Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds at beginning of words
Allusion
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
Anachronism
An event or detail existing out of its proper time in history
Analogy
Point-by-Point comparison between two things alike in some respect
Anaphora
Repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply
Assonance
Repetition of bowl sounds with non rhyming words
Characterization
Way a writer creates and develops characters' personalities
Direct Characterization
The author directly states a character's traits
Indirect Characterization
Author subtly reveals the character through actions and interactions
Connotation
All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
Consonance
Repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of words
Denotation
Dictionary definition of a word
Epiphany
A moment of sudden revelation or insight
Euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
Figurative Language
A form of language use in which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words.
Foil
A character who acts as a contrast to another character
Genre
A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content.
Hyperbole
Truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effects
Idom
Meaning is different from literal meaning of its words
Irony
One's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect
Dramatic Irony
Audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not awarer of
Situational Irony
The exact opposite of what is meant to happen, happens
Verbal Irony
Use of words to mean something different from what a person actually says
Juxtaposition
Two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect
Litote
A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
Monologue
Speech delivered by one person, or a long sided conversation
Motif
Object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work
Narrator
Character or voice that relates the story's events to the reader
Novel
Extended work of fiction
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
Seemingly contradictory or absorb statement that may nonetheless suggest an important truth
Parallelism
Similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal importance
Poetry
Type of literature where words are carefully chosen and arranged to create certain effects
Prose
All forms of written or spoken expression
Pun
Joke comes from a play on words
Repetition
Technique where a sound, word, phrase,or line is repeated for emphasis or unity
Sarcasm
Particularly cutting irony
Sensory Details
Words and phrases that appeal to the readers sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste
Symbol
A Person, place, object or an activity that stands for something beyond itself
Syntax
Arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language
Theme
Underlying message about life or human nature that the writer wants the reader to understand
Understatement
Technique of creating emphasis by saying less than is actually or literally true
Polysyndeton
Several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect
Asyndeton
Intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentences