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Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration (Ex. my backpack weighs 1,000 pounds).
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Dialect
Characteristic language of a particular region or social group.
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Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines contradictory (opposite) statement/words (ex.: jumbo shrimp).
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Aphorism
A short statement/saying that expresses a wise saying about life. It is often memorable even if out of context.
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Assonance
Consecutive/adjacent words that begin with the same VOWEL SOUND.
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Epitaph
(ep-i-taf)
A short saying/phrase honoring someone who has died. It is typically placed on the gravestone.
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Comedy
A literary work that ends happily.
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Epigraph
(ep-i-graf)
Not to be confused with epitaph, this is a short quote at the beginning of a piece that introduces a theme.
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Foreshadowing
When the author gives hints or clues about upcoming events in the story.
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Caricature
Portrayal of characters with exaggerated/ distorted physical traits (huge noses, squints).
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Point of View
The perspective from which something is told.
1st person - the speaker is talking from within - the use of the pronoun "I" is prevalent.
2nd person - is when the story is addressing the reader directly - talking to "you".
3rd person omniscient - an all knowing outside narrator.
3rd person limited - an outside narrator who only divulges information from certain characters' perspectives.
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Conflict
Two opposing forces. Could be external - meaning between a character and another character or some outside force. Could be internal where a character has a conflict within himself.
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Imagery
Descriptive language used to create a vivid picture in the mind of the reader. It should appeal to the readers senses.
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Parallelism
Use of phrases or sentences that are similar in structure of wording. Often used for emphasis.
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Rhetoric
Use of language for persuasion. An author's appeal to reason, intellect, and emotion in an effort to convince an audience.
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Sonnet
A 14 line poem with specific rhyme scheme and structure. Typically the rhyme scheme is: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
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Repetition
Repeating of a word, phrase, or concept with the purpose of emphasizing its importance.
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Tone
The attitude of a writer toward a subject. Tone is usually implied.
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Flashback
The interruption in a story to reveal a past event (often before the story takes place).
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Allegory
A story in which the characters, actions, objects, or settings represent abstract or symbolic ideas.
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Antagonist
The character opposed/in conflict with the main character.
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Consonance
The repetition of IDENTICAL CONSONANT SOUNDS that are preceded by different vowel sounds.
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Stanza
Group of lines in a poem that functions as one unit; like a paragraph in prose.
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Characterization
How an author develops the characters in a story. Can be direct or indirect.
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Soliloquy
Speech made by an actor along on stage, usually done to reveal a characters' feelings to the audience.
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Denotation
Basic or literal meaning of a word or expression - the dictionary definition.
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Mood
How the reader feels when reading the passage. Mood is usually created by the tone.
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Diction
Authors choice of words to provide a certain effect.
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Iambic Verse
Alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Iambic couplet = usually the last lines in a poem when the lines are in iambic verse and the last words in each line rhymes with one another.
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Inference
A reasonable conclusion about a character or an event drawn from the limited information presented by the author.
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Connotation
Emotional association or implication attached to a word or phrase (ex.: unique has a positive connotation, while strange has a negative connotation).
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Rhyme Scheme
The pattern given to the rhyming patterns at the end of lines in a poem
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Symbolism
When an author uses objects or descriptions to represent something else (ex.: white might stand for purity).
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Figurative Language
Language that suggests more than the literal meaning of the words.
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Motif
Recurring feature (image, word, phrase, etc) in a literary work that contributes to the overall theme
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Alliteration
Consecutive or adjacent words that begin with the same CONSONANT SOUND.
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Ballad
A song-like poem that tells a story often dealing with adventure, romance; contains simple language, four to six line stanzas, rhyme, and regular meter.
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Genre
Category or type of literature (ex.: poetry, prose, drama, short story, novel).
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Allusion
Reference to a historical, mythological, or literary person/place/or thing. It can also be a reference to a work of art.
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Vernacular
Everyday spoken language of people in a locality, writing that imitates or suggests language.
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Blank Verse
Poetic lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter (containing 5 literary metric feet).
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Anecdote
A rhetorical device used to appeal to an audience's emotion. When an author uses a short story in a speech or a piece of writing to emphasize a point.
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Satire
Technique which employs wit to ridicule a subject, usually some social institution or human foible (minor flaw) with the intention to inspire reform.
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Idiom
An expression peculiar to a language; not literally translatable (ex.: a dime a dozen, a chip on his shoulder).
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Theme
An underlying idea, moral, or lesson of a piece of writing.
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Protagonist
The main character.
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Quatrain
A stanza of four lines; rhymed or unrhymed.
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Metaphor
A comparison of two unlike things NOT using "like" or "as"
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Free Verse
Poetry which is unrhymed and unmetered.
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Irony
The contract between what is stated and what is meant OR between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.
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Setting
The time and place where the story takes place.
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Simile
A comparison of two unlike things USING "like" or "as"
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Couplet
A pair of rhymed lines.
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Tragedy
A work of serious fiction involving the downfall of hero(es).
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Personification
Giving lifelike characteristics to something without life.
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Syntax
The grammatical structure of a sentence (the way the words in a sentence are arranged).
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Rhetorical Question
A question posed for effect. The answer is usually obvious.
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Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate the sounds they make (ex.: buzz).
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Paradox
An apparently untrue or contradictory statement or circumstance that proves true upon reflection.
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