Term | Definition |
Alliteration | is the repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words. In cliches: sweet smell of success, a dime a dozen, bigger and bette |
Antagonist | the force that opposes the main character in a story
Anecdote: a short, |
Connotation | emotional associations created by words. This means what emotions does the word
bring with it. For example both “woman” and “chick” refer to adult females, but “chick” has a slightly more disrespectful connotation. |
Foreshadowing | is the use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in literature. |
Imagery | is language that evokes one or all of the five senses: seeing, hearing,
tasting, smelling, touching. |
Irony | is the difference between what is said and what is meant. The opposite occurs. For example: verbal irony is when an author says one thing and means something else. |
Metaphor | comparison of two unlike things using the verb "to be" and not using like or as as in
a simile. |
Onomatopoeia | is a word that imitates the sound it represents. Example: splash, wow, gush, kerplunk |
Personification | is giving human qualities to animals or objects.
Example: a smiling moon, a dancing sun |
Point of view: First Person | use of "I". the narrator tells the story as it is happening to him/her. |
Point of view: Omniscient | A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient. |
Point of view: Limited omniscient | A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor. We only know the thoughts of one character |
Protagonist | the main character in a literary work |
Setting | is determining Time and Place in fiction. |
Stanza | is a unified group of lines in poetry. |
Symbol | is using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. |
Theme | is the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express |
Tone | is the attitude a writer takes towards a subject or character: serious, humorous, sarcastic |
Verse | is a line of poetry. |