| Term | Definition |
|---|
| illustration | example or evidence |
| jargon | the term for the technical language of a skill or profession |
| slang | the lowest form of diction that should not be used in an essay |
| figurative language | has meanings beyond the literal level |
| diction | word choice |
| tone | emotional attitude of a speaker or author |
| argument | the gathering of evidence to support your opinion |
| assonance | repetition of a vowel sound in a series of words |
| allegory | a deeply symbolic story in which the characters, the settings, and the events/action have meanings beyond themselves; usually conveys an idea about people and the world |
| alliteration | repetition of first letter consonant sounds in a series of words |
| allusion | when an author refers to another character/historical or biblical reference in a story |
| antagonist | the most prominent of the characters who opposes the protagonist in a narrative or drama; often a villian seeking to frustrate the protagonist, but in those cases where the latter is evil it will often be virtuous; could be a force of nature |
| anti-hero | a protagonist who has qualities opposite to those normally expected from a hero such as stupidity, insecurity, dishonesty, cowardliness; a protagonist with bad qualities or traits |
| climax | the highest point in a series of dramatic actions, the turning point of the dramatic action at which point the outcome of the play becomes inevitable |
| couplet | last two lines of a sonnet |
| denouement | the final resolution; the winding down of the action |
| characterization | the creation of fictitious characters in a literary work, giving them essential features so that they seem real; developed through speech, actions, thoughts, and physical appearance |
| foreshadowing | a clue in the story which hints at something later in the story |
| dramatic irony | when readers know more about a situation or a character in the story than the characters do |
| foil | when you have two characters whose traits make them complete opposites |
| imagery | the descriptive words and phrases a writer uses to re-create sensory experiences by referring to concrete objects, scenes, actions, or states; descriptive writing that appeals to the five senses |
| irony | refers to a contrast between appearances and actuality |
| metaphor | a comparison of two things using "is" |
| mood | the feeling or atmosphere the author creates for the reader |
| oxymoron | combination of two opposites |
| parallelism | when two events/situations in a story are similar |
| personification | give human or animal qualitites to inatiment objects or ideas |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is narrated |
| simile | a comparison of two things using "like" or "as" |
| soliloquy | a speech made by a character while alone on stage that reveals his or her thoughts to the audience; when a character reveals feelings |
| sonnet | a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter |
| symbol | something that represents something else but in a deeper meaning |
| theme | the main idea or message in a work of literature |
| thesis | main claim that responds to the prompt/answers the question; tells what the essay is going to be about |
| tragedy | a play that depicts sorrowful events in a serious matter |
| aside | a speech by a character in the presence of other characters, yet only the audience hears it |
| monologue | a long speech by a character in the presence of others |
| first person | uses I and cannot view the minds of other characters |
| third person omniscient | uses he/she and can move into the minds of the characters- reveals thoughts, feelings, and emotions |
| third person limited | uses he/she but cannot view the minds of other characters |
Combine with other sets
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