English II Literary Terms & Sentence Structures: 1st 9 Weeks

Craft

the author's choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a text

Declarative sentence

makes statements or declarations, typically ends with a period

Exclamatory sentence

express strong emotion, typically ends with an exclamation mark

Imperative sentence

give commands or make requests, typically ends with a period or an exclamation mark

Interrogative sentence

asks questions, typically ends with a question mark

allegory

a story in which objects, characters, and actions are symbols of something outside the narrative: lots of allegories are biblical, spiritual, or religious in nature (but not all)

analogy

a comparison that explains or describes one subject by pointing out its similarities to another subject

extended metaphor

An extended metaphor is a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry. Extended metaphors build upon simple metaphors with figurative language and more varied, descriptive comparisons.

figurative language

language that is not meant to be interpreted literally (similes, metaphors, personification, etc.)

hyperbole

a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

imagery

language used in literature to appeal to one or more of the five senses (auditory [sound], gustatory [taste], tactical [touch], olfactory [smell], sight)

irony

the general name given to literary techniques that involve differences between appearances and reality, expectation and result, meaning and intention

Situational Irony

an event occurs that directly contrasts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

Verbal irony

the type of irony in which words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm is a type of verbal irony)

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something the players do not (suspense, humor)

litotes

ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary

metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things not using "as," "like," "than," or "resembles"

metonymy

a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

motif

a recurring feature in the work (kind of like a repeating symbol, or idea, or thread)

oxymoron

a two-word contradiction

paradox

a statement of three or more words that seems contradictory or absurd but that expresses the truth

personification

giving human characteristics to a nonhuman subject

simile

a comparison between two unlike things using words such as "as," "like," "than," or "resembles"

open simile

the trait of comparison is left intentionally vague, so that the reader is left to fill in the blank.

closed simile

the trait of comparison is made explicit for the reader.

symbol

an object that represents something abstract

understatement

saying less than is actually meant

alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

asyndeton

a condensed form of expression in which a series is presented without conjunctions

cacophony

harsh, clashing, or dissonant sounds, often produced by combinations of words that require clipped, explosive delivery.

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds

ellipsis

the omission of one or more words that is/are understood.

enjambment

a continuation of reading one line of poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line.

epanalepsis

repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurs at the beginning.

epistrophe

repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses.

onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

parallelism

the repetition of grammatical structure

parenthesis

language that provides additional, nonessential information that is not syntactically related to the rest of the sentence; punctuation marks surrounding parenthesis are usually dashes or parentheses

synecdoche

a form of metaphor in which a part of something is used to stand for the whole thing

syntax

the physical arrangement/ pattern of words/phrases in a sentence

allusion

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

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

antagonist

the character that is directly opposed to the protagonist (a rival, an opponent, an enemy).

anti-hero

the protagonist who is opposite of what we would expect a hero to be.

blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter.

characterization

the act of creating and developing a character

conflict types

the basic types of conflict (person v. nature, person v. person, person v. self, person v. society, person v. supernatural)

controlling image

an image or metaphor which runs throughout the work

connotation

the set of associations that occur to people when they hear or read a word.

denotation

the dictionary meaning of a word.

deus ex machina

a person or thing that suddenly appears, providing a solution to a difficult problem.

dialect

the form of a language spoken by people in a particular region or group.

dialogue

a conversation between characters.

diction

(word choice) To discuss a writer's diction is to consider the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language.

epiphany

a sudden understanding or realization which prior to this was not thought of or understood.

flashback

a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time.

foreshadowing

the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

juxtaposition

a poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another.

literal language

uses words in their ordinary senses.

mood

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

motivation

the reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior.

narrator

a speaker or character who tells a story.

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told.

pun

a play on words based on different meanings of words that sound alike.

repetition

the use, more than once, of any element of language - a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence.

setting

the time and place of the action of a literary work.

soliloquy

a speech delivered by a character when he or she is alone on stage.

suspense

a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work.

theme

a central message or insight into life revealed throughout the literary work.

tone

the writer's attitude toward his/her audience and subject.