literary terms

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

Allegory – a symbolic story having a second, deeper meaning beneath the readily apparent one.

Question 2

Alliteration

Answer 2

Alliteration – the repetition of beginning sounds in groups of words

Question 3

Allusion

Answer 3

Allusion – a casual or implied reference to something from history, a literary work, religion, myth, pop cul

Question 4

Antithesis

Answer 4

Antithesis – a contrast of words, characters, or concepts. Opposites.

Question 5

Atmosphere

Answer 5

Atmosphere – the overall emotional impression or tone of a literary work.

Question 6

Characterization

Answer 6

Characterization – a writer’s portrayal of a character through dialogue, actions, appearance, habits, beliefs, way of speaking, etc.

Question 7

Direct Characterization

Answer 7

Direct characterization: the narrator or another character tells us what a person is like.

Question 8

Indirect Characterization

Answer 8

Indirect characterization: requires the reader to look for clues that reveal a character’s traits and motivations.

Question 9

Colloquial Language

Answer 9

Colloquial language – language characteristic of everyday speaking. Common, frequently used words and phrases that have taken on meanings different from the literal ones.. Slang

Question 10

Complications

Answer 10

Complications – those moments in the plot where the protagonist experiences even further conflict. External things that get in the way of the protagonist achieving his or her goal.

Question 11

Connotation

Answer 11

Connotation - The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry

Question 12

Denotation

Answer 12

Denotation – the dictionary definition of a word.

Question 13

Dialogue

Answer 13

Dialogue – a quoted conversation between two or more persons. A conversation between two (usually) or more people.

Question 14

Diction

Answer 14

Diction - style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words. The choice of words an author uses to communicate a particular mood or emotion.

Question 15

Figurative Language

Answer 15

Figurative Language – use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves.

Question 16

Hyperbole

Answer 16

Hyperbole – exaggeration used not to deceive, but for humorous or dramatic effect.

Question 17

Incongruity

Answer 17

Incongruity – the quality or state of being out of place; inappropriate; unbecoming. Not harmonious in character, or state of being; lacking harmony.

Question 18

Irony

Answer 18

Irony – the use of words to express a meaning opposite to or different from the words’ literal meaning. A subtle form of sarcasm. There are three types of irony:
verbal irony is when an author says one thing and means something else.
dramatic irony is when an audience perceives something that a character in the literature does not know.
irony of situation/situational irony is a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results.

Question 19

Metaphor

Answer 19

Metaphor – a comparison that speaks of one thing as if it were another, to form a meaningful connection between the two; a metaphor does not use like or as.

Question 20

Onomatopoeia

Answer 20

Onomatopoeia – the fitting of sound to meaning; the constructing of a word through imitation of a sound connected with it.

Question 21

Oxymoron

Answer 21

Oxymoron - a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction to show the contrast between those ideas.

Question 22

Parallelism

Answer 22

Parallelism - is the repetition of grammatical elements in a piece of writing to create a harmonious effect. EX: Paul likes dancing, swimming, and running. (all three verbs are the same grammatical form.)

Question 23

Paradox

Answer 23

Paradox - despite apparently valid reasoning, it’s an idea that leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion.

Question 24

Personification

Answer 24

Personification – a literary device in which human qualities or actions are attributed to inanimate objects

Question 25

Rhythm

Answer 25

Rhythm – the pattern of accented and unaccented, or stressed and unstressed, syllables in written or spoken language.

Question 26

Simile

Answer 26

Simile – a comparison between two unlike things using like, as or than.

Question 27

Symbolism

Answer 27

Symbolism (symbol) – the use of a concrete object to stand for an abstract or more complicated idea.