistic Technique
techniques used by an author that define their style.
Tragedy
a dramatic or literary piece that deals with a serious topic; usually the main character is brought to ruin.
Rhyme
the same sounds at the end of lines of poetry.
Wit
intellectually amusing statements used to create a comedic tone in a work.
Theme
the message the author is trying to portray; often is a comment on society or life in general.
Stream of Conciousness
a type of narrative that follows a character's thoughts and feelings.
Voice
the distinctive tone that dominates a literary work.
Rising Action
a series of events leading up to the climax in a story.
Soliloquy
a monologue spoken by an actor when they are alone on stage that reveals their feelings, thoughts or motives.
Round Character
a well-developed character that the reader knows well and is often present throughout the story/play.
Satire
a piece of literature that critiques and makes fun of the ways of society and is usually written to raise awareness and promote change.
Resolution
the last part of a plot, following the falling action where the conflict is typically resolved.
Tone
the speaker or narrator's attitude towards a subject.
Cacophony
a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Comic Relief
the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in a serious work to relieve tension.
Cause & Effect
the operation or relation of a thing and its outcomes.
Contrast
used to describe the differences between two or more objects.
Character
a person in a novel, play, or movie.
Comparison
the act or instance of comparing.
Autobiography
a non-fictional account of a person's life written by that person.
Aside
used in drama, when a character speaks on stage but the other characters do not hear usually intended to give the audience more information.
Character Foil
a flat, static character whose role is to act as a contrast to another character.
Couplet
a verse consisting of two successive lines, usually rhyming and having the same meter.
Argumentative Essay
an essay that establishes a position on a topic that is justified with evidence.
Consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds in a short sequence of words.
Chronological Order
a sequence according to time of occurrence.
Assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds inside or at the end of words.
Catastrophe
an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.
Anecdotal Evidence
evidence that draws on personal stories to support an argument.
Archaic Language
words or phrases that are considered out-dated and old-fashioned.
Ballad
a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas.
Caricature
a picture, description or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Active Voice
a sentence structure where the subject is directly doing the action following the formula: Subject ? Verb ? Object.
Chorus
a person/group that comments on the action that has passed in a drama.
Connotation
idea suggested by or associated with a word or phrase in addition to its explicit meaning.
Audience
the people reading a text, listening to a speaker, or viewing a performance.
Direct Presentation
when an author provides outright description of characters so the readers do not need to guess about the characters.
Anti-Climax
a shift from importance to a less significant or trivial observation that is often used for humour or satire.
Case Study
a process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time.
Didactic
literature written with the intent to teach the reader.
Alliteration
the repetition of the same letters or sounds at the beginning of a series of words.
Diction
the words that an author chooses to create a literary state, voice, or tone.
Drama
a genre of writing for the stage, intended to be performed.
Dynamic Character
a character that undergoes a change, for better or worse, from the beginning of a narrative to the end.
Dilemma
when a character has to make a choice between two equally desirable or undesirable options.
Bias
prejudice in favour of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another; usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Jargon
language used by a specific group of people.
Emotional Appeal
when a writer gets the reader emotionally invested or involved in their writing.
First Person P.O.V.
a narrative seen through the eyes of a character that uses the "I" pronoun.
Expert Testimony
an opinion given by someone highly educated in the subject.
Informal Essay
an essay that does not necessarily have a clear thesis and follow one argument; has a less rigid structure.
Expository Essay
an essay that makes a factual argument about a topic.
Interior Monologue
when an author records their thoughts and impulses continually, without regular stops.
Informal Language
language that is used more conversationally, in social and comfortable situations.
Rhetorical Question
asking a question without intending to receive an answer as the answer is usually obvious.