Language Arts Literary Terms Shires Memorize each set of 10 literary terms from the Literary Terms Handbook, at the back of the Green Freshman Language Arts textbook. We will have a literary terms test every 2 weeks. The test format provides the literary terms, and students write in the exact definition. On the test, each correct definition is worth 2 points, the entire quiz is worth 20 points for 10 terms and definions. 1. Act: Dramas are divided into large units called acts, which are divided into smaller units called scenes. 2. Allegory: An allegory is a story or tale with two or more levels of meaning a literal level and one or more symbolic levels. 3. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds. 4. Allusion: An allusion is a reference to a well known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. 5. Analogy: An analogy makes a comparison between two or more things that are similar in some ways but otherwise unalike. 6. Anecdote: An anecdote is a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event told to entertain or to make a point. 7. Antagonist: An antagonist is a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist. 8. Anticlimax: Like a climax, an anticlimax is the turning point in the story. However, an anticlimax is always a letdown. 9. Aside: An aside is a short speech delivered by an actor in a play. 10. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables. 11. Atmosphere: Atmosphere is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. 12. Autobiography: An autobiography is a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells his or her own life story. 13. Ballad: A ballad is a songlike poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure and romance. 14. Biography: A biography is a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person. 15. Blank Verse: Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines. 16. Character: A character is a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a literary work. 17. Characterization: Characterization is the act of creating and developing a character. 18. Climax: The climax of a story, novel or play is the high point of interest or suspense. 19. Comedy: A comedy is a literary work, especially a play, that has a happy ending. 20. Comic Relief: Comic relief is a technique that is used to interrupt a serious part of a literary work by introducing a humorous character in a situation. 21. Conflict: A conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. 22. Connotation: The connotation of a word is the set of ideas associated with it in addition to its explicit meaning. 23. Couplet: A couplet is a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter. 24. Denotation: The denotation of a word is its dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have. 25. Denouement: The climax is followed by the falling action, which leads to the denouement, or resolution, in which a general insight or change is conveyed. 26. Description: A description is a portrait in words of a person, place or object. 27. Development: The conflict then increases during the development until it reaches a high point or interest or suspense, the climax. 28. Dialect: Dialect is the form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group.
29. Dialogue: A dialogue is a conversation between characters. 30. Diction: Diction is word choice, including the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language. 31. Direct Characterization: In direct characterization, the author directly states a character s traits. 32. Drama: A drama is a story written to be performed by actors. 33. Dramatic Irony: In dramatic irony, there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true. 34. Dramatic Monologue: A dramatic monologue is a poem or speech in which a fictional character addresses the listener. 35. Dramatic Poetry: Dramatic poetry is poetry that utilizes the techniques of drama. 36. End Rhyme: End rhyme occurs when the rhyming words come at the ends of lines. 37. Epic: An epic is a long poem about the deeds of gods or heroes. 38. Epic Simile: An epic simile, also called Homeric simile, is an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects. 39. Essay: An essay is a short nonfiction work about a particular subject. 40. Exposition: Exposition is writing or speech that explains a process or presents information. 41.Extended Metaphor: In an extended metaphor, as in regular metaphor, a writer speaks or writes of a subject as though it were something else. 42. Falling Action: The climax is followed by the falling action, which leads to the denouement, or resolution, in which a general insight or change is conveyed. 43. Fantasy: a fantasy is a highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life. 44. Fiction: Fiction is prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events. 45. Figurative Language: Figurative language is writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally. 46. Foil: A foil is a character who provides a good contrast to another character. 47. Foot: In a meter, the stressed and unstressed syllables that are divided by vertical lines are called feet. 48. Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur. 49. Free Verse: Free verse is poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern, or meter. 50. Genre: A genre is a category or type of literature. Literature is commonly divided into three major genres: poetry, prose and drama. 51. Haiku: The haiku is a three line verse form. The first and third lines of a haiku each have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. 52. Homeric Simile: An epic simile, also called Homeric simile, is an elaborate comparison of unlike objects. 53. Hyperbole: A hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. 54. Iamb: A foot with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in the word again. 55. Image: An image is a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell. 56. Imagery: Imagery is the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader. 57. Internal Rhyme: Internal rhyme occurs when the rhyming words appear in the same line. 58. Irony: Irony is the general term for literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, or expectation and result. 59. Literal Language: Literal Language uses words in their ordinary senses. 60. Lyric Poem: A lyric poem is a highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker.
