Reading Vocabulary

connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word; the dictionary definition

idiom

a groupd of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different for the meanings of each word on its own

allusion

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

theme

the life lesson or moral of the story; the belief about life that the author is trying to convey

onomatopoeia

a word that sounds like the common sound of the object it is describing

repetition

repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable

alliteration

the occurence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words

assonance

the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences

mood

the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

imagery

descriptive language used to appeal to a reader's senses

syntax

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

tone

an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience

author's purpose

the goal or reason for writing a piece of work

dramatic irony

irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience, but not by the characters in a play

situational irony

an outcome that turns out to be very different than what was expected

personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

parallelism

the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter

paradox

a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true

metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as"

Simile

used to make a comparison between two things that are not alike; uses the words "like" or "as"

foreshadowing

a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

symbolism

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

Analogy

a comparison of two things that are alike in some way but otherwise different; explains or describes something unfamiliar by comparing it to something more familiar