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Home , Dramatic structure

English 10 Academic Vocabulary Terms and Definitions

Characterization Caricature: a depiction of a person’s features or mannerisms exaggerated as to become comic or absurd Direct : the information about a explicitly stated by an author Dynamic character: a character who changes during the course of and as a result of the story Flat character: a character who can be described in one or two traits : a character who acts as a contrast to another character Indirect characterization: information about a character that must be inferred through dialogue, thoughts, actions, and reactions : the central character in a story who initiates or drives the Round character: a complex and well-developed character Static character: a character who remains the same during the course of the story Stereotype: a fixed idea or conception of a character or a group of people that does not allow for any individuality and is often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices : a character who usually gains some self-knowledge and wisdom, even though he or she suffers defeat, possibly even death

Elements of dramatic literature Dialect: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation Dialogue: a conversation between two or more characters : elements of (see plot structure) Monologue: a long, formal speech made by a character in a to other characters Soliloquy: a long speech in which a character who is usually alone on stage expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings Stage directions: a set of instructions written into a play that outline characters’ actions, , and production requirements Character: an individual in a story or play : refers to the emotional atmosphere produced by an author’s use of language : a word, character, object, image, , or idea that recurs in a work of literature Narrator: the one who tells the story Plot: the series of related events in a story or play Point of view: the perspective from which an author reveals events and ideas in a story • First person: narrated by someone outside the story or a character within the story • Third person limited: depicts only what one character or narrator sees, hears, and feels • Third person omniscient: the narrator sees all, hears all, and knows all Setting: the time and place of a story Speaker: the voice or persona assumed by the author of a poem : the universal insight or message about human experience revealed in a work of literature : the attitude a writer takes toward a subject as expressed by choice of words and details

Figurative Language/Literary Devices : an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or thing—real or fictional Analogy: an expression of a relationship between words in which the relationship of one pair of words is likened to the relationship of another pair of words Apostrophe: a in which a speaker directly addresses an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something non-human as if it were present and capable of responding Cliché: an expression that has become lifeless because of overuse Connotation: the subjective, cultural, and emotional definition of a word Denotation: a dictionary definition of a word Dialect: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation : a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words Hyperbole: a figure of speech that uses intentional exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect : the use of words to create sensory impressions—most often visual impressions but may be sound, smell, taste, or touch impressions : the contrast between expectation and reality, between what is said and what is meant, or between what appears to be true and what really is true • Dramatic irony: a contradiction between what the reader or viewer knows and what the characters know • Situational irony: a contradiction between the reader’s expectations and the actual outcome of a literary work • Verbal irony: a contradiction between what is said and what is meant Metaphor: a figure of speech that makes a comparison equating two or more unlike things without using a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines apparently contradictory or incongruous ideas Paradox: a figure of speech where a statement is an apparent contradiction that is actually true Parallelism (parallel structure): the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures Personification: a figure of speech that applies human characteristics to nonhuman objects Pun: a phrase that deliberately confuses similar-sounding words for humorous effect Rhetorical question: a question that is asked for effect and that does not actually require an answer Sarcasm: a kind of particularly cutting irony in which praise is used tauntingly to indicate it is opposite in meaning : a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about social reform

Simile: a figure of speech that uses the words like or as to make comparisons between unlike things : the use of concrete and recognizable things to represent abstract ideas Syntax: the study of an author’s specific use of phrases, clauses, and sentence patterns Understatement: a figure of speech that says less than what is really meant or says something with less force than is appropriate Voice: shows an author’s personality, awareness of , and passion for his or her subject

Plot Structure Initiating event: the incident that introduces the central in a story; it may have occurred before the opening of the story Rising action: a series of events that increases the tension of the conflict and builds toward the Complication/conflict: a problem or struggle between two opposing forces; multiple conflicts may exist in a given plot Climax: the “turning point” for the main conflict of the plot when the resolution to the main conflict is in view, but has not yet been realized Falling action: the events after the climax that lead to the final resolution of the conflict Resolution/denouement: the conclusion of a story when all or most of the conflicts have been settled

Sound devices Approximate/slant rhyme: words in proximity sound similar but do not rhyme Assonance: the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds Consonance: the repetition of the same or similar final consonant sounds on accented syllables or in important words End rhyme: occurs at the end of lines Meter: a fixed pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in lines of fixed length to create rhythm Onomatopoeia: the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning Parallelism (parallel structure): the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures Repetition: repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis Rhyme: recurring identical or similar final word sounds within or at the ends of lines of verse Rhythm: the recurring pattern of strong and weak syllabic stresses

Structuring Techniques Dialogue: conversation between two or more characters : a return to an earlier time in the course of a narrative to introduce prior information : the use of clues to hint at future events in a story Multiple story lines: story lines that run parallel to, comment on, or intersect with the main story line; allows for the development of complex concepts like and metaphor Parallel plots: plots in which each main character has a separate but related story line that merges together Refrain: a repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines Soliloquy: a long speech in which a character who is usually alone on stage expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings Stanza: a section of a poem, marked by extra line spacing before and after, that often has a single pattern of meter and/or rhyme

• Couplet: a pair of consecutive rhyming lines • Quatrain: a stanza consisting of four lines • Sestet: a stanza consisting of six lines • Octet (octave): a stanza consisting of eight lines

Subplot: a secondary plot in a work of or Verse: metrical language