Allegory
a work in which all characters and events are symbolic of ideas
Allusion
a reference in a work to another work (often a work of literature)
Ambiguity
purposeful confusion or uncertainty created by an author
Character
the people in a work
Conceit
an extended metaphor that gets developed throughout a work
Connotation
what a work or a phrase suggests in a context of a work
Diction
the author's choice of words
Exposition
the beginning descriptions of a story, including setting (the "when" and the "when")
Figurative Language
words and phrases that have meanings beyond the literal
Hyperbole
purposeful exaggeration in a work
Imagery
mental "pictures" created by words
Irony
a contrast between reality and expectation
Verbal irony
a contrast between what is said and what is meant
Situational irony
a contrast between what you expect to happen and what does
Dramatic irony
a contrast between what a character knows and what the reader does
Metaphor
a contrast between two unlike things (doesn't use like or as)
Mood
the general atmosphere of a work - how it makes a reader feel
Parody
a humorous imitation of another work
Personification
giving inanimate objects human qualities
Punctuation
marks that are used in writing to clarify meaning
Repetition
purposeful inclusion of a word, phrase, or idea many times in a work
Sarcasm
a bitter tone used in a work to clarify an author's disagreement with something
Satire
a work created to make fun of or deride human folly
Simile
a contrast between two unlike things using "like" or "as
Symbol
an object in a work that means more than what it is
Syntax
the arrangement of words in a work
Theme
the main message that a work conveys
Tone
how an author feels toward what he or she is describing