| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Abstract | ideas or concepts; they have no physical referents |
| Concrete | objects or events that are available to the senses |
| Connotative | the suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase |
| Denotative | the dictionary definition of a word |
| Third person limited | when the point of view is from one single character's thoughts, and the reader is only limited to what that character thinks and feels |
| Third person omniscient | the point of view of a storyteller who plays no part in the story but knows all the facts, including the characters' thoughts |
| Third person objective | tells a story without describing any character's thoughts, opinions, or feelings |
| Alliteration | the repetition of one or more initial consonants on a groups of words, lines of poetry, or prose |
| Antithesis | a rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences |
| Telegraphic syntax | omission of many function words to increases confusion (broken up/words missing/ not flowing) |
| Motifs | phrase, idea, or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature |
| stream of consciousness | (interior monologue) a style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind |
| Oxymoron | a term consisting of contradictory elements put together to create a paradoxical effect |
| Hyperbole | overstatement; exaggeration for rhetorical effect |
| Satire | a literary style used to poke fun at, attack or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change |
| Authors purpose | author's reason for writing the work of literature |
| Symbols | the use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object |
| Assonance | the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines of poetry and prose |
| Slang | informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions; often vituperative or vulgar |
| Paradox | a statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true |
| Declarative sentence | a statement |
| Interrogative sentence | asks a question |
| Imperative sentence | makes a comand |
| Metonymy | a representative substitute term with which it is usually associated |
| Synecdoche | figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies a part |
| Cosmic irony | is when a higher being or force interferes in a character's life, creating ironic settings. |
| Literary allusions | a reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea |
| Imagery | the formation of mental images or figures, using descriptive language |
| Flashbacks | a return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances |
| Foreshadowing | when the author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story |
| Cacophony | grating, inharmonious sounds |
| Euphony | pleasing, harmonious sounds |
| Jovial | happy |
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