Literary Terms & Test Words Review

a comparison using “like” or “as”

EXAMPLE:  I ate a ton of food for breakfast, and then I sat in traffic forever. 

two or more contradicting terms that go together to form a phrase

when and where a story takes place

characters who are opposites to show contrast

TEST WORD:  a conclusion drawn from logically looking at evidence (not directly stated)

EXAMPLE:  freezer burn, jumbo shrimp

a character within the story tells the story

the opposite of what is expected happens

EXAMPLE: The wind sang a soft song while the thunder spoke in the skies. 

a word that represents a sound

TEST WORD: to explain the similarities between two or more things

EXAMPLES: meow, boom

the author uses sensory details to create a mental picture

a group of lines in a poem; a verse

the presentation of past events during the current timeline

the repetition of beginning consonant sounds

EXAMPLE:  Reference to a Shakespearean character in a television show

the author gives hints about future plot events

narrator is an outsider and tells the thoughts of only one character

TEST WORD:  to prove something by supporting your conclusions with evidence

EXAMPLE:  The bruise was as purple as a grape. 

a comparison where one thing is said to be another

the author’s attitude toward the subjects or characters

giving nonhuman things human-like characteristics and traits

an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally

something that stands or represents an abstract idea

TEST WORD:  to deny the truth of something by stating the opposite, to counter

a central or main idea in a literary work

when the audience/reader knows more than the characters

a reference to a famous work ( film, television, literature, etc.)

the feelings/reactions evoked in the reader by a text

narrator is an outsider and tells the thoughts of multiple characters

a literary work where the characters and setting are symbolic

TEST WORD: to explain the differences between two or more things

TEST WORD:  to examine something in great detail; to provide an in-depth interpretation