Literary Terms Grade 12

a story of someone's own life

picture stories

the stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem

a point of view seldom used in literature

a long narrative poem of folk origin and intended to be sung, with simple stanzas and a refrain

a widely held but false belief or idea; a traditional story of early people

the narrator who uses "I"

an opinion article on a current issue found in a newspaper

a statement that contradicts itself, but may nonetheless be true

a word that suggests or implies another meaning besides the literal one

the voice in a poem

to believe unfairly that all people of a group are the same

descriptive language that helps the reader "see"

a work created to imitate and make fun of an original work, its author, or its subject

a statement made by a qualified person about a technical, scientific, or professional issue

writing that is intended to explain or provide information

two lines of poetry that rhyme and have the same rhythm

the repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of words "east west"

pity for a character in a play, usually a tragedy

the main character of a story

writing with a repetitive grammatical structure

a question that is asked in order to make a point rather than to elicit an answer

a comparison of one thing to another thing that is quite different

an expression or spoken words of lesser strength than would be expected, in that situation

the repetition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry or sentence

a humorous use of two meanings of one word

not a good way to make an argument in a researched, expository essay

the outcome or circumstances are opposite to what would expect

pleasing sounds

a difficult problem with no easy solution

a literary work or painting idealizing the rural life (especially shepherds)

the language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or group of people

harsh, unpleasant-sounding words

the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize stupidity or vices

deliberate exaggeration

reasons and results; why things happen and the results

art or literature in which people, things or events have a hidden or symbolic meaning

a style of writing that teaches a lesson, usually a moral one

devastation; the death or moral destruction of the protagonist in a tragedy

giving non-human things human characteristics

a polite term to refer to something unpleasant or embarrassing

a brief, memorable saying that expresses a truth or belief

in the plot, the one against the main character

a cartoon-like image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way

these words are no longer in everyday use or have lost a particular meaning in current usage

technical or professional language that is often not understood by ordinary people

the individual style of an author including diction, dialogue, and character development

a category of literature or art

show the differences in two things

very informal spoken words that become temporarily popular within certain groups

placing close together or side by side to emphasize a contrast

a type of poetry with no fixed structure

a long poem narrating the deeds and adventures of legendary historical figures

using an object or word to represent an abstract idea, mood, or emotion

a reference to a famous person, place or event

the preface or introduction to a literary work

a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humour

the inclusion of a humorous scene or character in a serious work, to relieve tension

an overused expression that has lost its effectiveness

a speech to an object, an idea, or a person who doesn't exist as if it is a living person

comes after the climax of a story

how and when the conflict in a story is solved

the narrator knows the actions and thoughts of all the characters

a short, clever often-paradoxical remark

a group of lines in a poem separated by extra space

an important idea or human issue writers and artists explore through their work

a sudden and profound understanding of something

a hint of what is to come later in a story or movie (usually something bad)

used for "mind control"

one of the most common poetic devices, used to stress something

a four line stanza, especially one with a rhyme scheme

language with a precise, clear meaning

prejudice in favour of one thing, person, or group compared with another

the direct opposite of

background information provided to a reader at the beginning of a story

a fourteen-line poem with a rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter

time order

a complex character who does not change

the choice of words or phrases in speech or writing

words written on a gravestone