| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | story that is deeply symbolic in which the characters, conflicts and setting represent something beyond themselves |
| alliteration | repetition of a consonant sound in a series of words |
| allusion | when an author refers to another book |
| antagonist | a character who works against the protagonist, the bad guy |
| anti-hero | a protagonist with qualities that are opposite to those normally expected from a hero |
| argument | evidence to support your opinion |
| assonance | repetition of a vowel sound in a series of words |
| illustration | example or evidence |
| climax | the highest point in the plot |
| couplet | a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse |
| denouement | the final resolution |
| diction | word choice |
| characterization | the creator of fictitious characters in a literary work giving them essential features |
| foreshadowing | hints or clues of what is to come later |
| jargon | technical language of a trait or skill |
| dramatic irony | when reader knows more than characters do |
| figurative language | language with a deeper meaning beyond the literal meaning |
| foil | two characters that are opposites |
| imagery | descriptive words and phrases a writer uses to create |
| irony | contrast between appearance and actuality |
| metaphor | comparing two things |
| mood | feeling or atmosphere an author creates |
| oxymoron | two words next to each other that are opposites |
| parallelism | when two events in a story are similar or mirror each other |
| personification | giving human characteristics to inanimate things |
| point of view | perspective from which a story is narrated |
| simile | comparing two things using like or as |
| slang | informal language never used in essays |
| soliloquy | speech made by a character alone that reveals his or her thoughts |
| sonnet | a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme |
| symbol | when something represents something else |
| theme | main idea or message |
| thesis | claim in an essay |
| aside | speech by a character in presence of other characters but only heard by the audience |
| monologue | long speech in the presence of other characters |
Combine with other sets
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