Literary Terms

One thing (object, person, place) used to represent something else

The underlying main idea of a literary work

What is the third part of a plot diagram?

What is the second part of a plot diagram?

When there is a difference between what is expected and what actually occurs

Character that is the source of conflict in a literary work

A phrase that consists of two words that are contradictory

A reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work

What is the fourth element of a plot diagram? 

Type or category to which a literary work belongs

The main character in a literary work

Repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds (long gone)

Repetition of similar or identical sounds: “look and crook”

Extreme exaggeration to add meaning

Standardized, conventional ideas about characters, plots and settings

A figure of speech in which non-human things are given human characteristics

A short speech intended for the audience but not heard by the other characters on stage

Language that appeals to the five senses

The struggle between two or more opposing forces is

What is the first element of a plot diagram?

The manner in which an author develops characters and their personalities is

A direct comparison of dissimilar objects, usually using like or as

Direct speech between characters in a literary work is

The use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning

The method of returning to an earlier point in time to make the present clearer

Technique that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next  

The vantage point or perspective from which a literary work is told

Repetition of the initial consonant sounds of words (Peter Piper)

What is the fifth element of a plot diagram? (both names for it)

Word choice to create a specific effect is 

When the speaker says one thing but means the opposite

A group of lines forming a unit in a poem

The author’s attitude toward the subject of a work.

The time and place of a literary work

The voice in a poem; the person or thing that is speaking

A comparison between unlike objects

Pattern of rhyme among lines of poetry

A recurring feature of a literary work that is related to the theme

When the reader or audience knows something a character does not

A character is alone and speaks his or her thoughts aloud

The sequence of events in a literary work

Hint of what is to come in a literary work