Studied by 33 people
Flat character
A character that does not develop or undergo a change
(ex:Dory in Finding Nemo)
Foreshadow
A hint as to what will come later in the work
(ex:In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet has a vision of Romeo “As one dead in the bottom of a tomb,” which … his fate.)
Hubris
Excessive pride or arrogance
(ex:Icarus flying too close to the sun after receiving a warning not to.)
Hypothetical question
A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition
(ex:If money were no object, what would you do with your life?)
Idiom
An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal words
(ex:Break a leg)
Inductive reasoning
Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances
(ex:Every bird that I have seen can fly, so all birds can fly.)
Jargon
The specialized language/vocabulary of a particular group or profession
(ex:Hard copy is an example of business …)
Juxtaposition
Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
(ex:Life and death)
Legend
A narrative handed down from the past; usually historical and/or supernatural
(ex:kraken/bigfoot)
Limerick
Light verse; five lines of regular rhythm
Limited narrator
A narrator who presents the story as it is understood through one character
(ex:The narration in ‘The Hunger Games’)
Literary license
Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect
(ex:Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter)
Litotes
Understatement achieved by expressing an idea by negating its opposite
(ex:He’s not the nicest person.)
Malapropism
The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar
(ex:We are going to dance a flamingo.)
Maxim
A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
(ex:opposites attract)
Metonymy
Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it.
(ex:Once I start this job, I’ll finally have some dough)
Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a work.
(ex:humorous)
Motif
A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works.
(ex:The Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz)
Narrator
The one who tells the story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient.
Non sequitur
An inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow”).
(ex:My room is a mess, I need to read that book by Monday.)
Omniscient narrator
A narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters.
(ex:The narrator in “Lord of the Flies")
Onomatopoeia
A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds.
(ex:”Bang!”)
Parable
A simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson.
(ex:The Good Samaritan)
Paraphrase
A restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity.
(ex:They went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy a new water bottle. Paraphrase:They went to the store to get a water bottle.)
Parenthetical
A comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain.
(ex:My mom, who’s scared of clowns, didn’t enjoy the circus.)
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