Literary Device Terms

oh my goddnes why is there so many

"Allegory"

"A story in which characters and events represent deeper moral, political, or symbolic meanings."

"Alliteration"

“Repetition of the same beginning consonant sound in nearby words."

"Allusion"

"A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, text, or idea."

"Analogy"

"A comparison between two things to explain or clarify an idea."

"Anecdote"

"A short, usually personal, story used to illustrate a point."

"Antagonist"

"The character or force that opposes the protagonist."

"Aphorism"

"A brief statement expressing a general truth, maxim, or principle."

"Apostrophe"

"Directly addressing an absent person, object, or abstract idea."

"Aside”

"A character's brief remark intended for the audience but not heard by other characters."

"Assonance"

“Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words."

"Atmosphere"

"The overall feeling or emotional quality created by a work."

"Autobiography"

“The story of a person's life written by that person."

"Ballad"

"A narrative poem that tells a story and was traditionally meant to be sung."

"Biography"

"An account of a person's life written by someone else."

"Blank verse"

"Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter."

"Caesura"

"A deliberate pause within a line of poetry."

"Catalog"

"A traditional, often lengthy, rhetorical list."

"Character"

"A person, animal, or figure who takes part in a story."

"Cliché"

"An overused expression or idea."

"Climax"

"The highest point of tension or turning point in a story.

"Comedy"

"A literary work that is humorous and typically has a happy or positive ending."

"Conceit"

"An elaborate, highly extended metaphor."

"Concrete poem"

"Poetry arranged visually to create the shape of its subject."

"Conflict"

“A struggle between opposing forces."

"Connotation"

"The feelings, associations, or implied meanings connected to a word."

"Consonance"

"Repetition of identical consonant sounds within or near words."

"Couplet"

"Two consecutive lines of poetry, often rhyming."

"Denouement"

"The final part of a story where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up."

"Description"

"Writing that uses details to help the reader visualize or experience something."

"Dialect"

"A particular form of language associated with a region or group."

"Dialogue"

“Conversation between characters."

"Diction"

"The specific choice and use of words by a writer."

"Dramatic monologue"

"A speech by one character that reveals their thoughts, personality, or situation."

"Dynamic character"

"A character who changes significantly during the story."

"Elegy"

"A serious poem, typically written to mourn or remember the dead."

"Epic"

"A long narrative poem about a hero and significant events, often involving gods or supernatural forces."

"Epiphany"

“A sudden realization or insight experienced by a character."

"Epithet"

"A descriptive phrase expressing a characteristic or quality of a person."

"Essay"

“A short piece of nonfiction writing focused on a particular subject or argument."

"Exposition"

"Background information that introduces characters, setting, and situation."

"Fable"

"A short story, often involving animals, that teaches a moral lesson."

"Falling action"

"Events following the climax that lead toward the resolution."

"Farce"

"A comic dramatic work using exaggerated situations and horseplay."

"Figure of speech"

"Language used creatively or non-literally to create meaning or comparison."

"First-person point of view"

"Narration using I, me, or we and told from a character's perspective."

"Flashback"

"A scene or event that takes place earlier than the current point in the story."

"Flat character"

"A simple, one-dimensional character who does not show much development."

"Foil"

"A character who contrasts with another character to highlight certain qualities."

"Folktale"

"A traditional story passed down through generations, usually by word of mouth."

"Foot"

"A basic unit of rhythmic measurement in poetry, made up of stressed and unstressed syllables."

"Foreshadowing"

"Hints or clues about events that will happen later."

"Free verse"

"Poetry without a regular rhyme scheme or meter."

"Genre"

"A category or type of literature based on style, form, or subject."

"Hyperbole"

"Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect."

"Iamb"

“A metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable."

"Iambic pentameter"

"A line of poetry containing five iambs, usually ten syllables total."

"Idiom"

"An expression whose meaning cannot be understood literally from its individual words."

"Imagery"

"Descriptive language that appeals to the senses."

"Impressionism"

"A literary style focusing on a character's immediate mental or emotional impressions rather than objective reality."

"Incongruity"

"A lack of harmony or appropriateness; something that seems out of place."

"Inference"

“A conclusion reached by using evidence and reasoning."

"Internal rhyme"

“Rhyme involving words within the same line of poetry."

"Inversion”

“Reversing the normal grammatical order of words, often for emphasis."

"Irony"

"A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between appearance and reality."

"Jargon"

"Specialized language used by a particular profession, group, or field."

"Literal language"

"Words used according to their ordinary, exact meaning."

"Lyric poem"

"A relatively short poem expressing personal emotions, thoughts, or feelings."

"Metaphor"

"A comparison between unlike things without using like or as."

"Meter"

"The regular rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry."

"Modernism"

“An early 20th-century literary movement characterized by experimentation, fragmentation, and rejection of traditional forms."

"Mood"

"The emotional feeling or atmosphere that a work creates for the reader."

"Motif"

"A recurring image, idea, symbol, word, or situation that contributes to a work's theme."

"Myth”

“A traditional story that often explains origins, natural phenomena, or cultural beliefs."

"Narrative"

"A story or account of connected events."

"Narrator"

"The voice or person who tells a story."

"Naturalism"

"A literary movement suggesting humans are strongly influenced or controlled by heredity and environment."

"Nonfiction"

"Writing based on real people, events, facts, or information."

"Octave"

"A stanza of eight lines or the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet."

"Ode"

"A lyric poem that expresses praise or serious reflection, often directed toward a person, object, or idea."

"Omniscient point of view"

"A narrative perspective in which the narrator knows the thoughts and experiences of multiple characters."

"Onomatopoeia"

“A word that imitates or resembles the sound it describes."

"Oxymoron"

"A figure of speech combining contradictory or seemingly opposite terms."

"Parable"

"A short story, often using ordinary situations, that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson."

"Paradox"

"A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth."

"Parallel structure"

"Using the same grammatical pattern for multiple words, phrases, or clauses."

"Parody"

"A humorous imitation of a work, style, or genre that exaggerates its characteristics."

"Personification"

"Giving human qualities or characteristics to nonhuman things."

"Persuasion"

"Communication intended to convince someone to accept an idea or take an action."

"Plain style"

"A simple, direct style of writing that avoids elaborate language."

"Plot"

"The sequence of events that make up a story."

"Point of view”

"The perspective from which a story is narrated."

"Postmodernism"

“A late-20th-century movement characterized by irony, fragmentation, skepticism, and questioning established truths."

"Prologue"

“An introductory section that comes before the main story or play."

"Prose"

"Ordinary written or spoken language arranged in sentences and paragraphs rather than verse."

"Protagonist"

"The main character in a story, often facing the central conflict."

"Proverb"

"A short, traditional saying that expresses a general truth or piece of advice."

"Pun"

"Wordplay that uses words with multiple meanings or similar sounds for humorous or rhetorical effect."

"Quatrain"

"A stanza of poetry consisting of four lines."

"Rationalism"

“The belief that reason is a chief source of knowledge."

"Realism"

"A literary movement that portrays ordinary life and people as they really are."