 | Term | Definition |
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Fable |
A legendary story of supernatural happenings, a narration intended to enforce a useful truth; especially : one in which animals speak and act like human beings |
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Legend |
a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable |
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Synonym |
one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses |
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Atlas |
a bound collection of maps often including illustrations, informative tables, or textual matter |
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Bias |
an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment, influence in an unfair way |
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Biography |
an account of the series of events making up a person's life, an account of the series of events making up a person's life |
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Compound Word |
A compound word is made when two words are joined to form a new word. |
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Contraction |
a word formed from two or more words by omitting or combining some sounds |
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Fairy Tale |
an interesting but highly implausible story |
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Main Idea |
what a piece of writing is mainly about |
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Prefix |
an affix that added in front of the word |
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Suffix |
an affix that is added at the end of the word |
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Antonym |
two words that express opposing concepts |
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Plot |
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal) |
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Point of view |
"eyes" through which the story is told |
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Root Word |
the base component of a term which gives it a meaning that may be modified by other components |
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Science Fiction |
a genre, elements of fiction and fantasy with scientific fact. science-fiction stories are set in the future |
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Setting |
arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted |
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Syllable |
a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme, a vowel or a group of letters containing one vowel sound |
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Tall Tale |
highly exaggerated story with humor |
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Acronym |
Technique for remembering names, phrases, or steps by using the first letter of each word to form a new, memorableword |
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Anecdote |
short account of an incident (especially a biographical one) |
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Anthology |
A collection of extracts from the writings of various authors. |
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Aphorism |
A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. |
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Autobiography |
a biography of yourself, n. The story of one's life written by himself. |
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Bibliography |
a list of writings with time and place of publication (such as the writings of a single author or the works referred to in preparing a document etc.) |
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Caption |
brief description accompanying an illustration |
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Context |
the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event |
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Excerpt |
a passage selected from a larger work |
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Foreshadowing |
the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot |
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Homonym |
two words are homonyms if they are pronounced or spelled the same way but have different meanings |
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Memoir |
an account of the author's personal experiences |
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Multisyllabic |
Multi-syllabic words in English consisting of one or more syllable with a lax vowel and ending with a syllable containing a tense vowel are highly predictable. |
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Persuade |
cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action |
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Poet |
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry) |
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Problem |
a source of difficulty |
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Solution |
the successful action of solving a problem |
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Purpose |
what something is used for |
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Rhythm |
Pattern of sound and silence in music. |
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Rising Action |
Action that leads to turning point |
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Satire |
A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attemmpt to bring about a change. |
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Stanza |
A group of rimed lines, usually forming one of a series of similar divisions in a poem. |
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Syllogism |
logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument |
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Venn Diagram |
a diagram that uses circles to represent set theory |
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Annotated Bibliography |
An annotated bibliography gives an account of the research that has been done on a given topic. Like any bibliography, an annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of research sources. In addition to bibliographic data, an annotated bibliography provides a concise summary of each source and some assessment of its value or relevance. |
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Footnote |
a printed note placed below the text on a printed page, a printed note placed below the text on a printed page |
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Metaphor |
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles |
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Summary |
a briefstatement that presents the main points in a concise form |
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Root Word |
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed, the base component of a term which gives it a meaning that may be modified by other components |
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Alliteration |
the repitition of sounds, most often consonat sounds, at the begining of words. Alliteration gives emphasis to words. |
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Assonance |
the repitition of some or similar vowel sounds in stressed syables that end with different consonant sounds |
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Assumption |
the act of assuming or taking for granted |
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Chronological |
Order of events over time |
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Consonance |
the repitition of consonant sounds before and after different vowels |
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Exaggeration |
making to seem more important than it really is |
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Exposition |
a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic |
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Falling Action |
the falling action (or resolution) is characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot's conflicts and complications |
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Field Guide |
a guidebook describing natural objects of some type that might be encountered in the field |
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Flash Back |
a scene that interrupts a action of a work to show a previous event |
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Irony |
incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs |
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Literary Device |
efers to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form which expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Literary devices collectively comprise the art form’s components; the means by which authors create meaning through language, and by which readers gain understanding of and appreciation for their works. They also provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary works to others, both within and across genres. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. |
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Literary Element |
includes all the elements in a story: plot, rising action, falling action, problem, solution, setting, ect. |
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Memorandum |
a written proposal or reminder |
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Narrate |
To tell a story. |
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Parable |
a short moral story (often with animal characters) |
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Persuasive |
tending or intended or having the power to induce action or belief |
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Primary Source Historical |
Original documentation |
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Document |
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature) |
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Pun |
a "play on words" based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things |
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Quote |
a passage or expression that is quoted or cited |
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Reference |
the act of referring or consulting |
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Scene |
a situation treated as an observable object |
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Secondary Source |
review summarizes or discusses research conducted by others. Not first hand data. Scholarly books |
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Word Play |
playing on words or speech sounds |
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Allusion |
a referance in a work of literatre to a character, place, or situation from history or from another work of literature, music, or art. |
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Characterization |
a graphic or vivid verbal description |
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Extended Metaphor |
The comparison between two things is continued beyond the first point of comparison. This extends and deepens a description. |
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Homophone |
two words are homophones if they are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning or spelling or both (e.g. bare and bear) |
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Oxymoron |
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. |
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Archetype |
an original model on which something is patterned |
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Iambic Pentameter |
A metrical pattern in poetry which consists of five iambic feet per line. (an iamb, or iambic foot, consists of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.) |
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Omniscient |
all-knowing |
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Paradox |
a situation or statement that seems to be impossible or contradicting, but is nevertheless true, either literally or figuratively |
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Pathetic Fallacy |
The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature; for example angry clouds; a cruel wind. |
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Sonnet |
a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme |
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Stereotype |
a distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified image applied to a category of people |
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Symbolism |
the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning, The use of words, places, people, or objects to mean something beyond their literal meaning. |
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Symbolize |
represent or identify by using a symbol |
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Third Person |
narrator is outside the action and refers to characters as he or she |
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Antithesis |
exact opposite |
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Metonymy |
substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads') |
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Scansion |
The analysis of a poem's meter. This is usually done by marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in each line and then based on the pattern of the stresses dividing the line into feet. |
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Synecdoche |
substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa |
