| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Alliteration | Use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse |
| Allusion | A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication |
| Assonance | The repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words |
| Blank Verse | Unrhymed iambic pentameter. |
| Caesura | A break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line that contributes to the rhythm |
| Characterization | Achieved through description, thoughts, words, actions, and reactions of characters |
| Conflict | Opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot) |
| Diction | A writer's choice of words (clarity, effectiveness, and precision) |
| Hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor |
| Iambic Pentameter | A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable |
| Irony | Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs |
| Metaphor | A comparision without using like or as |
| Meter | A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry |
| Motif | A principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a piece of literature or art |
| Oxymoron | A figure of speech consisting of two apparently contradictory terms |
| Parallelism | Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other |
| Personification | The act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas, objects, etc. |
| Point of View | The spatial property of the position from which something is observed |
| Rhetoric | The art of using language effectively and persuasively |
| Satire | A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attemmpt to bring about a change. |
| Scansion | The analysis of verse in terms of meter |
| Simile | A comparison using like or as |
| Style | A way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period |
| Symbol | Something that represents itself as well as something larger than itself |
| Theme | The general idea a writer wants to convey in their work |
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