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YELLOW ROK LitElemen
ROK Literary Elements Technique Cards
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| flashback | Authors use this technique to show something from the past; example: Danny remembered more about his mother's death than he'd ever told anyone. The day she had died, she had called each of her sons to her bedside individually. |
| dialogue | When character talk to each other in a story, enclosed in quotation marks; Example: Harry jumped up and said, “I need to get to class!” |
| Direct characterization | the author directly states a character’s traits or makes direct comments about the character |
| conflict resolution | occurs after the climax and is where the conflicts are resolved |
| figures of speech | expressions that are not literally true; Examples are simile, metaphor, and alliteration |
| falling action | end of the central conflict in a story, when the action starts to wind down |
| direct characterization | The author directly states a character’s traits; Example - Emma was always on time and expected the same from others. She was the kind of girl you could count on but also the kind of girl you might easily disappoint. |
| figurative language | Using language or expressions that are not literally (really) true; Example - The sky was dark and angry. She was as tall as a giraffe. |
| consonance | Repetition of sounds, usually at the end of words; Example. Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray |
| connotation | When a word has a different meaning or feeling from its dictionary definition; Example - home vs house ; the words mean almost the same thing in the dictionary, but home as a feeling associated with warmth, safety, and family. |
| denotation | The dictionary or exact meaning of a word; this is often thought of as the opposite of connotation. |
| flat character | A character about whom little information is provided and who does not change or develop through the story |
| first person point of view | Perspective of the narrator INSIDE a story--when s/he is part of the story; Example - I am standing in the middle of the cafeteria and I don’t see anyone I know. Now, this was strange because I know a lot of people |
| literal statement | the exact, explicit meaning of a word or text; word for word; true; actual |
| internal conflict | struggle in a story - person vs. self |
| indirect characterization | The author does not directly state a character’s traits; instead the reader draws conclusions and discovers a character’s traits based upon clues provided by the author. |
| hyperbole | A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect. Example - “I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!” |
| idioms | Phrases that do not have literal or exact word meanings, such as Break a Leg, which means Good Luck. |
| foreshadowing | Technique authors use to help the reader preview something that will happen later in the story; example: Sam wished he could rid himself of the sick feeling in his gut that told him something terrible was going to happen, and happen soon. |
| metaphor | Phrases that describe several characteristics of something by comparing it with something else NOT using the words LIKE or AS; Example - The car is a dream; Time marches on. (comparing time to a band) |
| main characters | The characters who are important/central to the plot of a story |
| meter | Basic rhythmic structure of a text; example - Hickory dickory dock; the mouse ran up the clock |
| irony | A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. The words say one thing but mean another. Example - He is as smart as a soap dish. |
| imagery | Using sensory words to help the reader visualize; example "the white waves surged forward and curled like serpents around her toes, inviting her to its oceanic depths;" “that autumn trees were a great shade of reds and browns and yellows” |
| paradox | A statement that contradicts itself; Example - “I always lie.” |
| oxymoron | Two words in a phrase that are opposites; Example - same difference or act naturally |
| narrator | One who tells/narrates the story |
| mood | Feeling that a literary device conveys to readers; Example - gloomy, serious, sad, funny, silly |
| onomatopoeia | Words that imitate their meanings by the sounds they make; Example - buzz, bang, boom |
| moral | Lesson that a story teaches |
| point of view | Perspective in which a story is told |
| poem | A type of literature in which feelings are express; Example - haiku, limericks, epic |
| poetic meter | Basic rhythmic structure in the verses of a poem |
| plot | Sequence of related events that make up a story |
| personification | Gives human traits to non-human items; Example - The tree was sad; England expects every man to do his duty –by Lord Nelson |
| parable | Parable is a short, descriptive story that illustrates a moral attitude or religious idea. It differs from the fable in its lack of fantastic or anthropomorphic characters but is similar in length and simplicity. |
| character | An imaginary person or animal in a story |
| antithesis | the exact opposite; Example - I believe in a strict vegetarian diet. He believes we must eat meat at every meal. |
| allusion | reference in literary work to a person, place or thing in history or another work of literature; Example - Jane and Mary are having a tea party and Jane says, “It’s not quite as exciting as the Boston Tea Party, but I’m having a great time. |
| allegory | story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea about life; usually have a strong moral lesson |
| analogy | A comparison of two or more objects that normally would not appear to be similar; Example - A hot, sunny beach is like a snow-covered mountain: you don't want to be on either one for too long! |
| alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (tongue twisters); Ex. Sally shells seashells by the seashore. |
| character traits | A character’s personality; not a physical description of a character; Example - lonely, fierce, rude, popular, friendly |
| climax | the turning point, point of interest, the highest tension of the story |
| characterization | The way a writer makes a character seem real |
| conflict | The tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces |
| assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds; Example - The sign became my shining light. |
| antagonist | A character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character in some way |
| symbolism | Using something specific to stand for something else, especially and idea; Example - a dove represents peace; the dove can be seen and peace, which is the idea, cannot |
| setting | Time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a story occurs |
| round character | A character is fully described by the author and develops or changes throughout the story in response |
| protagonist | The main character of a drama or story |
| second-person point of view | It refers to the use of “you” in narrations, explanations or arguments. It is not frequently used, but is appropriate in certain circumstances. |
| pun | Play on words, usually for humor; Example - When the clock is hungry it goes back four seconds. |
| suspense | A feeling of growing tension and excitement. Writers create this by raising questions in readers’ minds about what might happen. |
| sensory language | Words and phrases that help readers see, hear, taste, feel, or smell what an author is describing |
| tone | the writer’s attitude or feeling about the subject; Example - serious, humorous, angry |
| theme | A common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. |
| synecdoche | Literary technique in which the whole is represented by naming one of its parts; Example - “You’ve got to come check out my new set of wheels.” (the wheels represent the entire car) |
| third person limited point of view | The person telling the story is not one of the characters in the story. He/She is an outside observer. |
| text | The words of something written down |
Created by:
brammerkm
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