sigma boy vocabulary

allegory

an extended metaphor

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

antonym

a word that means the opposite of another word

character

A person, animal or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work.

characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities (e.g., direct, indirect).

Climax

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax.

Conflict/Problem

A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.

Dialogue

In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama.

Diction

author's choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning and tone

drama

The genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage; a work to be performed by actors on stage, radio, or television; play.

dramatic script

The written text of a play, which includes the dialogue between characters, stage directions and often other expository information.

Elements of Fiction

Traits that mark a work as imaginative or narrative discourse (e.g., plot, theme, symbol).

Exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.

falling action

The part of a literary plot that is characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot's conflicts and complications.

fiction

Any story that is the product of imagination rather than a documentation of fact. Characters and events in such narratives may be based in real life but their ultimate form and configuration is a creation of the author.

figurative language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling.

first person

The "first person" or "personal" point of view relates events as they are perceived by a single character. The narrating character may offer opinions about the action and characters that differ from those of the author.

Flashback

An organizational device used in literature to present action that occurred before current (present) time of the story. Flashbacks are often introduced as the dreams or recollections of one or more characters.

Foreshadowing

An organizational device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation of later developments.

genre

A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content (e.g., prose, poetry).

Hyperbole

an exaggeration or overstatement (e.g. I had to wait forever)

imagery

Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions.

Inference

A judgement based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understanding gained by "reading between the lines"

Irony

The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning; incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result.

key words

Specific word choices in a text that strongly support the tone, mood, or meaning of the text.

literary device

Tool used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the text (e.g., dialogue, alliteration).

literary element

An essential technique used in literature (e.g., characterization, setting, plot, theme).

literary form

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design. Forms may refer to a literary type (narrative, short story) or to patterns of meter, lines, and rhymes (stanza, verse).

literary movement

A trend or pattern of shared beliefs or practices that mark an approach to literature (e.g., Realism, Naturalism, Romanticism).

Metaphor

A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as.

Monologue

An extended speech spoken by one speaker, either to others or as if alone.

mood

The prevailing emotions or atmosphere of a work derived from literary devices such as dialogue and literary elements such as setting. The mood of a work is not always what might be expected based on its subject matter

motif

A recurring subject, theme, or idea in a literary work.

Narrative

A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in text.

Narrator

A person, animal, or thing telling the story or giving an account of something.

Personification

An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.).

Plot

The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story.

poetry

In its broadest sense, text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery and connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. Poetry typically relies on words and expressions that have several layers of meaning (figurative language). It may also make use of the effects of regular rhythm on the ear and may make a strong appeal to the senses through the use of imagery.

point of view

the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters. (first person, third person limited/omniscient)