Literary Terms

Question 1

Figurative Language

Answer 1

language not meant to be taken literally, has meaning beyond the literal meaning

also known as “figures of speech

Question 1

Allusion(Give Example)

Answer 1

a brief reference to a person, event, place, or phrase, usually has a social, historical or literary significance. The writer assumes audience will recognize the reference

Question 2

Hyperbole(Give Example)

Answer 2

an intentional over-exaggeration

Question 3

Imagery(Give Example)

Answer 3

language that is so descriptive it appeals to the 5 senses

Question 4

Metaphor(Give Example)

Answer 4

a figure of speech in which one thing is directly compared to something it isn’t. It does not use the words “like, as, or than.

Question 5

Personification(Give Example)

Answer 5

a figure of speech in which non-human things (animals included) are given human characteristics

Question 6

Simile(Give Example)

Answer 6

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using like, than, as or resembles

Question 7

Oxymoron(Give Example)

Answer 7

a word pair in which the words contradict each other

Question 8

Diction

Answer 8

a speaker or writer’s choice of words

Question 9

Syntax

Answer 9

the grammatical structure of a sentence; the way in which words and phrases are put together in order to form clauses or sentences

Question 10

Alliteration(Give Example)

Answer 10

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of a word

Question 11

Denotation(Give Example)

Answer 11

Literal definition of a word; dictionary definition of a word

Question 12

Connotation(Give Example)

Answer 12

The implied meaning of a word; the feelings, emotions or ideas that go along with the literal definition

Question 13

Dialect(Give Example)

Answer 13

a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area

Question 14

Onomatopoeia(Give Example)

Answer 14

words that sound like their meanings

Question 15

Paradox(Give Example)

Answer 15

a statement that appears contradictory or absurd but actually has an underlying truth

Example:Deep down you’re very shallow

Question 16

Pun(Give Example)

Answer 16

a play on words in which a word has two or more meanings

Question 17

Repetition(Give Example)

Answer 17

the repeated use of sounds or words to create emphasis

Question 18

Rhyme(Give Example)

Answer 18

repetition of the same (or similar) sound(s) at the end of the words—usually, in poetry, rhyming means the ending of two or more lines with words that sound alike

Question 19

Tone

Answer 19

The attitude a writer takes toward a subject, character or audience. It is conveyed through the writer’s choice of words and details

Question 20

Antagonist(Give Example)

Answer 20

Opponent who struggles against or blocks the main character, or protagonist, in a story

Question 21

Protagonist(Give Example)

Answer 21

the main character around whom the story revolves

Question 22

Plot

Answer 22

a sequence of events that a narrator tells in a story

Example- Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution/Denouement

Question 23

Exposition(Give Example)

Answer 23

1st step of Plot, introduces characters, situation, and setting

Question 24

Rising Action(Give Example)

Answer 24

The events that lead to an important and dramatic point (the climax). Conflict is introduced in this step.

Question 25

Climax(Give Example)

Answer 25

Point in a story where the conflict or tension hits the highest point. The conflict MUST be resolved and a change occurs in the protagonist.

Greek Term is ladder

Question 26

Falling Action(Give Example)

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Resolution/denouement(Give Example)

Answer 27

the final outcome of the story, final element of plot

Question 28

Point of view

Answer 28

the perspective that a narrator takes toward the events described in a story

Example- First person, Second person, Third person

Question 29

First person narrator

Answer 29

The narrator is a character who tells the story from their perspective using words like “me,” “my,” “I,” etc.

Question 30

Third person narrator

Answer 30

When the story is told using words like “he,” “she,” “they”

Question 31

Limited narrator

Answer 31

when the narrator knows the thoughts, motivations, etc. of only one or two characters

Question 32

Omniscient narrator

Answer 32

when the narrator knows the thoughts, motivations, etc. of all the characters; narrator is “all-knowing”

Question 33

Flat character(Give Example)

Answer 33

only has 1 or 2 personality traits. One dimensional character with no depth

Question 34

Round character(Give Example)

Answer 34

has multiple personality traits—they are complex, just like real people

Question 35

Verbal irony(Give Example)

Answer 35

a character says one thing but means something completely different

Question 36

Dramatic irony

Answer 36

the audience knows something important that a character in the story does not know

Question 37

Situational irony(Give Example)

Answer 37

events happen differently than they are expected to happen

Question 38

Motif

Answer 38

A recurring subject, idea, image or object in a story that tends to produce theme or mood

Question 39

Setting(Give Example)

Answer 39

the time and place of a story

Question 40

Speaker

Answer 40

the narrator of the poem, not to be confused with the poet

Question 41

Symbol(Give Example)

Answer 41

concrete object that has meaning beyond its literal self. Tends to appear one time in a story. Can be universal so it carries the same meaning in different works

Question 42

Theme(Give Example)

Answer 42

the main idea or insight about human nature and life that the author conveys through the literature

Question 43

Mood/Atmosphere

Answer 43

emotional feeling evoked in a reader through a writer’s words and descriptions