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Literary terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Accumulation | list of words which embody similar abstract or physical qualities or meanings, with the intention to emphasize the common qualities that words hold. It is also an act of accumulating the scattered points. |
| Ad Hominem | “against the man" - involves commenting on or against an opponent, to undermine him instead of his arguments. |
| Adynaton | means “impractical,” or “impossible.” It is a rhetorical device that is a form of hyperbole in which exaggeration is taken to a great extreme where it seems impossible. |
| Allusion | a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar. |
| Anachronism | “against time.” Therefore, an anachronism is an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece. In other words, anything that is out of time and out of place is an anachronism. |
| Anagnorisis | refers to a moment of insight in a story’s plot in which a character, usually the protagonist, shifts from ignorance to awareness |
| Analytical Essay | explain something to enhance understanding. In literature, however, it is a critical analysis of some literary text which is done to enhance its understanding. |
| Anecdote | a short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to support or demonstrate some point, and to make the audience laugh. |
| Antecedent | earlier clause, phrase, or word to which a pronoun, noun, or another word refers. “While giving treats to children or friends offer them whatever they like.” Children and friends are antecedents |
| Anthropomorphism | technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions, or entire behaviors to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena, or objects |
| Antimetabole | means “turning about.” It is a literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order. For example: “You like it; it likes you.” |
| Antithesis | refers to the juxtaposition of two opposing elements through the parallel grammatical structure. |
| Aphorismus | means “marking off,” “banishment,” or “rejection.” It is a figure of speech that brings into question the meaning of words, in case the words are used inappropriately |
| Aporia | figure of speech wherein a speaker purports or expresses doubt or perplexity regarding a question (often feigned), and asks the audience how he ought to proceed. The doubts may appear as rhetorical questions |
| Appositive | When a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it |
| Argument | argument usually represents the writer’s position on a particular issue |
| Assertion | When someone makes a statement investing his strong belief in it, as if it is true, though it may not be |
| Atmosphere | type of feeling that readers get from a narrative, based on details such as setting, background, objects, and foreshadowing |
| Auditory Imagery | to explain things, ideas and actions using sounds that appeal to our sense of hearing |
| Acrostic | first letter of every verse consecutively forms a word or message. An acrostic is mostly applied in poetry, but can also be used in prose or word puzzle. |
| Adage | short, pointed, and memorable saying that is based on facts, and which is considered a veritable truth by the majority of people |
| Allegory | narration or description in which events, actions, characters, settings or objects represent specific abstractions or ideas |
| Ambiguity | a word, phrase, statement, or idea has more than one meaning or can be understood in more than one way |
| Anacoluthon | “lacking sequence.” It is a stylistic device defined as a syntactic deviation, and interruption within a sentence from one structure to another. |
| Anagram | form of word play in which letters of a word or phrase are rearranged in such a way that a new word or phrase is formed. |
| Anapest | poetic device defined as a metrical foot in a line of a poem that contains three syllables wherein the first two syllables are short and unstressed, followed by a third syllable that is long and stressed. For example: “I must finish my journey alone |
| Antagonist | a character, or a group of characters, which stands in opposition to the Protagonist, which is the main character |
| Anthimeria | “one part for another.” It is a rhetorical device that uses a word in a new grammatical shape, often as a noun or a verb. Simply, it replaces one part of speech with another. |
| Anti-Climax | rhetorical device that can be defined as a disappointing situation, or a sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a ludicrous or trivial one |
| Antiphrasis | figurative speech in which a phrase or word is employed in a way that is opposite to its literal meaning, in order to create an ironic or comic effect. In simple words, it is the use of phrases or words in their opposite sense from the real meaning |
| Antonomasia | it is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a person with some substitute word or a phrase |
| Apologia | some formal writing that defends somebody’s character or behavior. As a literary term, it means a written apology that is long than a formally written concise apology and defends the position of somebody, mostly in political sense. |
| Aposiopesis | “becoming silent.” the speaker or writer breaks off abruptly, and leaves the statement incomplete. It is as if the speaker is not willing to state what is present in his mind, due to being overcome by passion, excitement, or fear. |
| Archaism | a used phrase or word is considered very old fashioned and outdated. It can be a word, a phrase, a group of letters, spelling, or syntax. |
| Argumentative Essay | presents arguments about both sides of an issue |
