Literary Terms

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or within words

allusion

a passing reference to historical or fictional characters, places, events, or other works that are assumed to be recognized

idiom

an expression whose meaning is usually more metaphorical than literal

Colloquialism

  a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing often inappropriate in a formal piece

point of view

the perspective through which a story is told

internal monologue

the presentation of the flow of a character's inner emotional experience

anecdote

  a brief Narrative of an entertaining and presumably true incident

inference

  a general conclusion made by the reader from events or information provided in the text

foreshadowing

  in literature the technique of giving hints or clues that suggest or prepare for events that occur later in the work

irony

  using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of literal or normal meaning

simile

  a figure of speech that uses like or as to compare two essentially different objects

metaphor

  an implied analogy in which one thing is imaginatively compared not using like or as

tone

  the reflection and work of the author's attitude towards his or her topic, subject, characters, and readers

personification

  a figure speech in which a non-human thing is given human characteristics

analogy

a comparison of similar things often for the purpose of using something familiar to explain something unfamiliar usually more developed

anaphora

repetition of words at the beginning of two or more successive clauses we shall fight on the beaches we shall fight on the hills for example

euphemism

the use of a word or phrase that is less direct but is also considered more polite passed away instead of dead

antithesis

  a figure of speech in which opposing or contrasting ideas are balanced against each other in parallel sentence structure it was the best of times it was the worst of times

hyperbole

  exaggeration

chiasmus

  a form of syntax where the second half of statements inverts word order of the first half creating a new meaning ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country

denotation

  the precise literal meaning of a word

connotation

  the associations, images, and impressions a word has

litotes

  opposite of hyperbole ironic understatement affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite it wasn't my best day instead of it was my worst

parallelism

  the technique of showing that words or phrases are comparable in content and importance by placing them side by side and making them similar in form

metonymy

  a figure of speech replacing a name of a related object with the subject at hand the white house instead of the president

juxtaposition

  when two ideas are together to develop comparisons or contrast

sarcasm

harsh cutting personal remarks two or about someone not necessarily ironic

synedoche

  a figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole