an opinion that prevents objective (or fair) consideration of an issue or situation. ex: Even though the dress looked horrible on me, my mom said I looked lovely because she was BIASED.

a short moral story (often with animal characters)

a generalized belief about a group of people

told from the narrator's point of view, using "I"

The narrator tells a listener what he/she has done or said, using the personal pronoun "you." This point of view is rare. An example of this is: Lemony Snicket, "The book you are holding in your hands is extremely dangerous. If the wrong people see you with this objectionable autobiography, the results could be disasterous."

a short poem with fourteen lines, usually ten-syllable rhyming lines, divided into two, three, or four sections

Point of view in which the narrator is outside the action and refers to characters as he or she. Ex: "Harry didn't know what he was getting himself into as he walked up the big spooky stairs."

opinion based on one's frame of reference and perspective

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

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a worn-out idea or overused expression.

a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable

a unit of poetic meter (usually one stressed and one unstressed syllables). These terms are used for the metric feet and line lengths most common in English poetry:

Arch- as in top, most or chief. A character type that is found in the literature of many cultures. Example: Hero is an archetype that many characters use... think of ....Spiderman, Batman, Superman are all heroes.

The narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters. Omni-All

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. Ex: It's a definite maybe.

A longer oxymoron, a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

The attribution of human emotions or characteristics to inanimate objects or to nature; for example angry clouds; a cruel wind. Remember this is EMOTIONS not just characteristics... that's how it's different from personification.

The common American language, words and grammatical forms that are used and expected in school, business, and other sites.

the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences in a given language. For example: "I went to the store today." Is correct syntax in English, not: "Went to the store today I did." Which is only correct syntax for Yoda.

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast. Example: Good & Evil, Black & White, Young & Old.

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. "Good night moon, good night spoon, good night cow, jumping over the moon."

A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. "A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword."

repetition of vowel sounds. Ex: Austin's alligator ate my apple!!

the repetition of consonants (or consonant patterns). Ex: She sells sea shells down by the sea shore.

the act of distinguishing by comparing DIFFERENCES.

the profession of reporting or photographing or editing news stories for one of the media

a passage or expression that is quoted or cited.

two words are homophones if they are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning or spelling or both (e.g. bare and bear). EX: He has a bare bottom. That bear looks like it is going to eat me!

The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous).

the writer's use of language and overall style, created by tone and choice of words.

an essay that shows the author's assertion (opinion, theory, hypothesis) about some phenomenon or phenomena is correct or more truthful than others'

a biography of yourself. Auto: Self/ Bio: Life/ Graphy:Writing ... a writing about your own life!

essay written to inform others about a topic

a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events. Ex: Chupacabra or Bigfoot

A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society.

a figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'. Ex: She was as angry as a storm. He was as quiet as a mouse.

a literary or historical reference to help the reader to gain a fuller understanding; Example: "The boy was a Goliath on the playground" ...alluding to the giant man named Goliath that lived back in Bible times. "He was a real Romeo with the ladies" referring to Romeo the famous lover from Romeo and Juliette.

events are presented in the order in which they occur; you see dates throughout the writing that suggest this type of text structure. Chron: meaning time!

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot; Example: I had no idea that this day would turn out to be one of the worst days of my life.

an exaggeration that creates humor, emphasizes particular points, and/or creates dramatic effects; Example: I am so hungry that I could eat an elephant!

a literary device where words mean something other than the literal meaning of its individual words; Example: Get your head out of the clouds.

words that appeal to one or more of the five senses; sensory language

a literary device where the opposite of what is expected happens;

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a comparison of two unlike things NOT using words such as like or as; metaphors allow you, the reader, to visualize something, hear how something sounds, smell something, etc.; The baby's scream was a fire truck's siren.

the use of words that imitate the sounds they define

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non-human objects or animals are given human characteristics; Examples: The wind knocked me down. The sun smiled upon me as I played outside. These are not FEELINGS!

something written or created by a person who witnessed a historical event; Examples--diary or journal entry, biography, interview.

A "play on words" based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things; Example: A momma teddy bear says to her baby teddy bear, "You are so BEARY sweet"...as opposed to very sweet.

the beginning of the plot where a writer tells about the characters, setting, and conflict(s)

a type of literary device where the chronological order of a story is interrupted to show an event that happened at an earlier time (which is necessary to help the reader gain a better understanding of background information). ex: .....

the part of the plot that occurs after the climax; this is also where you will see change in the characters affected by the solving of the main conflict; comes right before the resolution of the plot

the way a writer develops a character through actions, words spoken, reactions from others, etc.

The element of plot that makes the reader want to read on to find out what happens

a type of writing where humor is used to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in society.

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an outrageously exaggerated, humorous story that is obviously unbelievable. It is usually optimistic about a person overcoming their challenges. Ex. Paul Bunyan

a story passed down from person to person by word of mouth. These stories are about ordinary people who have something magical happen to them. Ex: Jack & The Beanstalk

a type of folk literature that use magic to tell a story with a universal theme or issue. Ex: Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin, Beauty and the Beast

a story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; a fantasy may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point

having more than one syllable. Multi: more than one. (bigger words)

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event or a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature

the pattern or beat of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. When you read rhyming poetry, one of the things you might notice is how the words often have a nice rhythmical quality. That is, there is a pattern to the rhythm of the words that makes them fun to say and easy to remember. Sometimes the rhythm is a simple one, and sometimes it's more complex, but it's not there by accident. Poets arrange their words in such a way as to create those rhythmical patterns

a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem or a grouped set of lines within a poem, usually set off from other stanzas by a blank line or indentation

an account based on the author's personal experiences. MEM: to remember

Most exciting moment of the story; turning point

the series of conflicts or struggles that build a story toward a climax.

a word formed from the initial letters of a multi-word name.

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a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

two words are homonyms if they are pronounced or spelled the same way but have different meanings. Ex: Tire. The tires on the car. I tire very easily.