the ordinary form of written language that occurs in two forms: fiction and non-fiction

the time and place of the story's action

the sequence of events in a literary work, including the following: Exposition, Narrative Hook, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement

introduces the setting, the characters and the basic situation

hooks the reader's attention and sets the story's action into motion

all events leading up to the climax

highest point of interest or suspense; the turning point at which the conflict begins to be resolved; the 'ah ha' moment

events that lead to the resolution

any events that occur after the resolution

a character who develops or changes through the course of the story

a character who does not change

a character who shows many different traits, faults as well as virtues

a character seen in only one way; only one side of the personality is revealed

the main character in a literary work

the person or force that opposes or competes against the protagonist

the author directly states the character's traits

it is up to the reader to draw conclusions about the character based on indirect information such as dialogue, action, thoughts or other characters

central message or insight of life revealed

a struggle between two opposing forces

involves a character in conflict with him or herself (emotions/decisions)

a character struggles against an outside force (nature, technology, person, etc.)

when a character in the story tells the story

when the narrator addresses the reader (you)

when a voice outside the story tells the story, but only through one character's eyes

all-knowing third person narrator who can tell readers what any character thinks or feels

a speaker or character who tells a story

a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, and literary work

the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur; hints about the future events

feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

word choice including denotation (literal meanings) and connotation (an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning)

a conversation between two characters

form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group; the way we speak ('y'all, ain't')

literary device where something stands for or represents something else

a division or type of literature; there are three major genres: prose, poetry, drama

a short summary of an event; short stories that illustrate a greater point

a recurrent image, action, sound, symbol, etc. that has a symbolic significance and contributes toward the development of the theme

literature technique that involves the differences between appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention

there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true

words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant/sarcasm

an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience. (The bride leaves the wedding with a groomsman; a lady dies at her birthday party)

a story written to be performed by actors; the script of a drama is made up of dialogue, which is the words the actors say, and stage directions, which are comments on how and where action happens

a character who is contrasted with another character (imagine Della from "The Gift of the Magi" and Mme. Forestier from the "Necklace" meeting)

uses words in their ordinary senses

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally but used to create vivid expressions (metaphors, similes, personification, etc.)

words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses (describes the way things look, smell, taste, feel, and sound)

the atmosphere or feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage; the way the reader feels while reading the text.

the writer's attitude toward his/her audience and subject; it can be described as formal, informal, serious, playful, bitter, or ironic

a play on words "My heart is too sore to soar with the others." "My soles are so worn that my soul stands still."

The driving force behind a character's actions (Achilles' motivation to return is Patroclus' death)

a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison of two basically unlike ideas; she runs like a cheetah.

a figure of speech which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else. His heart is a raging fire.

a short story used to teach a moral

a type of figurative language in which a non-human subject is given human characteristics. The trees danced with their arms. Dawn's fingers stretched out.

an extreme exaggeration; "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

a type of verbal irony in which something is purposely represented as being far less important than it actually is

an expression that is peculiar to itself either grammatically or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from its parts. If we play our cards right or I don't want to kick the bucket this year!

two words used together that contradict one another. Jumbo Shrimp, loving hate, heavy lightness

an overused word or phrase

short tale with a moral, which often includes unusual or even supernatural events (Many fables give human qualities to animal characters)

mockery of a view, group, or humanity, usually with the aim of inspiring change

Comparison between two things; looking for similarities

a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually presents a truth. "War is peace" "Freedom is slavery" "Ignorance is strength" "My only love sprung from my only hate"

symbolic story structured with at least two levels of meaning

a recurring and familiar pattern in literature (i.e. good vs. bad, underdog, damsel in distress, a quest for something, flawed protagonist, etc.)

any writing that tells a story

Prose writing that deals with real people, things, events, and places. True writing.

Writing that deals with imaginary people, places, and events. Fake Writing

An account of the writer's own life written from the author's perspective

An account of a person's life written or told by another person.

