| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Allegory | a deeply symbolic story in which the characters, the settings, the events, and action have meanings beyond themselves. |
| alliteration | the repetition of the first consonant sound 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 oppose the protagonist in a narrative or drama. |
| Anti-hero | a protagonist who has qualities opposite to those normally expected from a hero such as stupidity, insecurity, dishonesty, and cowardliness. |
| Argument | the gathering of evidence to support your opinion. |
| assonance | the repetition of a vowel sound in a series of words. |
| illustration | another word for examples or evidences; drawing. |
| climax | highest point of action; turning point |
| couplet | last 2 lines of a sonnet |
| denouement | the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel. |
| Diction | word choice |
| characterization | how characters are developed; speech, actions, thoughts, and physical appearance. |
| foreshadowing | author gives hints to future events that may or may not occur |
| jargon | the term for the technical language for a trade or profession |
| dramatic irony | when readers know more about a situation or a character in a story than the characters do. |
| figurative language | language that has meanings beyond the literal level |
| foil | when you have 2 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. |
| irony | refers to a contrast between appearances and actuality |
| metaphor | The comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as |
| mood | the feeling or atmosphere the other creates for the reader |
| oxymoron | a combination of 2 opposites example: jumbo shrimp |
| parallelism | when 2 events/situations in a story are similar or they mirror each other |
| personification | giving human or animal qualities to an object or idea |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is narrated |
| simile | the comparison of one thing to another with the use of like or as |
| slang | the lowest form of diction that should never be used in an essay |
| soliloquy | a speech made by a character while alone on stage that reveals his or her thoughts to the audience. |
| sonnet | a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter |
| symbol | something that represents something else |
| theme | the main idea/message in a work of literature |
| thesis | your response to a prompt |
| tone | the emotional attitude of a speaker or author |
| tragedy | a play that depicts sorrowful events in a serious manner |
| 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. |
Combine with other sets
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