| Term | Definition |
|---|
| plot | the series of related actions or events in a literary work |
| sequence | the arrangement of events in a literary work |
| conflict | struggle between opposing forces; any problem that must be solved |
| internal and external | the two major types of conflict |
| internal conflict | a problem or struggle within a character |
| external conflict | a problem or struggle between a character and someone or something outside a character |
| exposition | establishes the setting, identifies the characters, introduces the basic situation (problem may be revealed here) |
| initiating incident | introduces the central conflict (sometimes it occurs before the beginning of the story |
| rising action | any events leading up to the climax |
| climax | the point of highest interest; the conflict must be resolved one way or another or a character begins to take action to end the conflict |
| falling action | events that occur between the climax and the conclusion |
| resolution/conclusion | the story's end |
| setting | the time and place of the story (where and when it takes place) |
| author's purpose | the author's intent either to inform/ teach, to entertain, or to persuade/ convince the audience |
| suspense | the quality of the story that makes the reader curious and excited about what will happen next |
| foreshadowing | an author's use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story |
| flashback | presents events of the past in the midst of a story in the present |
| mood | the feeling created in a reader by a literary work or passage |
| voice | the fluency, rhythm, and liveliness in writing that make it unique to the writer |
| tone | the attitude toward the subject and audience conveyed by the language and rhythm of the speaker in a literary work |
| satire | literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness |
| character | a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| protagonist | the main character in a literary work |
| antagonist | a character or force in conflict with the main character |
| round character | this character is fully developed – the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background |
| flat character | this character seems to possess only one or two personality traits – little or no background is revealed |
| dynamic character | this character changes as a result of the action in the story |
| static character | this character stays the same throughout the story |
| trait | one of the qualities that makes up a character's personality |
| character motivation | a reason that explains, or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech |
| dialogue | conversation between characters |
| dialect | a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group |
| jargon | the special words or terms used by the members of a particular profession or class |
| slang | an informal, often short-lived kind of language used in place of standard words |
| informal language | the language of everyday speech, may use contractions and slang |
| formal language | the standard language of written communication, formal speeches, and presentations; may not use contractions or slang |
| narrator | the speaker or character who tells the story |
| point of view | the relationship between the narrator and the story he/she is telling – the perspective from which the story is told |
| primary source | text that tells a first-hand account of an event; original works used when researching (letters, journals) |
| secondary source | text used when researching that is derived from something original (biographies, magazine articles) |
| prose | the ordinary form of writing; most writing that is not poetry, drama, or song |
| fiction | prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events |
| non-fiction | prose writing that presents and explains ideas about real people, places, objects or events |
| fantasy | highly imaginative writing that has elements not found in real life |
| biography | a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person |
| autobiography | a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells his or her own life story |
| text structure | the author's method of organizing text |
| genre | a division or type of literature – generally prose, poetry or drama |
| theme | the message, central concern, or insight into life revealed in a literary work |
| stereotype | a fixed, generalized idea about a character, place, or situation |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art |
| inference | understanding gained by "reading between the lines"; a judgment based on reasoning rather that direct statement |
| irony | the general name given to literary techniques that involve surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions |
| verbal irony | words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning or contradict their usual meaning |
| situational irony | an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character, the reader, or the audience (a surprise twist) |
| dramatic irony | a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true (we, the audience, know more than the character/s) |
| euphemism | an inoffensive word or term used in place of another that is felt to be offensive |
| idiom | an expression having a special meaning different from the usual meanings of the words (example – "hit the road") |
| figurative language | writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling |
| imagery | a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell |
| figures of speech | types of figurative language |
| simile | a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike subjects using like or as |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison between two unlike subjects (something is described as if it were something else) |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech that is an exaggeration for effect |
| personification | a figure of speech in which a non-human subject is given human characteristics |
| alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words that imitate sounds |
| stanza | a division of poetry similar to a paragraph in prose |
| refrain | a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song |
| bias | a judgment based on a personal point of view |
| sweeping generalization | a conclusion that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person |
| editorial | a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers |
| propaganda | techniques used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something |
| name calling | an attack on a person instead of an issue |
| band wagon | tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it |
| red herring | an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument |
| emotional appeal | tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader's emotions instead of to logic or reason |
| testimony | attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea |
| generalization | makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information |
| circular argument | states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument |
| appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics | attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true |
Combine with other sets
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