Literary Terms Grade 12

writing that is intended to explain or provide information

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

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

a short, clever often-paradoxical remark

a story of someone's own life

how and when the conflict in a story is solved

pity for a character in a play, usually a tragedy

placing close together or side by side to emphasize a contrast

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

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

a statement that contradicts itself, but may nonetheless be true

deliberate exaggeration

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

a category of literature or art

time order

the narrator knows the actions and thoughts of all the characters

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

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

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

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

a reference to a famous person, place or event

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

a brief, memorable saying that expresses a truth or belief

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

the outcome or circumstances are opposite to what would expect

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

a polite term to refer to something unpleasant or embarrassing

a sudden and profound understanding of something

giving non-human things human characteristics

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

a difficult problem with no easy solution

show the differences in two things

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

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

a group of lines in a poem separated by extra space

very informal spoken words that become temporarily popular within certain groups

reasons and results; why things happen and the results

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

the direct opposite of

the narrator who uses "I"

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

a complex character who does not change

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

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

a humorous use of two meanings of one word

an opinion article on a current issue found in a newspaper

the choice of words or phrases in speech or writing

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

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

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

pleasing sounds

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

an overused expression that has lost its effectiveness

the main character of a story

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

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

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

comes after the climax of a story