Salisbury Middle School

LITERARY TERMS HANDBOOK A Alliteration- the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a line of poetry Allusion- a reference to a well-known person, place, event or literary work Analyze- to take apart and examine in sections Antagonist- a character or force in conflict with a main character Antonym- a word that is opposite in meaning from another word Audience- the person or group to whom one is speaking or writing Autobiography- a literary work written by a person about himself or herself

B Ballad- a songlike poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure and romance. Biography- a literary work written by a person about another person

C Categorize- to classify or group Cause- something or someone that brings about an effect Character- a person or animal that takes part in the action of a literary work. Chunking- breaking up sentences into pieces small enough to understand Clarify- to make something more clear or understandable Climax- the highest peak of interest or tension in a story; a turning point Compare- to examine the similarities between two things or ideas Competency- demonstrating skill in something Concrete poem- a poem whose shape suggests its subject Conflict- a struggle between two opposing forces Context clues- determining a word’s meaning by examining the words around it Contrast- to examine the differences between two things or ideas Conventions- the mechanics of writing such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.

D Denouement- the part of a literary work that occurs after the resolution and refers back to exposition Descriptive writing- writing that uses five senses to create details Dialogue- a conversation among characters Direct characterization-when a writer simply states the character’s traits or characteristics Drama- a work written to be performed by actors using dialogue; a play Draw conclusions- to reach an answer or final decision by reasoning Dynamic character- a character who changes during the course of a literary work

E Effect- the event or condition that is produced by a cause; a result Engagement- a connection to something Evaluate- to judge the value of something Exposition- the part in a literary work that introduces the setting, mood and characters Expository writing- writing or speech that explains or presents information External conflict- a struggle between a character and an outside force

F Fable- a brief story, usually with animal characters, that teaches a moral or lesson; parable Fact- a statement that can be proven Falling action- the part in a literary work after the climax where the action begins to slow down Fantasy- highly imaginative writing that contains elements or events not found in real life Fiction- prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events; made-up story Figurative language- writing or speech not meant to be taken word-for-word; a figure of speech Flashback- a part of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of action to relate an earlier event Flat character- a character who only shows one characteristic throughout a literary work Fluency- the ability to do something so quickly and easily that one hardly has to think about it Focus area- the main point or topic Folk tale- a story composed orally and then passed on by word of mouth through generations Foreshadowing- clues that suggest events that have not yet occurred in a literary work Free verse- poetry that generally has no rhyme and no regular rhythmical pattern or meter

G Generalization- a widely accepted idea Genre- a specific variety of literature, such as short story, poetry, novel, essay, drama, etc. Grammar- the study of how language works Graphic organizer- a way to visualize or organize one’s thoughts in a diagram or chart

H Haiku- a three-line Japanese verse form Homophone- words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings Hyperbole- an exaggeration used for emphasis

I Idiom- a phrase or expression that belongs to a particular geographical region or people; a phrase that does not translate literally from one language to another Imagery- words that help create pictures in one’s head, often using the senses to do so. Indirect characterization- when a writer hints about a character’s traits through the character’s actions, words, and feelings rather than directly state the character’s traits Infer- to arrive at a conclusion by using the hints and information the writer gives Internal conflict- a struggle that takes place within the mind of a character Irony-a contrast in a literary work that often involves surprising, interesting or amusing “twists”

J Jargon- language or vocabulary used by a specialized group

L Legend- a widely told story about the past, one that may or may not be true Limerick- a humorous five-line poem with a specific meter and rhyme scheme Literature- writings having excellence of form and often expressing ideas of universal interest Lyric poem- a highly musical poem expressing the observations and feelings of a single speaker M Main idea- a central concept or focus of the selection Metacognition- a conscious examination of what one understands and what one does not understand while reading or thinking Metaphor- a comparison in which something is described as though it were something else Meter- a pattern created by the rhythmical beats in a line of poetry Mood- atmosphere or feeling created in the setting of a literary work Moral-a lesson taught in a literary work, especially a fable or parable Motif- a recurring subject, theme or idea Mythology- fictional stories dealing with the gods and legendary heroes of a particular people

N Narrative writing- writing that tells a story Narrator- a speaker or character that tells a story Nonfiction- prose writing that tells about real people, places or events; factual text Novel- a longer work of fictional prose

O Onomatopoeia- words that “imitate” the sounds they describe Oxymoron- a combination of words that contradict each other

P Paraphrase- to take words or ideas from a text and retell or restate them in one’s own words Paradox- an idea that appears contradictory but possibly true Parody- a work that imitates the style of another, often with the intent to make fun of it Personification- a figure of speech in which a nonhuman subject is given human qualities Persuasive writing- writing that argues a point and tries to get its reader to believe the point Plot- the action of a literary work that follows a certain sequence of events Poetry- the art or work of a poet; literature written in meter; verse Point of view- the perspective from which a piece of literature is narrated or told Predict- to make a statement about the future based on what one has read or thought Primary sources- actual records or documents that have survived from the past Prose- ordinary speech or writing; writing without meter Protagonist- the main character in a literary work Purpose-an author’s reason for writing something

Q Quatrain- a four-line verse Question- to ask or inquire about a topic

R Repetition- the use of any element of language more than once Resolution- the ending of a conflict in a literary work Rhyme scheme- a regular pattern of rhyme in a poem Rhythm- the pattern of beats or stresses in spoken or written language Rising action- the part in a story where the conflict is introduced and developed Round character- a character who exhibits many traits including both faults and virtues

S Satire- writing that ridicules or scorns something considered to be foolish or wrong Schema-what you already know before you try to read or learn something new Science fiction- writing that mixes imaginative ideas with believable science and technology; often addresses the question, “what if?” Secondary sources- accounts of the past created by people writing about events sometime after they happened Sensory language- writing or speech that appeals to one or more of the five senses Sequence- an orderly pattern Semantics- the study of the meaning of language as opposed to its form Setting- the time and place of a literary work Short story- a brief work of fiction Simile- a direct comparison between two unlike subjects using the words “like” or “as” Stanza- any grouping of verse lines in a poem with the same meter and structure Static character- a character who does not change during the literary work Stereotype character- a character who represents an oversimplified image of a group of people Strategy- a plan of action Style-the way a writer uses language Summarize-to decide what is most important in a text and put that understanding into one’s own words Suspense- the growing of excitement felt by an audience or individual Symbol- an object that stands for or represents an idea Synonym-A word that has the same meaning as another word Syntax- the pattern or arrangement of words into a complete thought

T Text- anything that communicates using language (written or oral) Theme- the central message or “big idea” of a literary work that must be inferred by the reader Thesis- the basic argument or statement in a paper or speech; the idea the writer tries to prove Tone- the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject or audience Trilogy-a series of three related works

U Universal theme- a message that is recognized by many people all over the world Unreliable narrator- an imaginary storyteller who is not trustworthy

V Vernacular- the language or dialect common to a specific area, time or people Verse- a division of a poem; another name for poetry Visualize- to create a picture in one’s head Voice- a quality in writing that conveys the writer’s attitude and personality

W Writing process- the steps a writer uses to produce a written piece of communication