Lit Terms to memorize

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Syntax

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

allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

tone

the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

characterization

the creation or construction of a fictional character. / a description of the distinctive nature or features of someone or something.

denotation

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

connotation

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

symbol

a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.

analogy

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Verb

a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen.

Noun

a word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things (common noun), or to name a particular one of these (proper noun).

Adjective

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be used to describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to something else. Examples: Adjectives in a sentence I like old houses. The boy is tall and skinny.

adverbs

a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc. (e.g., gently, quite, then, there ).