ABSTRACT Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images. ALLITERATION Repetition of the initial consonant sound. ABSTRACT NOUN Something (a noun) you cannot perceive using any of your five senses. ALLUSION Reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. ACROSTIC Poem that is created by using the letters in the title to begin the lines of the poem. ACT Large units in a drama. ANACHRONISM Object or idea placed into a time when it did not yet exist. ANALOGY Literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison between two different items. ACTION VERB Tells what action someone or something is performing. ACTIVE VOICE When the subject performs the action named by the verb. AD HOMINEM In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. ANECDOTE Brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event (entertains or makes a point). ANTAGONIST Character or force against which the protagonist is pitted. ANTECEDENT Noun, pronoun, or clause to which a pronoun refers. ADJECTIVE Modifies a noun or pronoun. ANTITHESIS Balancing or contrasting one term against another. ADVERB Modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. ANTONYM Word meaning the opposite of another word. ALLEGORY When an entire piece of literature & its characters, setting, etc. are symbolic. APOSTROPHE Writer speaks directly to an idea, quality, object, or person that cannot answer.
ARCHETYPE Original model or type after which other similar things are patterned. BLANK VERSE Unrhymed iambic pentameter. ARGUMENT Single or a series of assertions presented & defended by the writer. CACOPHONY Harsh & discord sounds in a line or passing in a literary work. ARTICLE One of three commonly used adjectives (a, an, & the). CATHARSIS Emotional cleansing or release created by a literary work. ASIDE Short speech made by an actor in the presence of others who do not hear it. CHARACTER Person, animal, or idea in a work of literature. ATTITUDE Relationship an author has toward his/her subject, &/or his/her audience. AUTOBIOGRAPHY Form of nonfiction in which a person tells his/her own life story. BALANCE Situation in which all parts of the presentation are equal. BALLAD Song-like poem that tells a story in quatrains with a rhyme scheme of abcb. BIAS The attitudes or beliefs that affect a writer's ability to present a subject objectively. CHARACTERIZATION Ways in which an author develops a character (physical description, thoughts, actions, speech, etc.). CINQUAIN/QUINTET Five-line stanza. CLAUSE A phrase that has its own subject & verb. CLIMAX Turning point in the action of a work of literature. COHERENCE Ideas follow a logical order & the connections between ideas are clear. BIOGRAPHY Form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person. COLLOQUIAL Use of slang in writing, often to create local color & provide informal tone.
COMEDY Literary work intended to amuse that usually has a happy ending. CONCRETE POEM Poem whose shape suggests its subject. COMIC RELIEF Introduction of comic characters, speeches, or scenes in a serious or tragic work to enhance the tragic significance in the plot. COMMON NOUN A general person, place, thing, or idea. COMPARE Identify the similarities between items. COMPLETE PREDICATE A verb or verb phrase, plus modifiers & compliments that tells what the complete subject does or is. COMPLETE SUBJECT A noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun, plus modifiers. COMPLICATION Any obstacle that increases the tension of the story conflict. COMPOSITION Group of related paragraphs that develops a main idea. CONCLUSION Summarization or decision one reaches from a literary work. CONCRETE NOUN Something (a noun) you can perceive using any of your five senses. CONFLICT Struggle between opposing forces. CONNECTIVE TISSUE Those elements that help create coherence in a written piece. CONNOTATION Emotional meaning of a word. CONTRAST Identify the differences between items. COORDINATING CONJUNCTION Connects words or groups of words (FANBOYS--for, and, nor, but, or, yet, & so). CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTION Connects words or groups of words but work in pairs (both...and; whether...or; not only...but also; neither...nor; either...or). COUPLET Two-line stanza. CREDIBILITY Degree to which an author can be believed. DEDUCTION Process of moving from a general rule to a specific example.
DENOTATION Dictionary definition of a word. DRAMA Story written to be performed by actors. DENOUEMENT The "ever after" or the events that occur after the resolution. DRAMATIC IRONY When the audience knows something the characters do not. DEPENDENT CLAUSE A clause that cannot stand alone. DYNAMIC CHARACTER Character who changes or evolves during a work of literature. DESCRIPTION Verbal representation of characters, scenes, or actions, used to make a story more vivid. ELLIPSIS Indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text; shown by three periods. DIALECT Form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group. END RHYME Consists of similarity at the ends of two or more lines of poetry. DIALOGUE Conversation between two or more characters in a work of literature. EPIC Long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes. DICTION Writer's choice of words. DIDACTIC Writing whose purpose is to teach. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION When an author tells the reader directly about a character. DIRECT OBJECT Noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that receives the action of a transitive verb (action verb). EPIC HERO Almost superhuman main character who is representative of a particular society & on a quest for that society; opposed by evil & supported by the gods. EPIGRAPH Use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. EUPHEMISM More acceptable & usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable.
