HSPA literary terms and devices

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true.

metaphor

where one thing "is" another

mood

feeling or attitude of a section of a story

onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

oxymoron

conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')

personification

the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.

sarcasm

harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule

simile

comparison using like or as

symbolism

something that stands for/represents something else in a story

theme

message in a story

understatement

saying less than one means, for effect

plot

details of a story

conflict

problem in story that needs to be solved

climax

point in a story where action builds to its highest point

flashback

going back to an earlier time

setting

time and place of a story

tone

attitude of the text

characters

the people in the story

narrator

the person telling the story

viewpoint

the point of view of the narrator

rising action

the intensity of the plot builds; suspense occurs

resolution

the end or outcome of a story

chronological order

when a story is told in time order

autobiography

a true story written by the person the story is about

biography

a true story about someone written by someone other than the subject of the story

fiction

a story that is made up

non fiction

a true story

prose

ordinary language

poetry

literature written in verse with rhythm

narrative poem

a poem that tells a story