click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
English 9 Lit. Terms
20 Literary Terms required for English 9 Testing
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Alliteration | Repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds in words that are close together in a poem |
Allusion | Reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or pop culture. |
Antagonist | The character or force that blocks the protagonist |
Comedy | In general, a story that ends happily |
Climax | Moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in a plot |
Denouement | Another term for the resolution of a plot |
Exposition | The part of a plot that gives information about the characters and their problems or conflicts |
Falling Action | All the events that follow the climax |
Foreshadowing | The use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in a plot |
Irony | Contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality |
Metaphor | Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes another thing without the use of the words "like," "as," "than," or "resembles." |
Myth | Traditional story that is rooted in a particular culture, is basically religious, and usually serves to explain a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural phenomenon |
Personification | Kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human |
Plot | Series of related events that make up a story or drama |
Protagonist | Main character in fiction or drama |
Resolution | The final part of the story |
Rising Action | The events leading up to the climax that increase in suspense or conflict |
Simile | Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as "like," "as," "resembles," or "than" |
Theme | Central idea of a work of literature |
Tragedy | Play, novel, or other narrative that depicts serious and important events in which the main character becomes unhappy at the end |