A narrative composed from personal experience. Often shorter than autobiographies

Prejudice or inclination to one side regarding a topic, person, event, etc.

not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased

Placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.

A summary of the text that is free of bias, opinions, emotions, etc.

A form of communication in spoken language made by a speaker before an audience for a given purpose.

One or more sentences that state the central/main idea or purpose of an essay or other work of nonfiction.

Attitude a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience.

The central message, insight, or opinion in a work.

The pieces of evidence that a writer uses to prove the main idea. These details can include facts, statistics, quotations, or anecdotes.

A firsthand account, such as a speech, an autobiography, or a letter. These are useful because they directly express the thoughts and feelings of a writer, and it may include details that only an eyewitness can provide.

A second-hand account such as history books, biographies, newspapers, magazines, and textbooks. They summarize or analyze events in which the writers did not participate.

These are objective and can be proven.

These are subjective and cannot be proven.

The way in which a text is designed (chronological, thematically, flashback, least to greatest importance, process analysis, cause/effect, narration, description, problem-solution, etc.).

All of the elements on this handout (tone, structure, figurative language, sound devices, imagery, etc.).

To guess, to conclude from evidence.

The people who read a text; the person or people the literary piece is directed at.

All the meanings, associations, or emotions that have come to be attached to some words, in addition to their literal dictionary definition.

Using the words around an unfamiliar word to figure out the meaning.

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Expression peculiar to a particular language that means something different from the literal meaning of each word.

The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject usually written in prose.

An author's reason for writing: to inform, to persuade, to narrate.

The particular way in which a writer uses language.

Very, very brief story, usually told to make a point; a short account of an interesting or humorous incident, often biographical.

A question to which an answer is not expected or already known.

Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

Involves two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length and grammatical form.

An overused expression that has lost its originality.

A narrator who can't be trusted.

Words that mean the same thing or almost the same thing.

Repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close together.

the repetition of a vowel sound in several words throughout a sentence (the night sky seemed to be crying out with sighs of sadness)

Sound words "Pop, crackle, boom."

In poetry a phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated.

Word, line, or image repeated for emphasis.

Two lines that rhyme.

A "chunk" or group of lines in poetry.

same sound found in different words (fame/game).

rhymes that are close but not exact.

The rhyme pattern found in a poem (AABBA).

the voice/narrator in the text; it is not necessarily the author.

an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

A word opposite in meaning to another (good and bad).

an epic's larger-than-life main character whose mighty deeds reflect the values admired by the society that created the epic.

Guessing based on contextual clues; we infer that Andromache loves her son based on her worry for him.

appeal to ethics; a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader.

appeal to emotion; a means of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.

appeal to logic; a way of persuading an audience by reason.

a statement that makes your main point.

the opposite of the claim.

the negation of an argument or opinion through contradicting evidence; the process of proving something wrong by argument or evidence.

acknowledging a point made by one's opponent.

acknowledging the limits of your argument; anticipating potential objections.

words of praise for product or person; nice words like goodness or patriotism.

trash talking another person or product.

A famous person recommends a product or a political endorsement.

Appeals to regular people and their values such as health, family, and patriotism.

An appeal to be part of the group.

An appeal that helps a person imagine themselves as part of a picture.

Manipulating information to make a product better than it is, often by unfair comparison or omitting facts.

a stylistic device, which shows how fast a story unfolds.

a statement that asserts something to be true.

also known as a Dynamic character or a Round character displays the following characteristics: 1. He or she undergoes an important change as the plot unfolds. 2. The character is highly developed and complex, meaning they have a variety of traits and different sides to their personality.

A brief, accurate (faithful to the facts, emphasis, and spirit of the source), and unbiased (not influenced by a person's feelings or opinions; strives to report what the original writer intended, without embellishment) statement that sums up the important facts, ideas, and details presented.

the state of being strikingly different from something else.

Either/Or- a "black or white" type of thinking where there are only absolutes.

diverting attention from the issue by introducing a new point.

predicting without justification that one step in a process will lead unavoidably to a second generally undesirable step.

attack the person and not the argument.