| Question |
Answer |
| 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 of the 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 opening of the story) |
| rising action |
any events leading up to the climax |
| climax |
point of highest interest, conflict must be resolved one way or another or a character takes action to end the conflict |
| falling action |
events that occur between the climax and the conclusion |
| conclusion/resolution |
the story's end |
| setting |
the time and place of the story (where and when it takes place) |
| 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 |
| tone |
the attitude toward the subject and audience conveyed by the language and rhythm of the speaker in a literary work |
| 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; 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 |
| 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 |
| nonfiction |
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 |
| 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 within a literary work |
| 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 |
contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/ audience knows to be true |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| author's purpose |
the author's intent either to inform/teach, to entertain, or to persuade/convince the audience |
| voice |
the fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that makes it unique to the writer |
| satire |
literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness |
| 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) |
| text structure |
the author's method of organizing text |
| inference |
understanding gained by "reading between the lines;" judgment based on reasoning rather than direct statement |
| imagery |
a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses |
| bias |
a judgment based on personal point of view |
| 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 |
| bandwagon |
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 |
| testimonial |
attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea |
| sweeping 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, and statistics |
attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true |
Science Vocab 147928