EUPHONY Pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sound in a literary work. FLAT CHARACTER Character with few known attributes or qualities. EXPOSITION Background information at the start of a story. EXTENDED METAPHOR Sustained comparison; often referred to as a conceit. EXTERNAL CONFLICT Conflict that occurs between a character & an outside force. FALLING ACTION Events in a work of literature that lead from the climax to the resolution. FANTASY Highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life. FICTION Stories about imaginary people & places. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one. FIRST PERSON When the point of view is told by a character in the story. FLASHBACK Scene in a literary work that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier. FOIL Character whose qualities contrast with those of the main character; often serves to help the reader understand the main character. FORESHADOWING Hints or clues about future plot events. FORM Shape or structure of a literary work. FREE VERSE Poetry that does not have a regular rhyme or meter. GENRE Type of literature (short story, poem, novel, etc.). GERUND Form of a verb that acts as a noun (more often than not, possesses an -ing ending). HEROIC COUPLET Two successive rhyming lines with a complete thought & end punctuation. HISTORICAL CONTEXT Period, events, people, etc. surrounding a literary work &/or its author. HUBRIS Excessive pride.
HYPERBOLE Exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. IAMBIC PENTAMETER Ten syllables per line, every other syllable is stressed. IMAGE Verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion. IMAGERY Descriptive wording appealing to the senses. INCITING INCIDENT Event in a work of literature that puts the conflict into action. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE A sentence; a clause that can stand alone. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION When an author shows the character in action & lets the readers draw their own conclusion. INFINITIVE Form of a verb that generally appears with the word to & acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb. INTERJECTION Expresses emotion. INTERNAL CONFLICT Conflict that occurs within a character himself. INVECTIVE Verbally abusive attack. IRONY Contrast between appearance & reality. LEGEND Widely told story about the past that may or may not have a basis in fact. LIMERICK Five-line nonsense poem with a rhyme scheme of aabba. INDIRECT OBJECT Noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that appears with a direct object & names the person or thing that something is given to or done for. INDUCTION Process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization. LINKING VERB Connects its subject with a noun, pronoun, or adjective that identifies or describes the subject, the most common of which are called "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were). LOGIC Process of reasoning. INFERENCE Conclusion one can draw from the presented details.
LOGICAL FALLACY Mistake in reasoning. NARRATIVE Writing that tells a story. MAIN CHARACTER Lead or most important character in a work of literature. NARRATOR One who tells the story. METAPHOR Implied comparison. NONFICTION Writing about real people & events. METONYMY Figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea. NOUN Person, place, or thing. MINOR CHARACTER Person, animal, or idea of lesser importance in a work of literature. OCTAVE Eight-line stanza. MONOLOGUE Long speech by one character addressed to another character or the audience. ONOMATOPOEIA Use of a word to represent or imitate natural sounds. MOOD Feeling or atmosphere created in a work of literature. MOTIF Repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop them or characters. ORAL TRADITION Passing of songs, stories, & poems from generation to generation by word of mouth. ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE When nature reflects what is happening in a story. MOTIVATION Reason a character acts a certain way. OXYMORON Two-word paradox. MYTH Fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena. PACING Movement of a literary piece from one point or section to another.
PARABLE Short, simple story that teaches a lesson. PERSUASION Type of argument that has as its goal an action on the part of the audience. PARADOX Statement that seems to contradict itself. PLOT DIAGRAM Also called structure (be able to draw it). PARALLELISM Placement of equal ideas in words, phrases, clauses, or sentences of similar types. PARODY Comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original. PARTICIPLE Form of a verb that can act as an adjective. PASSIVE VOICE When the subject undergoes the action named (or is acted upon) by the verb. PLOT Series of events in a work of literature. POINT OF VIEW Perspective from which a story is told. PREFIX One or more syllables added to the beginning of a word root. PREPOSITION Relates the noun or pronoun that appears with it to another word in the sentence; may involve location, direction, cause, or position. PATHOS Aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience. PEDANTIC Term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. PERIODIC SENTENCE Presents its main clause at the end of the sentence for emphasis & sentence variety. PRONOUN Word that takes the place of a noun, another like itself, or a group of words functioning as a noun. PROPAGANDA Material disseminated by the advocates of a doctrine or cause. PROPER NOUN A specific noun. PERSONIFICATION Giving human or unnatural characteristics to animals or inanimate objects.
