Literature Terms Glossary of Terms for Language Arts/Literature Adage-a traditional saying or proverb Remember the old adage, a picture's worth a thousand words? Alliteration-a figure of speech formed by repeating the same initial consonant sound in several words in close succession Mrs. Niemann makes many mistakes! Allusion-a reference in a story to the proper name of a character, thing, or setting from another literary work or from real life. It s not as if I was Katniss and you were Peeta. (from The Hunger Games) Assonance-a figure of speech in which the same accented vowel is repeated through several words in succession "The spider skins lie on their sides, translucent and ragged, their legs drying in knots." - "Holy the Firm" by Annie Dillard Conflict-a struggle between opposing forces External-character vs. character, character vs. nature, character vs. society Internal-character vs. self Hyperbole-an exaggeration for effect I am so hungry I could eat a horse. I have a million things to do. Imagery-the use of sensory words (sight, sound, smell, taste, feel) to describe an object or person And he heard a thousand people in another sunlight, and the faint tinkling music of an organ grinder playing La Marimba oh, a lovely, dancing tune (Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury) Irony-the opposite of what is expected A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets. Literary Apostrophe-an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea In the poem "The Rising Sun" by John Donne: "Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains, call on us?" Donne is personifying the Sun, and addressing it as if it could respond. Metaphor-comparison between two unlike things not using like or as Explicit-a metaphor that uses a being verb (is,are,was,were,be,being,been,am)
The words were summer on the tongue. (Bradbury) Implicit-a metaphor that is implied rather than stated, one that does not use a be verb a great swelling symphony of lawn mowers (Bradbury) Metonymy-a figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another associated with it We are studying Shakespeare. (We are not studying Shakespeare but, in fact, Shakespeare s works.) Mood-the emotions an author makes a reader feel (anger, joy, sadness) Paradox-a seemingly contradictory statement that, on closer examination, may be true I always tell lies. Personification-giving human attributes to something nonhuman The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. Simile-a comparison between two unlike things using like or as He made careful stacks of nickels, dimes, and quarters on the counter, like someone playing chess. (Bradbury) Symbol-something that stands for more than just itself Life is a roller-coaster. The roller-coaster is a symbol for life because it indicates that there will be ups and downs in life that you have to weather. Theme- the lesson learned Stay optimistic and work hard are themes from The Little Engine That Could. Tone-author s attitude toward his/her work There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all. - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Words like steaming mist and forlornness indicate a sense of mystery and foreboding.
Grammar Terms Coordinate Adjectives-Two or more adjectives modifying the same noun require a comma to separate them. Last night there was a cold, stinging wind. Interrupter-(parenthetical phrase)-a group of words that interrupts the train of thought requires commas to set it off from the main part of the sentence. My mother, on the other hand, was a prolific reader. Subjunctive Mood-A mood of a verb used to express uncertainty, a wish, or an unlikely condition. If I were rich, I could travel anywhere. Writing Terms Hyphenated Modifier-Use a hyphen between words used as a one-thought modifier immediately before a noun. She gave me that go-to-your-room look. Character Sketch-A brief picture of a character painted with words. The author may choose actions, speech, inner thoughts and feelings, what others say, and/or environment. He could jump six-foot orchard walls, swing up branches faster and come down, fat with peaches, quicker than anyone else in the gang. He ran laughing. He sat easy. He was not a bully. He was kind. (Bradbury) Vignette-A small literary sketch, a slice of life They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn't have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs, not hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on T.V. And we'd have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldn't have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed. But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It's small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms the city planted by the curb. -The House on Mango Street
Methods of Sentence Combining Independent Clause-a complete sentence; it has a sentence and verb. My knees were shaking. I saw Bon Jovi. Compound Sentence-Two sentences separated by a comma and a FANBOYS. (for,and,nor,but,or,yet,so) My knees were shaking, and I walked over to Bon Jovi. Adjective Clause-A dependent clause (one that doesn t make sense by itself it s dependent on a complete sentence) that modifies a noun or pronoun in a complete sentence; they usually start with who, whom, which, or that. My knees, which had felt like rubber, suddenly stopped shaking as I introduced myself. Adverb Clause-A dependent clause (one that doesn t make sense by itself it s dependent on a complete sentence) that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb in an independent clause; adverb clauses usually begin with when, since, if, because, after When I introduced myself to Bon Jovi, my knees started to shake. Participial Phrase-A verb phrase used as an adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun. They can be present (using an ing) or past (using an ed). Shaking in the knees, I introduced myself to Bon Jovi. Noun Absolute-a noun that has no grammatical function in the sentence Her face red with embarrassment, the Senator finally found her place in her notes and continued her speech, the crowd uneasy with her discomfort. The parties raised $50,000, the founder paying $40,000, the others contributing $10,000. These issues resolved, the agency turned its attention to other matters. He lay flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms. (The first sentence in Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.) He ignores scientific principles, his theories a wish list of insupportable propositions.