Literary Terms

Alliteration

The repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds in word that are close together
Example: Simple words sully a serene sun

Allusion

A reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, relegion, mythology, politics,sports, or science
Example: A sky as heavy as that Tuesday in September

Figurative Language/Figure of Speach

A word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something else and is not literally true

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles, a comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Mood

The overall emotion created by a work of literature

Tone

The attitude that a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Metaphor

An imagination comparison between two unlike things in which one this is said to be another thing
Example: She was an old autograph

Onomatopoeia

The use of words with sounds that echo their sound
Example: Whack, zing, ping, bzzz, plop, eek, rattle, pow, ect.

Personification

a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.

Repetition

Repeating of a word, phrase, or line

Symbol

A person, place, a thing, or an event that has its own meaning and stands for something beyond itself as well

Imagery

A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.

Stanza

An arrangement of a certain number or lines, meters, or ryhme schemes forming a division of poems

Idiom

A phrase that doesn't mean what it literally says, An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally (ex- "Get your head out of the clouds").

Rhyme

Two or more words that have ending syllables with the same sound

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem

End Rhyme

The rhyme at the end of a line

Internal Rhyme

A ryhme created by two or more words in the same line of verses
Example: In this season, listen for the voice of reason

Exposition

introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation

Rising action

major events in a story that lead up to the climax