| Assonance | repetition of similar vowel sounds takes place in two or more words in proximity to each other within a line of poetry or prose. “he fell asleep under the cherry tree” |
| Attitude | In literature, the term “attitude” can be referred as perspective or tone of the writer he adopts in a certain work. |
| Autobiography | an autobiography comes through the person’s own pen, in his own words. |
| Active Voice | type of a clause or sentence in which a subject performs an action and expresses it through its representative verb. |
| Adventure | Adventure genre includes stories that are exciting and sometimes risky. The term, adventure, has been derived from the French term, aventure, which means fate or destiny of a person |
| Alliteration | reflects repetition in two or more nearby words of initial consonant sounds "kids coats" |
| Amplification | embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information. |
| Anadiplosis | “to reduplicate.” It refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause. |
| Analogy | creates a comparison by showing how two seemingly different entities are alike, along with illustrating a larger point due to their commonalities |
| Anaphora | features the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, phrases, or clauses. |
| Antanaclasis | a phrase or word is repeatedly used, though the meaning of the word changes in each case. It is the repetition of a similar word in a sentence with different meanings, or a word is repeated in two or more different senses |
| Anthology | Its most common category is literary one, which editors compile from different sources and publish in book forms. |
| Anti-Hero | characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero. |
| Antistrophe | “turning back.” It is a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of the same words at the end of consecutive phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs. |
| Aphorism | short saying that observes a general truth. Aphorisms are often concise and mildly humorous statements that are intended to appeal to the masses as a message of wisdom or understanding |
| Apologue | it is a type of story or a fable having allegorical meanings told through inanimate things or objects speaking to each other, including animals. It seems to have or convey some moral lessons. |
| Apostrophe | is a poetic phrase or speech made by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present in the literary work. The subject may be dead, absent, an inanimate object, or even an abstract idea. |
| Archetype | a character is created based on a set of qualities or traits that are specific and identifiable for readers. |
| Aside | short comment or speech that a character delivers directly to the audience, or to himself, while other actors on the stage appear not to hear. |
| Asyndeton | “unconnected.” It is a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases, and in the sentence, yet maintain grammatical accuracy. |
| Audience | A writer uses a particular style of language, tone, and content according to what he knows about his audience. |
| Balanced Sentence | two segments which are equal, not only in length, but also in grammatical structure and meaning. |
| Bathos | act of a writer or a poet falling into inconsequential and absurd metaphors, descriptions, or ideas in an effort to be increasingly emotional or passionate. |
| Biography | the non-fiction, written history or account of a person’s life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person |
| Burlesque | it means to ridicule the people to mock the low strata by becoming a low one, or mimic a great person by becoming unlike him. During the 19th century, it was considered travesties and satire on the classic or accepted ideas. |
| Ballad | form of narrative verse that is considered either poetic or musical. As a literary device, a ballad is a narrative poem, typically consisting of a series of four-line stanzas. |
| Bias | an undue favor, support or backing extended to a person, group or race or even an argument against another |
| Black Humor | used in novels and plays to discuss taboo subjects while adding an element of comedy. |
| Buzzword | popular term or phrase that gains popularity during a specific period. |
| Bandwagon | persuasive technique and a type of propaganda through which a writer persuades his readers, so that the majority could agree with the argument of the writer. |
| Bildungsroman | a special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character, from his or her youth to adulthood. |
| Blank Verse | un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter with 10 syllables in each line (pentameter); where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones, five of which are stressed but do not rhyme. |
| Cacophony | situation in which there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds. In literature, however, the term refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and unmelodious sounds – primarily those of consonants – to achieve desired results. |
| Canon | students of literature use it to refer to the writings included in anthologies, or textbooks under certain genres, and thus are evaluated according to the genre under which they are placed. |
| Catachresis | Catachresis is a figure of speech in which writers use mixed metaphors in an inappropriate way, to create rhetorical effect. Often, it is used intentionally to create a unique expression. |
| Catharsis | emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal, or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. Catharsis is a Greek word meaning “cleansing.” |
