Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Literary Terms
Glossary of Literary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| alliteration | When two of more words in a group begin with the same sound (usually, the same letter or group of letters). For Example, Anne's awesome appple, Fred's Frozen French Fries. |
| antagonist | The opponent or enemy of the main character (protagonist) |
| aside | Words spoken to the audience by a character in a drama that are not supposed to be heard by the other characters onstage and is usually used to let the audience know what the character is thinking about. |
| characterization | The means or ways through which an author reveals a character's personality. |
| climax | The point in a play, novel, short story, or narrative poem at which the conflict reaches its greatest intensity and is then resolved. |
| conflict | A struggle between opposing forces. |
| dialogue | The conversation between characters in a work of literature. |
| dynamic chacter | A character who undergoes a significant internal change over the course of a story |
| figurative language | Words used in some way other than for their literal meaning to make a comparison, add emphasis, or say something in a fresh and creative way. Examples include: alliteration, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, and simile. |
| flashback | A scene in a story that occurs before the present time in the story. Provides background info about events during current narration. May be presented as memories, dreams, or stories told by past characters. |
| hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis, usually used in humorous writing. E.g. "I almost died from boredom." |
| idiom | An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual word. E.g. "Its raining cats & dogs" |
| irony (situational) | when something happens that is the reverse of what you expected. |
| major character | a character who plays a large role in a story |
| metaphor | Comparison of two unlike things to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of those things, state that one thing is something else. E.g. "Karen was a ray of sunshine" |
| minor character | a character who plays a small role and are there to help advance the plot |
| mood | The feeling the reader gets from a work of literature. |
| onomatopoeia | The use of words whose sounds imitate the sounds of what they describe, such as hiss, murmur, growl, honk, buzz, woof, etc. |
| personification | Describing nonhuman animals, objects, or dieas as though they possess human qualities or emotions. For example, "The moon smiled down on her" |
| plot | The sequence of events in a story |
| point of view | The perspective from which a story is told or who is telling the story. |
| protagonist | The main character of a work of literature |
| setting | The environment in which a story takes place, including the time period, the location, and the physical characteristics of the surroundings. |
| simile | When two unlike things are compared using "like" or "as". |
| static character | A character who does not undergo a significant change over the course of a story |
| symbol | An object, setting, event, animal, or person that has another meaning |
| theme | A story's main message or moral |
| tone | The author's attitude toward the subject matter or toward the reader or audience. |
Created by:
tran2014
Popular English Vocabulary sets