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
vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| act | major divisions in a play |
| alliteration | repetition of a sound at the beginning of a word "Silly Sarah Sue sang..." |
| analogy | relationship between words |
| analyze | to separate or break into parts and examine |
| anecdote | a little story or small piece of information |
| antagonist | a force working against the main character, usually another character |
| arguments | express a position on a problem and support it with reasons or evidence |
| author's purpose | the reason why the author wrote the text: inform, persuade, entertain, etc |
| autobiography | an account of a person's life written by that person |
| background knowledge (schema) | information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem |
| bandwagon | this technique tries to persuade you to do something by convincing you that everyone is doing it |
| biography | true account of a person's life, written by someone else |
| caption | provides information about a graphic aid |
| cause-effect | the event that happens first and the event that follows, or when one event brings about another |
| character trait | the qualities shown by a character |
| character | the people, animals, or things that are the main focus of a story |
| claim | a position on the issue or problem |
| clarify | a strategy that helps readers understand |
| climax (turning point) | the point of greatest interest in the story |
| compare/contrast | identify the similarities and differences of two or more subjects |
| compile | get or gather together |
| conclude | arrive at a judgment or opinion by reasoning |
| conclusion | a statement of belief based on evidence, experience, and reasoning |
| conflict | a struggle between two forces external: with another character or force on the outside internal: within the character/on the inside |
| connotative | word meanings that suggest something other than their literal meaning |
| context clue | words or phrases surrounding a word that provide hints about the word's meaning |
| contribute | help to cause or bring about |
| convey | to make known or to express |
| cross-reference | a reference to another text or part of text |
| criticism | a serious examination and judgment of something |
| describe | helps the reader to picture what is happening |
| demonstrate | clearly show the existence or truth by giving proof or evidence |
| dialect | a form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people |
| diagram | a drawing intended to explain how something works |
| dialogue | written conversation between two or more characters |
| drama | a form of literature meant to be performed by actors in front of an audience |
| elaboration | developing in complex and thorough detail |
| editorial | an article giving opinions or perspectives |
| epilogue | a short speech by an actor at the end of a play |
| evaluate | to examine something carefully and to judge its value or worth |
| excerpt | a short extract from a film, broadcast, piece of music, or writing |
| evidence | a piece of information that supports your point |
| explicit | stated clearly and in detail |
| exposition | a comprehensive description or explanation of an idea or theory; OR the initial part of a work of writing where the characters and setting are introduced to the reader |
| fable | a brief tale told to teach a lesson |
| external conflict | a conflict that involves a character that struggles against a force outside of himself or herself |
| fact | can be proven or verified as true |
| falling action | the point in the plot which the story begins to draw to a close |
| figurative language | words that may not literally mean what they say |
| fiction | writing that tells an imaginary story |
| figure of speech | language used in a symbolic or nonliteral sense |
| flashback | a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story |
| foreshadowing | occurs when the author provides hints that suggest future events in a story |
| folktale | a story that has been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth |
| genre | refers to a category in which a work of literature is classified |
| hyperbole | great exaggeration used to emphasize a point |
| idiom | a group of words that's meaning is different from the ordinary meaning of the word. The context can help you understand. Ex: "Put a lid on it." |
| identify | to point out or bring to attention |
| illustrate | to make clear by describing so that the reader can picture it |
| imagery | words or phrases that help appeal to the reader's five senses |
| indicate | to point out or show |
| include | to make part of the whole |
| inference | to make a logical guess based on your knowledge and clues from the text: prior knowledge + clues = inference |
| influence | the power to affect or persuade |
| internal conflict | a conflict that occurs within a character |
| insight | a clear understanding or the true nature of somehting |
| interview | the questioning of a person |
| irony | contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens |
| key detail | helps to support the central idea in an important way |
| jargon | special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand |
| lesson | a thing learned or to be learned |
| literary device | artful and purposeful use of language |
| main idea | the most important idea about a topic that the writer is trying to show |
| loaded words | this is when someone is trying to persuade you by appealing to emotion or stereotypes |
| media | media includes the following: tv, music, movies, computer programs, computer games, video games, etc...it's purpose is to entertain or spread news |
| mood | the feeling created in the story |
| metaphor | comparing two things that are not alike (without using like or as) |
| myth | traditional story that attempts to answer basic questions about human nature, origins of the world, mysteries or nature, and social customs |
| narrative | writing that tells a story |
| onomatopoeia | when the word makes the sound it says; Ex: The car vroomed down the road |
| non-fiction | writing that tells about real people, places and events |
| opinion | a statement that cannot be proven because it is a person's beliefs, feelings, or thoughts |
| paraphrase | express the same message in different words |
| persuade | to win someone over or convince |
| personification | speaking of something that is not human as if it had human abilities and human reactions |
| persuasive technique | these are ways in which someone tries to convince you to do something: bandwagon, testimonial, loaded words, appeal to vanity, appeal to fear |
| playwright | the person who wrote the play |
| plot | the sequence of events in a play, story, novel or text; five basic elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution |
| 1st person point of view | narrator uses I and is usually the main character |
| 2nd person point of view | narrator directs the reader as "you" |
| 3rd person point of view | the narrator is outside the story and is paraphrasing or restating information in his/her own words. Limited--only what they see and hear Omniscient--knows all |
| poetry | text that is written in a style that can cause the reader's emotions to become more highly felt |
| primary | earliest in time or order of development |
| predict | using clues from the story to make a reasonable guess about what will happen next |
| protagonist | the principal character in a work of fiction |
| refrain | one or more lines repeated in each stanza in a poem |
| reveal | to show or point out what is not seen |
| resolution | the final outcome of the story |
| rhyme scheme | a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem |
| rhythm | musical quality created by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables |
| selection | the text or story |
| rising action | part of the plot that builders toward the conflict or the climax |
| sensory language | the use of details from the five senses to add color and depth to writing; it helps readers visualize the scene a writer is setting |
| setting | where and when the story is happening |
| simile | compare two unlike things using like or as |
| significant | great or important |
| stage direction | instructions given in a play to the actors |
| stanza | a group of lines that form a unit in a poem |
| stir emotions | bring up one's feelings |
| stereotype | characters who are defined by a single trait |
| story element | parts of the story including setting, characters and conflict |
| suggests | cause one to think that something exists or is the case |
| support | helps prove your point or claim |
| summary | to retell the main parts or ideas from a text in your own words including the beginning, middle and end. |
| synthesize | take individual pieces of information and combine them in order to gain better understanding of a subject |
| testimonial | this technique tries to persuade by having important or popular people talk about how wonderful the product is |
| theme (central idea) | the message about life and human nature the author is sharing with the reader |
| text structure | these are the way an author organizes his text to increase comprehension |
| thesis statement (controlling idea) | main proposition that a writer attempts or supports in a piece of writing |
| tone | how the author or piece of writing feels; ex. excited, silly, serious |
| transition | the act of passing from one state or place to the next |
| turning point | a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, especially one with beneficial results |
| typical | exhibiting the qualities, traits, or characteristics that identify a kind, class, group, or category |
Created by:
user-1822172
Popular Miscellaneous sets