| Characterization | a literary device that is used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain the details of a character in a story. It is in the initial stage in which the writer introduces the character with noticeable emergence. |
| Circumlocution | ambiguous or paradoxical way of expressing things, ideas, or views. In fact, when somebody wants to remain ambiguous about something, and he does not want to say a thing directly, it means he is using circumlocution. |
| Cliffhanger | when a narrative, or part of a narrative, ends in an unresolved and often sudden manner. This typically creates shock and/or suspense for readers or audiences so that they are driven to continue reading or watching to find out what happens. |
| Colloquialism | a language that is informal and conversational. A colloquialism is a word or expression that is commonplace within a specific language, geographic region, or historical era. |
| Comparatives | Every day, people compare things, places, and people. They compare things and objects using specific words such as than, more, or less, etc. This comparison is called “comparative form.” |
| Conceit | a comparison that is convoluted, unconventional, and/or improbable. Conceit is comparable to simile, metaphor, and allegory in that they all make use of comparison or symbolic imagery. |
| Connotation | a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations. |
| Contrast | rhetorical device through which writers identify differences between two subjects, places, persons, things, or ideas. Simply, it is a type of opposition between two objects, highlighted to emphasize their differences |
| Critical Essay | an evaluation of a literary piece. It is written for a specific audience, who are academically mature enough to understand the points raised in such essays. |
| Cadence | “a falling.” It is the term used to signal the rising and falling of the voice when reading a literary piece. In poetry, it is the momentary changes in rhythm and pitch. Cadences help set the rhythmic pace of a literary piece. |
| Canto | a subdivision or part in a narrative or epic poem, consisting of five or more lines such, as a stanza, which could also be a canto. The word “canto” originates from the Latin word cantus, which means “a song.” |
| Catalog | to give a list of things and create a rhetorical effect. Writers use it to make a list of multiple thoughts in a unified form. |
| Cause and Effect Essay | A composition written to find out reasons and results is called a cause and effect essay. It makes discovery of the causes of something and resultantly finds out effects. |
| Chiasmus | rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. |
| Claim | essentially arguable, but used as a primary point to support or prove an argument is called a claim. If somebody gives an argument to support his position, it is called “making a claim.” |
| Climax | “ladder,” is that particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point. |
| Comedy | a literary work that is written to amuse or entertain a reader. |
| Comparison | a consideration of the similarities or differences between two things. Making a comparison can highlight how two things are alike or unalike, creating meaningful and/or innovative perspectives for the reader. |
| Concession | literary device used in argumentative writing, where one acknowledges a point made by one’s opponent. |
| Consonance | refers to the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text. |
| Conundrum | a conundrum is a difficult situation that is unresolvable or almost unresolvable. It is akin to a dilemma or a riddle in a novel or a poem. |
| Critique | literary technique that means to critically evaluate a piece of literary work, or a political or philosophical theory in detail. |
| Caesura | One such pause is known as “caesura,” which is a rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence. It often occurs in the middle of a line, or sometimes at the beginning and the end. At times, it occurs with punctuation; at other times it does not. |
| Caricature | in which particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated, to create a silly or comic effect. |
| Catastrophe | a final resolution that appears in a narrative plot or a long poem. It unravels the mystery or intrigue, and brings the story toward a logical end. |
| Character | A character can be any person, a figure, an inanimate object, or animal. There are different types of characters, and each serves its unique function in a story or a piece of literature. |
| Chronology | Chronology refers to the orderly arrangement of occurrences or incidents, particularly in a historical context. |
| Cliché | A cliché is an expression that is trite, worn-out, and overused. As a result, clichés have lost their original vitality, freshness, and significance in expressing meaning. |
| Coherence | “to stick together.” In a composition, coherence is a literary technique that refers to logical connections, which listeners or readers perceive in an oral or written text. |
| Comic Relief | literary device used in plays and novels to introduce light entertainment between tragic scenes. |
| Comparison and Contrast Essay | A comparison and contrast essay compares two similar objects, or contrasts dissimilar objects, in a way that readers become informed about the advantages and disadvantages of both the objects |
| Conflict | conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist. |
| Context | background, environment, setting, framework, or surroundings of events or occurrences. Simply, context means circumstances forming a background of an event, idea, or statement |
