Literary Terminology

particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated for comedy

A figure of speech in which the natural world (or some part of it) is treated as though it had human emotions.

A sentence which asks a question

Paper 1 is ..

Lack of grammatical sequence

The absence of conjunctions between words, phrases or clauses.

Pleasant sounds.

English is the best subject because

How fully the characters and actions in a work of fiction conform to our sense of reality.

Refers to word choice and phrasing in any written or spoken text.

a personal error in a protagonist’s personality, which brings about his tragic downfall in a tragedy.

Reversal of fortune. The tragic hero’s change in behavior resulting from his/her recognition of error.

Repetition of B, P, T and D.

Ancient art of persuasion. It’s a way of presenting and making your views convincing.

What are the main concepts of IBDP literature?

The description of one sense using another

Iambic Pentameter is made up of two words, where pentameter is a combination of ‘pent,’ which means five, and ‘meter,’

A literary work that ridicules its subject.

Opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.

A narrative technique that shows the flow of thoughts going through a character's head

dissonance or dissonant sounds: unpleasant sounds.

Criterion B is...

Paper 2 is a...

A figure of speech in which one verb or preposition joins two objects within the same phrase,

A reference to something else.

A syllable uttered in a higher pitch—or with greater emphasis—than others.

Colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

A single-line dialogue that gives quick exchange between characters that shows conflict.

is the repetition of consonant sounds.

An emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal

The final unravelling or outcome of the plot during which the complications of the plot are resolved.

Repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence

You can gain marks for criterion D by...

The space between framed panels.

Is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

A character that has opposite character traits from another.

a theory of non-verbal communication that explains how people perceive and use space to achieve communication goals.

Objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself.

The narrator sees all, much as an all knowing god of some kind.

Literally translated, a hamartia is a “fatal flaw.”

A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite

when a character whose perception, of the matters in the story do not coincide with the implicit opinions and

You can lose marks for Criterion C if you...

Is the repetition of vowel sounds.

Criterion A is....

Which criterion are impacted by a lack of technical vocabulary

Exaggerated self-pride or self-confidence, often resulting in fatal retribution

A sentence style that employs many conjunctions

A device that moves an audience from the present moment in a chronological narrative to a scene in the past.

Something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time,

Literally ‘God from the machine’. An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation

Which criterion are boosted with your knowledge of these terms?

A love poem or song welcoming or lamenting the arrival of the dawn.

Speakers or writers intend to express meanings of words differently than their literal meanings.

Which criterion are impacted by a lack of structure in your written work?

a form of rhyme wherein the look rather than the sound is important. example: "Cough" and "tough"

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines.

Expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do.

A statement that contradicts itself, or that must be both true and untrue at the same time.

A harsh metaphor involving the use of a word beyond its strict sphere:

is a sentence fragment used deliberately for a persuasive purpose or to create a desired effect.

A pause, metrical or rhetorical, occurring somewhere in a line of poetry