Adynation
A form of hyperbole a figure of speech that stresses the inexpressibility of something
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
Allusions
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
anachronism
When an object, custom or idea is misplaced outside of its proper historical time
Anaphora
The repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginnings of successive lines or clauses
Antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
Apostrophe
An address to an inanimate object, abstraction, or a dead or absent person
charcaterization
The creation or construction of a fictional character
Characters
The people who inhabit the story and move it forward. Typically, there are minor characters and main characters. The minor characters generally play supporting roles to the main character, or the protagonist
Climax
the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.
Conflict
the primary problem or obstacle that unfolds in the plot that the protagonist must solve or overcome by the end of the narrative. The way in which the protagonist resolves the conflict of the plot results in the theme of the narrative
Connotative
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
Denotative
the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.
Diction
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
End rhyme
when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same
Epistrophe
Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive lines or clauses
Epizeuxis
The repetition of a word with no intervening words.
erotesis (rhetorical question)
Asking a question without requiring an answer, in order to assert or deny a statement
Exposition
a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
External motivations
Outside factors that motivate the character to act
Foot
Contains one stressed syllable and at least one unstressed syllable
Genre
a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
Half rhyme
a rhyme in which the stressed syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowel sounds do not match
Hendiadys
When a single idea is expressed by two nouns, used in conjunction
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration, not intended literally
Idiom
a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
In medias res
the technique of beginning a narrative in the middle of the action, before relating preceding events at a later point
Internal motivations
Intrinsic or inside factors that motivate the character to act
Internal rhyme
a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another at the end of the line or in the middle of the next.
Leitmotif
A phrase, image or situation frequently repeated throughout a work, supporting a central theme
Litotes
A form of meiosis; the affirmation of something by the denial of its opposite "not uncommon" "not bad
Meiosis
An intentional understatement in which something is described as less significant than it really is
Metaphor
When one thing is said to be another thing, or is described in terms normally connected to another thing, in order to suggest a quality shared by both.
Metre
The rhythm as a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line
Mood
a temporary state of mind or feeling.
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound to which it refers "bang
Oxymoron
A combination of two contradictory terms
Personification or prosopopoeia
When inanimate objects, animals or ideas are referred to as if they were human. Similar terms are anthropomorphism, when human form is ascribed to something not human
Poetry
literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.
Plot
The events as they unfold in sequence
Point of view
the narrator's position in relation to the story being told
Polysyndeton
Use of more than required amount of conjunctions
Protagonist
the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
Resolution/Denouement
the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
Rhyme
correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.
Rhythm
A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
Simile
When one thing is directly compared with another thing; indicated by the use of the words "as" or "like
Stanzas
a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.
summary
a brief statement or account of the main points of something.
Symbol
A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
Symbolism
A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning
Synaesthesia
The application of terms relating to one sense to a different one
Synecdoche
A form of metonymy in which something is referred to by a specific part of its whole
Theme
The ultimate message the narrative is trying to express; it can be either explicit or implicit
True rhyme
final accented vowel and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical, while the preceding consonants are different, for example, great, late; rider, beside her; dutiful, unbeautiful. Also called full rhyme, true rhyme
Understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.