| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Abstract Language | Language that refer to things that are intangible (i.e. which are perceived not through the senses but by the mind: truth, God, education, vice, transportation, war, love.) |
| Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. Example: In clichés: sweet smell of success, a dime a dozen, bigger and better, jump for joy |
| Allusion | A brief reference to a person, event, or place – real or fictitious- or to a work or art. Casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event. |
| Analogy | The comparison of two pairs that have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair. |
| Antonym | A word having a meaning opposite to that of another word. |
| Assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds in sequence of nearby words. "The monster spoke in a low mellow tone" has assonance in its repetition of the "o" sound. |
| Concrete Language | Language that describes specific, generally observable persons, places, or things; in contrast to abstract language. |
| Conflict | The struggle between opposing forces. There are two kinds of conflict: External and internal. In an external conflict, the main character struggles with an outside force (man vs. man, nature, or society). An internal conflict involves a character in conflict with himself ( man vs. man). |
| Consonance | A repetition of consonants, especially those after a stressed vowel ( march, lurch). |
| Dialect | A regional or social variety of language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists. |
| Figurative Language | The use of words, phrases, symbols, and ideas in such a way as to evoke mental images and sense impression by using words in a non-literal way, giving them a meaning beyond their ordinary one. |
| Flashback | A means by which authors present material that occurred earlier than the present tense of the narrative. Authors may include this material in a characters' memories, dreams, or accounts of past events. |
| Foreshadowing | The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur. This technique helps to create suspense, keeping readers wondering about what will happen next. |
| Hyperbole | Exaggeration or overstatement. |
| Idiom | A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on. |
| Imagery | Any poetic reference to the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, touch, and taste). Imagery is a group of words used to create a mental picture. |
| Inference | The process of drawing a conclusion from given evidence. |
| Irony | A form of speech in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the words used. Irony involves the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem. Dramatic irony lies in the audience's deeper perceptions of a coming fate, which contrast with the character's perceptions. |
| Jargon | Language that is used or understood only by a select group of people. Jargon may refer to terminology used in a certain profession, such as computer jargon, or it may refer to any nonsensical language that is not understood by most people. |
| Literal Language | Language that does not exaggerate or embellish the subject matter and uses no tools of figurative language. |
| Metaphor | A comparison of two unlike things using the verb "to be" and not using like or as in a simile. |
| Mood | The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. The mood is suggested by descriptive words and can often be described in a single word, such as lighthearted, frightening, or despairing. |
| Moral | A lesson taught by a literary work, especially in fables. However, it is customary to discuss contemporary works they explore rather than a moral that they teach. |
| Motivation | A reason that explains or partially explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way. Motivation results from a combination of the character's personality and the situation he or she must deal with. |
| Order of Importance | Ranking events or items in the order of their significance. |
| Personification | Giving human characteristics to animals or objects. |
| Plot | The sequence of events in a literary work. |
| Point of View | The way in which a story is told. The choice of point of view determines the type and amount of information the author reveals. There are three main types of narrators: First person, Third person Omniscient, and Third person limited. |
| Simile | The comparison of two unlike things using like or as. Related to metaphor |
| Spatial Order | A method of description that begins at one geographical point and moves onward in an orderly fashion. |
| Style | The author's unique way of writing. Elements determining style include diction; tone; characteristic use of figurative language; dialect; or rhythmic devices; and typical grammatical structures and patterns. |
| Suspense | A feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work. Writers create suspense by raising questions in the minds of their readers. |
| Symbolism | The practice of representing things by a means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships. |
| Synonym | Words having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language. |
| Theme | A central message or insight in to life revealed through a literary work |
| Universal theme | A message about life that can be understood by most cultures. Many folktales and examples of classic literature address universal themes such as the importance of courage, the effects of honesty, or the danger of greed. |
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