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literature terms > literary devices, forms, elements, and vocabulary > Flashcards

literary devices, forms, elements, and vocabulary Flashcards

0
Q

The repetition of initial consonant sounds used especially in poetry to emphasize and link words as well as to create, musical sounds.
EX: the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew
__ __ __ __ __

A

Alliteration

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1
Q

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art to enrich the reading experience by adding meaning.

A

Allusion

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2
Q

Techniques a writer uses to create and develop a character by what:
•he/she does or says
•other characters say about him/her, or how they react to him/her
•the author reveals directly or through a narrator

A

Characterization

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3
Q

Speech that reflects pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar typical of a geographical region.

A

Dialect

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4
Q

Interruption of the chronological (time) order to present something that occurred before the beginning of the story.

A

Flashback

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5
Q

Language that has meaning beyond the literal meaning; also known as “figures of speech.”

A

Figurative Language

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6
Q

Comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as”

EX: “Her smile was as cold as ice.”

A

Simile

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7
Q

Comparison of two things essentially different but with some commonalities; does not use “like” or “as,”
EX: “Her smile was ice.”

A

Metaphor

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8
Q

A purposeful exaggeration for emphasis or humor.

A

Hyperbole

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9
Q

Human qualities attributed to an animal, object, or idea.

EX: “The wind exhaled.”

A

Personification

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10
Q

Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme. Poets who write in free verse try to reproduce to natural rhythms of spoken language.

A

Free Verse

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11
Q

Important hints that an author drops to prepare the reader for what is to come, and help the reader anticipate the outcome.

A

Foreshadowing

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12
Q

Words or phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses.

A

Imagery

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13
Q

The quality of a literary or informative work that makes the character and/or situations seem funny, amusing, or ludicrous.

A

Humor

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14
Q

A technique that involves surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions or contrasts. Verbal irony occurs when words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning. An irony of situation is when an event occurs that directly contradicts expectations.

A

Irony

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15
Q

The use of words that imitate sounds.

EX: hiss, buzz, swish, and crunch.

A

Onomatopoeia

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16
Q

Perspective from which the story is told.

A

Point of View

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17
Q

Narrator is a character in the story; uses “I”, “we” etc.

A

First-Person / Point of View

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18
Q

Narrator outside the story; uses “he”, “she”, “they”

A

Third-Person / Point of View

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19
Q

Narrator tells only what one character perceives

A

Third-Person Limited / Point of View

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20
Q

Narrator can see into the minds of all characters.

A

Third-Person Omniscient / Point of View

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21
Q

Writing that comments humorously on human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to change them.

A

Satire

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22
Q

The distinctive way that a writer uses language including such factors as word choice, sentence length, arrangement, and complexity, and the use of figurative language and imagery.

A

Style

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23
Q

A feeling of excitement, curiosity, or expectation about what will happen.

A

Suspense

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24
Q

Person, place, or thing that represents something beyond itself, most often something concrete or tangible that represents an abstract idea.

A

Symbol

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25
Q

A writer’s story of his or her own life.

A

Autobiography

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26
Q

A writer’s account of some other person’s life.

A

Biography

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27
Q

Writing that deals with life in a humorous way, often poking fun at people’s mistakes.

A

Comedy

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28
Q

Also called a play, this writing form uses dialogue to share it’s message and is meant to be performed in front of an audience.

A

Drama

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29
Q

A short piece of nonfiction that expresses the writer’s opinion or shares information about a subject.

A

Essay

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30
Q

A short story that often uses talking animals as the main characters and teaches an explicit moral or lesson.

A

Fable

31
Q

A story set in an imaginary world in which the characters usually have supernatural powers or abilities.

A

Fantasy

32
Q

A story originally passed from one generation to another by word of mouth only. The characters are usually all good or all bad and on the end are rewarded or punished as they deserve.

A

Folktale

33
Q

A made-up story that is based on a real time and place in history, so fact is mixed with fiction.

