Literary Term(s) of the Day Allegory (7th and 8th grade) A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden message, typically a moral or political message. Developmental Idea (6th grade) Parts of the thesis statement that are used as the topic starting your body paragraphs. Adjective-part of speech that describes and modifies a noun Adverb-part of speech that describes/ modifies an action Alliteration- term used to describe the repetition of initial consonant sounds. -ex. "Carol constantly craves crunchy cornflakes."
Antagonist- villain in the plot who stands in the way of the protagonist Protagonist - hero or main character in the plot.
Assonance- is a kind of internal rhyme that makes use of repeated vowel sounds. -ex. "The lighted sky has no sight to see us."
Characterization- refers to the way an author develops the characters of a novel through dialogue, narration, actions, or relationships with other characters.
Climax- the most intense part of the story
Conflict- involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually the protagonist and an antagonist. Categories of conflict: Man Vs Man; Man Vs Society; Man Vs Self
Coordinating Conjunctions- part of speech that shows relationships; when preceded by a comma, can be used to join two complete thoughts. 7 coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Exposition- Opening part of story, which introduces background information, setting, key characters, and basics of story
Foreshadowing- a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
Falling action- occurs right after the climax, when the main problem of the story resolves.
Genre- means the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style There are five major literary genres: play, nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and folklore
Hyperbole- extreme exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
Irony- author's use of dialogue and plot in a way that is opposite to what the reader or literary character expects TYPES OF IRONY: situational, verbal, and dramatic
Idiom- is a group of words whose meaning is figurative and differs from the actual words of the expression. - "The straw that broke the camel's back."
Imagery- to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. tactile, visual, olfactory, auditory, and taste
Metaphor- the comparison between two unlike things without the use of like or as - ex. "Her heart is a treasure of pure gold."
Mood- the certain feelings or vibes produced in readers through word choice, dialogue, narration, and descriptions
Motif- object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work and may represent something beyond itself
Noun- part of speech, which is used to identify a thing, person, idea, or place. Narrative- a story; a report of related events presented to the listeners or readers in words arranged in a logical sequence.
personification- figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. "Lightning, to introduce herself with style, danced across the sky."
poem-collection of spoken or written words that express ideas or emotions in a powerfully vivid and imaginative style, comprising of a particular rhythmic and metrical pattern.
pronoun- grammatical term that replaces a noun, noun clause, or noun phrase in a sentence to avoid its repetition Sally said that she knew the boy although she'd forgotten his name. rising action- a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative and lead to the climax. satire- a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an institution, individual, or society setting- is the location and time period in which a story takes place. simile- a comparison of two unlike things that uses like or as -"Life is like a box of chocolates." -Forrest Gump symbol- a word, an image, or object that represents a larger idea. theme- a universal idea in a work of literature; the moral of the story. Themes are expressed as complete thoughts. tone- an author's attitude—the emotions and feelings conveyed by the work of literature. verb- a word that is a physical (jump, cook, rush) or nonphysical action (love, imagine, know, forgive)