61. Main Character: The main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in the story. 62. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else. 63. Meter: The meter of a poem is its rhythmical pattern. 64. Monologue: A monologue is a speech by one character in a play, story, or poem. 65. Monometer: verse written in one foot lines 66. Mood: Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. 67. Moral: A moral is a lesson taught by a literary work. 68. Motivation: Motivation is a reason that explains or partially explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way. 69. Myth: A myth is a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena. 70. Narration: Narration is writing that tells a story. 71. Narrative: A narrative is a story told in fiction, non fiction, poetry, or drama. 72. Narrative Poem: A narrative poem is one that tells a story. 73. Narrator: A narrator is a speaker or character who tells a story. 74. Nonfiction: Nonfiction is prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, ideas, and events. 75. Novel: A novel is a long work of fiction 76. Octave: An eight line stanza 77. Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate sounds. 78. Oral tradition: The oral tradition is the passing of songs, stories, and poems from generation to generation by word of mouth. 79. Paradox: A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory but that actually may be true. 80. Pentameter: verse written in five foot lines. 81. Personification: Personification is a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics. 82. Persuasion: Persuasion is writing or speech that attempts to convince the reader to adopt a particular opinion or course of action. 83. Plot: Plot is the sequence of events in a literary work. 84. Poetry: Poetry is one of the three major types of literature, the others being prose and drama. 85. Point of view: point to view directs the type and amount of information the writer reveals. 86. Prose: Prose is the ordinary form of written language. 87. Protagonist: The protagonist is the main character in a literary work.
88. Quatrain: A quatrain is a stanza or poem made up of four lines, usually with a definite rhythm and rhyme scheme. 89. Repetition: Repetition is the use of any element of language a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence more than once. 90. Resolution: Resolution is a general insight or change is conveyed.
91. Rhyme: Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. 92. Rhyme Scheme: A rhyme scheme is a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. 93. Rhythm: Rhythm is the pattern of beats, or stresses, in spoken or written language. 94. Rising action: All the events leading up to the climax make up the rising action. 95. Round Character: A round character shows many different traits faults as well as virtues. 96. Scene: Dramas divided into smaller units called scenes. 97. Science fiction: Science fiction is writing that tells about imaginary events involving science or technology.
98. Sensory Language: Sensory Language is writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the senses. 99. Sestet: A six line stanza. 100. Setting: The setting of a literary work is the time and place of the action. 101. Short story: A short story is a brief work of fiction. 102. Simile: A simile is a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between two basically unlike ideas. 103. Soliloquy: A soliloquy is a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character along on stage. 104. Sonnet: A sonnet is a fourteen line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter.
105. Speaker: The speaker is the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of poem. 106. Stage Directions: Stage directions are notes included in a drama to describe how the work is to be performed or staged. 107. Stanza: A stanza is a formal division of lines in a poem, considered as a unit. 108. Static character: A character does not change. 109. Surprise ending: A surprise rising is a conclusion that violates the expectations of the reader but in a way that is both logical and believable. 110. Suspense: Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work.
111. Symbol: A symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else. 112. Tetrameter: Verse written in four foot lines. 113. Theme: A theme is a central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work 114. Tone: The tone of a literary work is the writer s attitude toward his or her audience and subject 115. Tragedy: A tragedy is a work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe for the main character 116. Trimeter: Verse written in three foot lines 117. Universal theme: A universal theme is a message about life that can be understood by most cultures. 118. Verbal irony: In verbal irony, words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant 119. Villanelle: A villanelle is a lyric poem written in three line stanzas, ending with a four line stanza 120. Visual essay: A visual essay is an exploration of a topic that conveys its ideas through visual elements as well as language