Literary Terms

Character: A person in a literary work; People and animals who are involved in a
conflict in a story.

Characterization: The methods a writer uses to develop the personality of the

Character traits: the individual qualities that make each character unique.

Climax: The point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in a

Conflict: The struggle between opposing forces in a story or drama.

External conflict: A character struggles with some outside force.

Internal conflict: A struggle between opposing desires or emotions inside a person.

Dialogue: Conversation between characters in a literary work.

Falling action: The action that follows the climax.

Fiction: A narrative in which situations and characters are invented by the writer.

Foreshadowing: When the author gives a hint about what might happen in the
future.

Narrator: The person who tells the story.

Plot: The sequence of events in a story.

Point of view: The perspective of the narrator or storyteller.

First-person point of view: the story is told by one of the characters referred to as
“I.”

Limited third-person point of view: the narrator reveals the thoughts of only one
character, but refers to the character as “he” or “she.”

Omniscient point of view: the narrator reveals the thoughts of several characters.
Resolution: The point in the story in which the conflict is resolved; the part of a
plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the
conflict.

Rising action: The part of a plot that adds complications to the problems in the
story.

Setting: The time and place in which the events of the story occur.

Title: The name of a literary work.

Theme: A message about life, sometimes called the moral.

Genre: The type of book or story; a category in literature which includes prose,
poetry, and drama. Examples: Realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, folktale,
fairytale, poetry, drama, nonfiction, real world writing, biography, autobiography.

Exposition: The part of the literary work that introduces the characters, setting, and
basic situation. (Introduction)

Protagonist: The main character in a literary work.

Antagonist: A character in conflict with the main character.

Denotation: Dictionary definition of a word

Connotation: Feelings associated with a word

Idiom: A type of figurative language. An expression with a meaning that is

Main Idea: Central Idea ; key Idea

Theme: A central message in a literary work.

A message about life, sometimes called the moral.

Summary: A shortened version of a text that highlights its key points

Sequential Order (sequence, process, procedural): Information organized in steps,

Order of Importance: Information is expressed as a hierarchy or in priority.

Spatial: Information is organized in order of space (top to bottom, left to right)

Compare and Contrast: Two or more things are described comparing the
similarities and differences.

Cause and Effect: Cause is the reason / Effect is the result.

Problem and Solution: A problem is described, and a solution is proposed or

Prior Knowledge: Information you already know

Mythology: The study of myths

Myth: A myth is a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or heroes or the
origins of elements of nature

Myths explain natural occurrences

Myths express beliefs about right and wrong

Myths explain the creation of the world

Myths teach moral lessons

Myths express the deepest fears and hopes of humans

In many myths gods and goddesses have human traits while human heroes
possess superhuman traits

Myths are related to the classical civilizations of Rome and Greece

Greek and Roman myths are known as classical mythology

Myths are part of the oral tradition; they are composed orally and then passed
from generation to generation by word of mouth

Oral tradition is the passing of songs, stories and poems from generation to
generation by word of mouth, folk songs, folk tales, legends, and myths. No one
knows who first created them

Folk tales: Oral tradition. Stories passed on by word of mouth, often over many
centuries.

Oral tradition: The passing of songs, stories, and poems, from generation to
another by word of mouth.

Fable: A brief story, usually with animal characters, that teaches a lesson or
moral.
Fairytales: Stories that have good and evil characters. There is usually a hero or
heroine, and magic is involved in most of the stories. Conflicts are usually resolved
through an act of kindness.

Trickster tales: Have one character, the protagonist, which is a clever trickster
that causes problems for the other characters.

Theme: The central message in a literary work.

Sound Devices
Rhyme: The repetition of sounds at the end of words.
Repetition: The use more than once of any element of language.
Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds
Onomatopoeia: the use of words that imitate sounds.
Assonance: The repetition of similar vowels sounds.
Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds. (Word and lord)
Refrain: A regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem.
Types of Poetry
Narrative: A story told in verse. a poem with all the elements of short stories:
characters, conflict……
Haiku: A three-line Japanese verse form. The first and third lines have 5 syllables,
and the second line has seven. The writer uses images to create a vivid picture.
Free Verse: Poetry that is not written in a regular, rhythmical pattern, or meter.
Lyric: A highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a
single person.
Ballad: A light simple poem designed to be sung.
Limerick: A humorous, rhyming, five-line poem with a specific meter and rhyming
scheme.
Figurative Language: Writing that is not meant to be taken literary.
Denotation: The dictionary meaning of a word.
Connotation: The connotation of a word is the set of ideas associated with it in
addition to its explicit meaning.
Simile: to compare two things using like or as
Metaphor: To describe something as if it were something else. It’s like a simile
without like or as.
Personification: A nonhuman subject is given human characteristics.
Oxymoron: Linking two opposites or contradictory words to point out an idea.
 Mood and Tone

Mood: How the reader feels

Mood: How the writer feels; the atmosphere; the emotions

Words That Describe Tone

Amused Humorous Pessimistic Angry Informal

Playful Cheerful Ironic Pompous Horror

Light Sad Clear Formal Resigned

Suspicious Gloomy Optimistic Witty

Words That Describe Mood

Fanciful Melancholy Frightening Mysterious

Frustrating Romantic Gloomy Sentimental

Happy Sorrowful Joyful Suspenseful

What does Explicit Textual Evidence mean?

Explicit: direct

Textual: from the text

Evidence: support for your answer, opinion, or idea

Inference

An inference is something that you think is true based on information that you
have. An inference is NOT directly written in the text. To make an inference, we
use evidence from the text, and our prior knowledge. Sometimes we have to
“read between the lines.” Authors don’t always tell us everything. We need to use
textual evidence and prior knowledge to understand the text better.