PROSE Category of written language in which the end product is developed through sentences & paragraphs. RHYME SCHEME Pattern of rhyming words at the end of the lines in a poem; shown by using lowercase letters. PROTAGONIST Another name for the main character in a work of literature. RISING ACTION Building complications in the conflict of a work of literature. PUN Play on words that often has a comic effect. QUATRAIN Four-line stanza. REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM Either/or argument. REFRAIN Repetition of one or more lines at regular intervals in a poem. REPETITION When one or more words, phrases, lines, etc. occur repetitively in a poem. RESOLUTION When the conflict of a story is resolved. RHETORIC Refers to the entire process of written communication. RHETORICAL QUESTION Question that does not expect an explicit answer. ROMANTICISM Stories of knights & their chivalric (good & honorable) deeds; also includes remote settings, heroic people, & supernatural events. ROOT The base of a word. ROUND CHARACTER Character with many known attributes or qualities. SARCASM Comic technique that ridicules through caustic language. SATIRE Mode of writing based on ridicule that criticizes the foibles & follies of society without necessarily offering a solution. SCENE Smaller units in acts that help to develop a drama. SCIENCE FICTION Writing that tells about imaginary events that involve science or technology.
SENTENCE Contains a complete subject and a complete predicate. STANZA Group of lines in a piece of poetry. SEPTET Seven-line stanza. STATIC CHARACTER Character who does not change or evolve during a work of literature. SESTET Six-line stanza. STEREOTYPE (GENERALIZATION) Character in a work of literature who conforms to a fixed set of characteristics. SETTING Time & place of the events in a work of literature; can be general or specific. STRUCTURE Organization & form of a work. SIMILE Comparison using like or as. SITUATIONAL IRONY When a character expects one event & the opposite occurs. SOLILOQUY Long speech made by an actor alone on the stage (to reveal thoughts & feelings). SONNET Fourteen-line poem. SPEAKER Imaginary voice assumed by a writer of a poem. STAGE DIRECTIONS Specific instructions a playwright includes concerning sets, characterization, delivery, etc. STYLE Characteristic ways an individual author uses language; includes word choice, sentence length & complexity, patterns of sound, & use of imagery & symbols. SUFFIX One or syllables added to the end of a word root. SURPRISE ENDING Unexpected twist at the conclusion of a work of literature. SUSPENSE Feeling of uncertainty or tension created by a work of literature. SYLLOGISM Format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, & a conclusion. SYMBOL Something in a literary work that stands for itself & something else.
SYNECDOCHE Figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. TRAGEDY Work of literature, esp. a play, that results in the downfall of the main character. SYNONYM Word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. SYNTAX Arrangement of & relationships among words, phrases, & clauses forming sentences; grammatical structure of prose & poetry. TALL TALE Story with an almost superhuman main character with a specific job; problem solved in a funny way with exaggerated details & simple language. TRAGIC HERO Person born into a high place who possesses a flaw that usually causes his death or widespread destruction. TRANSITION Word or phrase that links one idea to the next & carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph. TRIPLET/TERCET Three-line stanza. THEME Main idea, lesson, or moral lesson of a work of literature; a general observation about life or human nature. TYPES OF CONFLICT Man v. man, man v. himself, man v. society, man v. nature, man v. supernatural (gods, demons, magic, etc.). THESIS Simply, the main idea of a piece of writing. UNDERSTATEMENT Figure of speech in which the speaker says less than what he/she actually feels. THESIS STATEMENT Declares what you intend to show or prove in your composition. THIRD PERSON When the point of view is told by someone observing the story. TONE Attitude an author takes toward a subject or topic. UNITIES Time (action takes place in about 24 hours), place (one setting with one unchanged scene), & subject (focused on the main character only). UNITY All the parts of a paragraph or composition are clearly connected to a single main idea.
VERB Word or group of words that expresses time while showing an action, a condition, or the fact that something exists. VERBAL IRONY When a character says something & means something else. VOICE Can refer to two different areas of writing--the relationship between a sentence's subject & verb, & the total "sound" of a writer's style.