| couplet | featuring two consecutive lines of poetry that typically rhyme and have the same meter. A couplet can be part of a poem or a poem on its own. |
| Cumulative Sentence | “loose sentence,” that starts with an independent clause or main clause, which is simple and straight, provides main idea, and then adds subordinate elements or modifiers. It adds subordinate or modifying elements after the subject and the predicate. |
| Dactyl | metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing three syllables in which the first one is accented, followed by second and third unaccented syllables (accented/unaccented/unaccented) in quantitative meter, such as in the word “humanly.” |
| Denouement | to untie.” Denouement is a literary device that can be defined as the resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in fiction. The majority of examples of denouement show the resolution in the final part or chapter, often in an epilogue. |
| Diacope | “to cut into two.” This literary device is a repetition of a phrase or word, broken up by other intervening words. For instance, a very popular example of diacope is in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “to be, or not to be!” |
| Diatribe | violent or bitter criticism of something or someone. It is a rhetorical device used as a verbal attack against a person, group, institution, or a particular behavior. |
| Didacticism | term that refers to a particular philosophy in art and literature that emphasizes the idea that different forms of art and literature ought to convey information and instructions, along with pleasure and entertainment. |
| Direct Characterization | the way an author or another character within the story describes or reveals a character, through the use of descriptive adjectives, epithets, or phrases. |
| Distortion | literary device that twists, exaggerates, changes, and makes something quite different from what it actually is. Writers can distort a thought, an idea, a situation, or an image. They may use symbolism, satire, and personification to present distortion |
| Drama | mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of play written for theater, television, radio, and film. |
| Dynamic Character | undergoes changes throughout the narrative, due to conflicts he encounters on his journey. A dynamic character faces trials and tribulations, takes time to learn from his encounters, his experiences, and his mistakes, as well as from other characters. |
| Deductive Reasoning | defined as a way of building an argument from general premises to a conclusion. It is also called a top to down thinking or taking general statements to specific one sand then to a conclusion |
| Deus Ex Machina | the circumstance where an implausible concept or a divine character is introduced into a storyline, for the purpose of resolving its conflict and procuring an interesting outcome. |
| Dialect | anguage used by the people of a specific area, class, district, or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people |
| Dichotomy | “dividing in two.” Dichotomy is a literary technique that divides a thing into two equal and contradictory parts, or between two opposing groups. In literary works, writers use this technique for creating conflicts in their stories and plays. |
| Digression | several sudden interruptions in the main action of the story, which provides him background information, establish his interest, describes a character’s motivation, and builds suspense. |
| Discourse | “Systems of thoughts composed of ideas, attitudes, and courses of action, beliefs and practices that systematically construct the subjects and the worlds of which they speak.” |
| Doppelganger | “look-alike,” or “double walker,” originally referred to a ghost, or shadow of a person; but in modern times it simply refers to a person that is a look-alike of another person. |
| Dramatic Irony | Storytellers use this irony as a useful plot device for creating situations in which the audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the leading characters or actors. |
| Dysphemism | Dysphemism is the use of negative expressions instead of positive ones. A speaker uses them to humiliate or degrade the disapproved person or character. |
| Denotation | A word’s denotation is its literal, dictionary definition. Denotation is the objective meaning of a word, with no associated emotion. |
| Deuteragonist | Deuteragonist is a secondary main character after the protagonist. |
| Dialogue | spoken lines by characters in a story that serve many functions such as adding context to a narrative, establishing voice and tone, or setting forth conflict. |
| Diction | refers to the linguistic choices made by a writer to convey an idea or point of view, or tell a story, in an effective way. |
| Dilemma | double proposition,” or “perplexing situation,” which presents two different possibilities, both of which seem practically acceptable. conflicting situation arises for a person to choose between right and wrong, where both seem of equal worth |
| Dissonance | use of impolite, harsh-sounding, and unusual words in poetry. In other words, it is a deliberate use of inharmonious words, phrases, or syllables intended to create harsh sounding effects. |
| Double Entendre | defined as a phrase or a figure of speech that might have multiple senses, interpretations, or two different meanings, or which might be understood in two different ways. |
| Dramatic Monologue | self-conversation, speech, or talks which include an interlocutor presented dramatically. It means a person, who is speaking to himself or someone else speaks to reveal specific intentions of his actions. |
| Dystopia | present a vision of the future that challenges readers to reflect on the current social and political environments in which they live. |
