| Term | Definition |
|---|
| The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words | alliteration |
| A reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize | allusion |
| The repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially in poetry | assonance |
| Verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter | blank verse |
| A break or pause in a line of poetry, which contributes to the rhythm of the poem | caesura |
| The means by which a writer reveals a character's personality | characterization |
| A struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem. | conflict |
| A writer's choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, or precision | diction |
| A figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect | hyperbole |
| The most common verse line in English and American history | iambic pentameter |
| A contrast or an incongruity between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens | irony |
| A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things which are basically dissimilar | metaphor |
| A generally regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry | meter |
| A recurring feature, such as a name, image, or phrase, in a work of literature | motif |
| A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory ideas or terms | oxymoron |
| The use of phrases, causes, or sentences that are similar or complementary in structure or meaning | parallelism |
| A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities | personification |
| The vantage point from which a narrative is told | point of view |
| The art of using language for persuasion | rhetoric |
| A kind of writing that holds up to ridicule or contempt the weaknesses and wrongdoings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general | satire |
| The analysis of verse in terms of meter | scansion |
| A figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things using like or as | simile |
| A writer's characteristic way of writing, determined by the choice of words, arrangement of words in sentences, and the relationship of the sentences to one another | style |
| Any object, person, place, or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value | symbol |
| The general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to convey in a literary work | theme |
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