English 2 literary terms

Proofreading

Rereading an essay for errors before submitting

Poetry

Type of writing that uses lines and stanzas to express feelings and often uses figurative language

Inferences

A conclusion or guess based off of evidence and reasoning

Figurative Language

Not meant to be taken literally; used for descriptive effect

Genre

A category of literature

Plagiarism

The dishonest presentation of another’s words or ideas as ones own

Connotation

The feelings and thoughts associated with a word, rather than the dictionary

Dialogue

Conversation between character

Sensory Language

Language that appeals to one or more of the five senses

Short story

A brief work of fiction that contains a plot, setting, conflict, and theme

Argumentative essay

An essay that presents and supports an opinion with strong argument or reason

Characterization

The process of creating or describing characters

Point of View

The perspective or vantage point from which a story is told

Thesis

The most important sentence in an essay; tells what the essay is about.

Fiction

A story that is fake

Theme

The central message of a story

Allusion

A reference to a well known person, place, literary work, or work of art in a story

3rd Person Narrator

Perspective that is outside the story; knows thoughts of ones character

Speech

Oral presentation where thoughts and emotions can be expressed for an audience

Non fiction

A story about real people, places, and events

Conflict

The opposition of two forces/characters; internal/external

Analogy

Comparing two things that are alike in some way

Drama

Story written to be performed by actors

Tone

The writers attitude toward the readers and toward the subject

Informational Text

Writing with the primary purpose of expressing information about the arts, science, or social studies

1st Person Narrator

Perspective that is one character uses “I” and “me”

Suspense

A feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events in a story

Paraphrase

A restatement in someones ideas in words different from original passage but keep its ideas, tone, and length

Symbol

Something that represents something else

Science Fiction

Fiction involving science or technology; often set in the future

Humor

Amusing or comical

Verbal Irony

Words that are used to suggest the opposite of what was meant

Textual Evidence

Using information found in writing to support an answer by summarizing

Tragedy

Literature that reveals catastrophe for the main character because of a tragic flaw or weakness

Setting

Time and place in a story

Denotation

The dictionary definition

Dramatic Irony

A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader knows to be true

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future story events

Credibility

The quality of a speaker or writer that makes that persons words believable

Character

Person or animal in a story

Omniscient narrator

Perspective that is all-knowing; knows the inner thoughts of all characters

Irony

Amusing and unexpected contradictions in a story

Transition

Connecting word or phrase

Plot

The sequence of events in the story

Mood

The FEELING created in a reader by a literary work

Informative essay

Essay that presents information, discusses ideas, or explains a process

Context clues

Determining the meaning of unknown words by using the words around it

Narrative essay

An essay that tells a story