| Elegy | form of poetry that typically reflects on death or loss. Traditionally, an elegiacal poem addresses themes of mourning, sorrow, and lamentation |
| Encomium | highly praising someone or something. |
| Enjambment | a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause. With enjambment, the end of a poetic phrase extends past the end of the poetic line |
| Epic | long narrative poem that is elevated and dignified in theme, tone, and style. As a literary device, an epic celebrates heroic deeds and historically (or even cosmically) important events. |
| Epilogue | chapter at the end of a work of literature, which concludes the work. |
| Epistle | form of prose or poetry to a particular person or group. It can also be a story or a religious sermon similar to the New Testament letters written by Paul, Peter, and John to their church congregation or a small group of believers. |
| Epitaph | a brief writing or saying inscribed on a grave. Generally, it is a brief composition, having figurative sense in a verse or in prose form, written to pay tribute to a deceased person, or to remember a past event. |
| Eponym | name of a legend or real person that writers associate with some other person, object, institution, or thing. Simply, we can define it as a famous person whose name is given to someone else, The Odyssey from a major character, Odysseus. |
| Essay | to attempt,” or “to try.” An essay is a short form of literary composition based on a single subject matter, and often gives the personal opinion of the author. |
| Eulogy | “to praise” somebody or something. A eulogy is a literary device that is a laudatory expression in a speech, or a written tribute to a person recently deceased. We can say, it is a commendation or high praise intended to give honor |
| Evidence | different categories of essays and theses, in the form of paraphrase and quotations. It is presented to persuade readers, and used with powerful arguments in the texts or essays |
| Exemplum | defined as a short tale, narrative, or anecdote used in literary pieces and speeches to explain a doctrine, or emphasize a moral point. They are generally in the forms of legends, folktales, and fables. |
| Explication | “explication de texte,”a commentary that reveals the meanings of a literary work. It usually tells about figures of speech, tone, setting, connotations, points of view, themes, contrasts, and anything else that could add to the meaning of a text. |
| Expository Essay | genre of writing which tends to explain, illustrate, clarify, or explicate something in a way that it becomes clear for readers. Therefore, it could be an investigation, evaluation, or even argumentation about an idea for clarification |
| Eye Rhyme | poetic device in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently ie rough, bough |
| Elision | removal of an unstressed syllable, consonants, or letters from a word or phrase, for the purpose of decreasing the number of letters or syllables when mixing words together. The missing letter is replaced by an apostrophe. |
| End Rhyme | occurs when the last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other. gives musical effect to the poem or song |
| Enthymeme | argumentative statement in which the writer or the speaker omits one of the major or minor premises, does not clearly pronounce it, or keeps this premise implied, is called an “enthymeme.” |
| Epigram | rhetorical device that is a memorable, brief, interesting, and surprising satirical statement. It originated from the Greek word epigramma, which means “inscription,” or “to inscribe.” |
| Epiphany | sudden realization or discovery that illuminates a new perception or awareness. Epiphany is often used to describe a rapid feeling of clarity or insight in terms of finding an essential meaning or solution–what many describe as an “aha!” moment. |
| Epistolary | “letter.” Epistolary is a literary genre pertaining to letters, in which writers use letters, journals, and diary entries in their works, or they tell their stories or deliver messages through a series of letters. |
| Epithet | describes a place, a thing, or a person in such a way that it helps in making its characteristics more prominent than they actually are. Also, it is known as a “by-name,” or “descriptive title.” |
| Equivocation | like a hidden truth in deliberate obscurity, leaving minds bewildered and seeking clarity. |
| Ethos | represents credibility, or an ethical appeal, which involves persuasion by the character involved. |
| Euphemism | figure of speech commonly used to replace a word or phrase that is related to a concept that might make others uncomfortable. figurative language designed to replace phrasing that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite, or unpleasant. |
| Exact Rhyme | poetic device used to repeat the same stressed vowel sounds as well as consonant sounds that follow the vowel. It is used in poems and texts to create musical and pointed effects. |
| Existentialism | philosophy that focuses on the existence of mankind. It deals with their efforts of finding a way in this hostile universe. |
| Explicatory Essay | used to explain and interpret a piece of literature such as a poem, a play, a novel, or a short story. It often examines sentences, verses, or passages extracted from longer literary works. |
| Extended Metaphor | a comparison between two, unlike things that continue throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem. It is often comprised of more than one sentence and sometimes consists of a full paragraph. |
| Ellipsis | used in narratives to omit some parts of a sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. |
