Literary Terms

words/phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses and help create a vivid description

anything that stands for or represents something else

"Nobody goes to the park anymore; it’s too crowded" OR "I must be cruel only to be kind" (Hamlet) are examples of

word or expression that is meant to be taken as factual

a character who does not undergo a change over the course of a story

Play on words (typically humorous)

a character that grows and changes over the course of a story

comparison made without using "like" or "as"

positive or negative emotional feeling a word is associated with or causes

comparison using "like" or "as"

character causing the conflict/problem in a story

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

The exact meaning of a word

words that imitate sounds

a non-human subject is given human characteristics

a situation where the opposite of what is expected to occur or exist does occur or exist

a reason that explains/partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech

group of lines in a poem

the atmosphere or feeling an author creates within the piece of writing

set expression that means something other than literal meaning (raining cats and dogs)

main character experiencing the conflict/problem in a story

a fully developed character with many sides who has both faults and virtues the reader knows well

beginning of a story that introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation

an author's use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story

a conclusion made by the reader based on available information

interrupts the sequence of events in order to relate an earlier incident or set of events

A character not fully developed or is a stereotype

Turning point or point of no return in a story

repetition of first letter sound - Rabbits ruined my roses.

creative writing technique used to appeal to the imagination and create visual images

attitude the writer takes toward their subject or audience such as informal and formal

the perspective from which story is told

can be internal or external struggle between opposing forces/characters in a story

central message, idea, or concern expressed directly or indirectly in a literary work

types of literature: poetry, prose, drama, science fiction, etc

use of extreme exaggeration