A

Historical Fiction

34
Q

A traditional story intended to explain some mystery of nature, religious doctrine, or cultural belief. The gods and goddesses of mythology have supernatural powers, but the human characters usually do not.

A

Myth

35
Q

A book-length, fictional prose story.

Because of its length, a novel’s characters and plot are usually more developed that those of a short story.

A

Novel

36
Q

A literary work that uses the familiar spoken form of language, sentence after sentence.

A

Prose

37
Q

Writing that attempts to show life as it really is.

A

Realistic Fiction

38
Q

Writing based on real or imaginary scientific developments and often set in the future.

A

Science Fiction

39
Q

Shorter than a novel, this piece of literature can usually be read in one sitting. Because of its length, it has only a few characters and focuses on one problem or conflict.

A

Short Story

40
Q

A humorous, exaggerated story often based on the life of a real person. The exaggerations build until the character can accomplish impossible things.

A

Tall Tale

41
Q

Everything that happens in a story.

A

Action

42
Q

The person or force that works against the hero of a story.

A

Antagonist

43
Q

One of the people (or animals) in a story.

A

Character

44
Q

The high point in the action of a story.

A

Climax

45
Q

A problem or struggle between two opposing forces in a story. With four basic types.

A

Conflict

46
Q

Type of conflict, a problem between characters.

A

Person Against Person

47
Q

Type of conflict, a problem within a character’s own mind

A

Person Against Self

48
Q

A type of conflict, a problem between a character and society, school, the law, or some tradition.

A

Person Against Society

49
Q

Type of conflict, a problem between a character and some element of nature - a blizzard, a hurricane, a mountain climb, etc.

A

Person Against Nature

50
Q

The conversations that characters have with one another.

A

Dialogue

51
Q

The part of the story, usually near the beginning, in which the characters are introduced, the background is explained and the setting is described.

A

Exposition

52
Q

The action and dialogue following the climax that leads the reader into the story’s end.

A

Falling Action

53
Q

The feeling a piece of literature is intended to create in a reader.

A

Mood

54
Q

The lesson a story teaches.

A

Moral

55
Q

The person or character who actually tells the story, filling in the background information and bridging the gaps between dialogue.

A

Narrator

56
Q

The action that makes up the story, following a plan called the plot line.

A

Plot

57
Q

The planned action or series of events in a story. There are five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

A

Plot Line

58
Q

The main character in a story, often a good or heroic type.

A

Protagonist

59
Q

The part of the story in which the problems are solved and the action comes to a satisfying end.

A

Resolution

60
Q

The central part of the story during which various problems arise after a conflict is introduced.

A

Rising Action

61
Q

The place and time frame in which a story takes place.

A

Setting

62
Q

The message about life or human nature that is “the focus” in the story that the writer tells.

A

Theme

63
Q

A complete piece of writing, as a report or essay, that is part of a newspaper, magazine, or book.

A

Article

64
Q

A book of maps.

A

Atlas

65
Q

A book that contains information on many subjects; or comprehensive information in a particular field of knowledge; usually arranged alphabetically.

A

Encyclopedia

66
Q

A literary work whose content is based on the imagination and not on fact.

A

Fiction

67
Q

An alphabetical listing of difficult, technical, or foreign terms with definitions or translations; usually found at the end of a book.

A

Glossary

68
Q

An alphabetical listing that gives page numbers or books where information can be found.

A

Index

69
Q

A novel, story, or play involving a crime or secret activity and its gradual solution.

A

Mystery

70
Q

True writing, based on factual information.

A

Nonfiction

71
Q

Another word for magazine.

A

Periodical

72
Q

A type of book that provides information arranged for easy access.

A

Reference

73
Q

Several books relating in subject, or dealing with the same characters.

A

Series

74
Q

The part of a book which lists the chapters or contents within a book.

A

Table of Contents

literature terms (1 decks)

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