| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Allegory | story in which characters are used as symbols, eg: fables |
| Alliteration | use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse |
| Allusion | passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication |
| Antagonist | The major character-in a narrative or drama who works against the hero. |
| Anti-Hero | a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine) |
| Argument | a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true |
| Assonance | the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words |
| Illustration | a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand |
| Climax | the decisive moment in a novel or play |
| Couplet | a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse |
| Denouement | the outcome of a complex sequence of events |
| Diction | the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience |
| Characterization | the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features |
| Foreshadowing | to show or indicate beforehand; prefigure |
| Jargon | a characteristic language of a particular group |
| Dramatic Irony | irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play |
| Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is used to create vivid impressions by setting up comparisons between dissimilar things, [examples are metaphor, simile, and personification. |
| Foil | a character who acts as a contrasts to another character |
| Imagery | the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things |
| Irony | he use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning |
| Jargon | a characteristic language of a particular group |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by speaking as if the other. |
| Mood | verb inflections that express how the action or state is conceived by the speaker |
| Oxymoron | conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'bitter sweet') |
| Parallelism | the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structure |
| Personification | the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc. |
| Point of View | a mental position from which things are viewed |
| Simile | a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as') |
| Slang | informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions (You can't fool me) |
| Soliloquy | speech you make to yourself |
| Sonnet | a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme |
| Symbol | something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible |
| Theme | the main idea in the story |
| Thesis | the main idea about the essay, the opinion you're supporting |
| Tone | the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people |
| Tragedy | drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance |
| Aside | a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage |
| Monologue | a dramatic speech by a single actor |
Combine with other sets
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