Literary Terms Flashcards
Anecdote
A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
Imagery
Visual Symbolism; descriptive language
Pun
Joke exploiting the possible meanings of a word
Idiom
A set expression or a phrase compromising two or more words
Connotation
An idea or feeling associated with a word
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word
Assonance
When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds
Alliteration
The repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of each word in a sentence
Personification
Giving human-like qualities to objects or animals
Anaphora
The repetition of the first part of the sentence
Oxymoron
Figure of speech when two opposites are conjoined
Metaphor
A figure of speech that has an implied comparison between two things
Simile
Comparison of two things using words like or as
Onomatopoeia
The formation of a word from a sound associated with the meaning
Sonnet
A poem with 14 lines using any formal rhyme schemes. Typically with ten syllables per line
Irony
The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
Dramatic irony
Irony in a drama that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
Allusion
A reference to a source outside of the text
Flashback
A sudden or disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past
Stanzas
A group of lines forming a division in a poem
Hyperbole
An over exaggeration
First Person
We, Us, I, Me…
3rd Person Limited
Knows the feelings of thoughts of one person; everyone else presented externally
3rd person ominiscient
The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings vs of all characters in the story
