Literary Language Terms

Literary Language Terms Jacob Stehle

Mr. Stehle’s List of Literary Terms • A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L • M • N • O • P • Q • R • S • T • U • V • W • X • Y • Z

A’s • Alliteration • Allusion • Analogy • Antagonist • Apostrophe • Home

ALLITERATION • Repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group • Elegant Elephants Eat Enthusiastically, Exquisite Eggs • Return to the A’s

ALLUSION • A reference in one literary work to a character of theme found in another literary work • In “The Hunger Games,” the names of the characters alludes to the names of characters in Julius Caesar • Return to the A’s

ANALOGY • A comparison of two things made to explain something unfamiliar through its similarities to something familiar The transition between 6th Grade and 7th Grade is like a rollercoaster ride • Return to the A’s

ANTAGONIST • The character who opposes the main character In the series, Harry Potter, Malfoy opposes Harry when it comes to being a good wizard • Return to the A’s

APOSTROPHE’S • A statement, question, or request addressed to an inanimate object or nonexistent or absent person • Return to the A’s

B’s ent out of shape because we don’t have any vocabulary for B? Don’t worry we will see you at C • Home

C’s • Character • Characterization • Cliché • Climax • Conflict • Home

CHARACTER • The people (or animals, things etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary work Hermione is a character in the Harry Potter Series • Return to the C’s

CHARACTERIZATION • The way in which a writer reveals the nature of a character In “The Hunger Games,” the author puts the landmarks and resources as tools to help relate to the area where the reader lives. • Return to the C’s

CLICHÉ • An expression that has lost its power or originality from overuse An apple a day, keeps the doctor away • Return to the C’s

CLIMAX • The high point of interest of suspense in a story of play • Return to the C’s

CONFLICT • Dramatic struggle between two forces in a story • Return to the C’s

D’s • Dialect • Dialogue • Home

DIALECT • Language used that is different from the formal language of an area or region • Return to the D’s

DIALOGUE • Conversation between people in a literary work • Return to the D’s

E’s • Euphemism • Exposition • Home

EUPHEMISM • The substitution of a mild or less negative word or phrase for a harsh of blunt one • “The Final Solution” is a euphemism to talk about the getting rid of Jews during the Holocaust • Return to the E’s

EXPOSITION • The part of the story or play that provides background information and introduces the setting and main characters • Return to the E’s

F’s • Fable • Flashback • Foil • Foreshadowing • Home

FABLE • A brief tale designed to illustrate a moral lesson. Characters are usually animals • THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF • Return to the F’s

FLASHBACK • An interruption in the sequence of a story to describe an event that took place earlier • Return to the F’s

FOIL • A character whose physical or psychological qualities contrast strongly with, therefore highlight, the qualities of another character (usually protagonist) Having Malfoy as a mean character in the Harry Potter, makes Harry seem like a very nice guy • Return to the F’s

FORESHADOWING • The technique of giving hints about events that have not yet happened • Return to the F’s

G’s • Genre – a category of literary work • Home

H’s • Hyperbole – deliberate exaggeration used to achieve an effect • Home

I’s • Idiom • Imagery • Irony • Dramatic Irony • Situational Irony • Verbal Irony • Home

IDIOM • An expression with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the individual words • Return to the I’s

IMAGERY • Words and phrases that appeal to the reader’s senses • Return to the I’s

IRONY • A mode of expression, through words or events, conveying a reality different from and usually opposite to appearance or expectation • Return to the I’s

DRAMATIC IRONY • The reader of viewer knows something the character does not know • Return to the I’s

SITUATIONAL IRONY • An event occurs that is unexpected • Return to the I’s

VERBAL IRONY • Speech that does not mean what the speaker says or that is unexpected • Return to the I’s

J’s • Jargon – language that is used or understood by a select group of people • Home

K’s A letter block with K is a true way to keep the doctor away. Home • Home

L’s Ive Augh Ove That’s all that Life asks. Home

M’s • Metaphor • Mood • Home

METAPHOR • A comparison is made between two unlike things without the use of words “like” or “as” • Return to the M’s

MOOD • The feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader • Return to the M’s

N’s • Narrator – the teller of the story • Home

O’s • Onomatopoeia • Oxymoron • Home

ONOMATOPOEIA • A literary device wherein the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents • Return to the O’s

OXYMORON • A phrase combining two contradictory terms • Return to the O’s

P’s • Parody • Personification • Protagonist • Pun • Plot • First Person • Third Person Omniscient • Third Person Limited • Second Person • Home

PARODY • A work that comically imitates another work • Return to the P’s

PERSONIFICATION • Giving human qualities to abstract ideas, animals, and inanimate objects • Return to the P’s

PLOT • What happens in a story; the sequence of events • Return to the P’s

POINT OF VIEW • The perspective or vantage point from which a story is told • Return to the P’s

Literary Language Terms