| End-Stopped Line | poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a syntactic unit (sentence, clause, or phrase). This pause can be expressed in writing as a punctuation mark, such as a colon, semi-colon, period, or full stop. |
| Enumeration | rhetorical device used for listing details, or a process of mentioning words or phrases step by step. In fact, it is a type of amplification or division in which a subject is further distributed into components or parts. |
| Epigraph | in the form of a poem, quotation, or sentence – usually placed at the beginning of a document or a simple piece – having a few sentences, but which belongs to another writer. |
| Epiphora | stylistic device in which a word or a phrase is repeated at the ends of successive clauses. Examples of epiphora are not only found in literary pieces, but debates and persuasive writings are also rich with epiphora examples. |
| Epistrophe | “turning upon,” which indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence. Epistrophe is a stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the ends of the clauses or sentences |
| Epizeuxis | “fastening together.” It is defined as a rhetorical device in which the words or phrases are repeated in quick succession, one after another, for emphasis. |
| Eristic | “to create strife,” or “to wrangle.” It is defined as a literary device in which the writers and speakers engage in a heated argumentation without reaching a conclusion or solving a particular issue. |
| Etymology | to find the roots of a word. |
| Euphony | “sweet-voiced.” It can be defined as the use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create. |
| Exaggeration | a statement that makes something worse, or better, than it really is. In literature and oral communication, writers and speakers use exaggeration as a literary technique, to give extra stress and drama in a work or speech. |
| Expletive | grammatical construction that starts with words like it, here, and there. This rhetorical device usually interrupts normal speech and lays emphasis on certain words. |
| Exposition | literary device that is designed to convey important information, within a short story or novel, to the reader. |
| External Conflict | struggle that takes place between the main character and some outside force. Therefore, it is outside the body of the protagonist. |
| Fable | “a story,” and a derivative of the word fari, which means “to speak.” Fable is a literary device that can be defined as a concise and brief story intended to provide a moral lesson at the end. |
| Falling Action | occurs right after the climax, when the main problem of the story resolves. It is one of the elements of the plot of the story, wraps up the narrative, resolves its loose ends, and leads toward the closure. |
| Feminine Rhyme | unstressed two syllable rhyme followed by another unstressed syllable rhyme. They are used between the stressed rhyme to create a rhythm. In other words, feminine rhyme is also a double rhyme. |
| Figure of Speech | word or phrase that is used in a non-literal way to create an effect. |
| Flat Character | type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end. Flat characters are often said not to have any emotional depth. |
| Foot | a measuring unit in poetry, which is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables. |
| Frame Story | a story set within a story, narrative, or movie, told by the main or the supporting character. A character starts telling a story to other characters, or he sits down to write a story, telling the details to the audience. |
| Fairy Tale | children’s story in a magical setting about imaginary characters.It is also known as a folklore genre written in the form of short stories. |
| Fantasy | form of literary genre in which a plot cannot occur in the real world. Its plot usually involves witchcraft or magic, taking place on an undiscovered planet of an unknown world. |
| Fiction | encompasses written works that are defined by narratives or stories that are created, invented, and made up by the writer. |
| Flash-Forward | a literary device in which the plot goes ahead of time; meaning a scene that interrupts and takes the narrative forward in time from the current time in the story. |
| Foil | designed to illustrate or reveal information, traits, values, or motivations of one character through the comparison and contrast of another character. character serves the purpose of drawing attention to the qualities of another character |
| Foreshadowing | a literary device that writers utilize as a means to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story. |
| Free Verse | poetry that is free from the limitations of a regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. |
| Fallacy | erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention. |
| Farce | literary genre and type of comedy that makes use of highly exaggerated and funny situations aimed at entertaining the audience. Farce is also a subcategory of dramatic comedy |
| Figurative Language | figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful. |
| Flashback | that interrupts the flow of the plot to “show” readers/viewers an event that happened previously. Most flashbacks are utilized to provide background so that the audience has a greater understanding of the story, characters, setting, etc., |
| Folklore | collection of fictional stories about animals and people, of cultural myths, jokes, songs, tales, and even quotes. It is a description of culture, which has been passed down verbally |
| Foreword | an intro for a book, written by an associate or author. |
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esavoy