| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abridged | shortened version |
| alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds "fox fled" |
| allusion | reference to something well-known |
| annotate | take notes about |
| antagonist | character who goes against the main character |
| aphorism | a brief, often witty saying; a proverb, adage |
| autobiography | Story of a person's life written by that person |
| ballad | A song or poem, especially a traditional one, telling a story |
| biography | story of a person's life written by another person |
| characterization | methods a writer uses to develop characters |
| cliche | overused expression |
| climax | turning point of the plot |
| colloquial | conversational in speech or writing |
| conflict | problem in the story |
| connotation | the feelings or emotions surrounding a word |
| copyright law | set of regulations to protect original work |
| denotation | dictionary definition |
| dialect | Language specific to a region or group of people |
| dramatic irony | the reader knows something that the characters do not |
| epic | long poem that tells about legendary or heroic deeds |
| epithet | a term used to characterize a person or thing |
| et. al | means "and others" |
| euphemism | a less offensive term |
| exposition | background information at beginning of story |
| fable | story in which animals teach a lesson |
| fantasy | highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life |
| figurative language | used in descriptive writing, includes simile, metaphor, personification |
| flashback | learning about something that happened earlier in time |
| folklore | the customs, legends, songs, and stories of a people or nation |
| foreshadowing | a hint of what is to come in the plot |
| genre | type or category of literary work (i.e., poetry, drama) |
| hyperbole | an extreme exaggeration |
| idiom | An expression that cannot be understood if taken literally (ex- "Get your head out of the clouds"). |
| imagery | appealing to the five senses |
| inference | an educated guess based on clues in the story |
| invocation | a call for assistance, support, or inspiration |
| irony of situation | when the opposite happens of what you'd expect |
| jargon | words and phrases specific to a certain profession or group |
| legend | A story handed down from earlier times to explain the past |
| lyric poem | a poem that has feeling |
| malapropism | a misuse of words, especially through confusion caused by resemblance in sound |
| memoir | an account based on the author's perosnal experiences |
| metaphor | direct comparison |
| meter | rythmic pattern in poetry |
| monologue | an extended speech given by one speaker |
| mood | the overall emotion created by a work of literature |
| motif | a recurring object, or concept a work of literature |
| myth | a traditional story that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon or justify a certain practice or belief of a society |
| ode | A poem in praise of something divine or noble |
| oxymoron | Two contradictory words in one expression |
| parable | A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson |
| paradox | seemingly contradictory statement |
| parody | an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect |
| personifiction | giving person-like qualities to an object |
| plagiarism | literary theft |
| plot | sequence of events in a story |
| point of view | the relationship of the narrator to the story |
| prior knowledge | what you already knew before reading |
| protagonist | main character |
| realism | literature that attempts to represent life as it really is |
| resolution | the final solution of the plot |
| romance | A genre comprised of idealized events far removed from everyday life. |
| science fiction | literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society |
| setting | time and place |
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| stream of consciousness | presenting a character's thoughts as they occur |
| suspense | the quality of the story that makes the reader curious and excited about what will happen next |
| symbol | when one thing stands for something else |
| theme | the author's main point of a story |
| thesaurus | a book of synonyms |
| tone | The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters |
| unabridged | full length version |
| verbal irony | A figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing but means another |
Combine with other sets
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