English Figurative Language, Literary Devices, and Parts of Speech

A complete list of literary terms, devices, text structures, and parts of speech definitions extracted directly from the notes.

Setting

time and place of a story

Character

person or being in a story

Characterization

process where a writer makes a character seem real

Protagonist

main character

Antagonist

character or force against protagonist

Antihero

protagonist that doesn't match the traditional "good guy" character

Dynamic Character

character that develops and changes throughout the story

Static Character

character that doesn’t change throughout the story

Round Character

character that has many traits (both faults and virtues)

Flat Character

character who seems to have only one personality trait

Narrator

the person who tells the story

First Person Narrator

narrator is a character in the story

Third Person Narrator

narrator is not a character in the story

Third Person Limited Narrator

narrator sees through one character

Third Person Omniscient Narrator

narrator sees through all characters (god pov)

Second Person Narrator

narrator tells story to another character using “you”

Fiction

imaginary writing

Fantasy

fiction with characters, places, and events that couldn’t possibly exist

Plot

the sequence of events in a story

Exposition

part of story that introduces the characters, setting, and background information

Inciting Incident

part of story where protagonist finds his role and goal

Rising Action

where action/conflict happens (majority of story)

Climax

highest point of conflict in the story

Falling Action

the consequences of the climax

Resolution

conclusion of conflict

Sub Plot

secondary plot

Central Conflict

main struggle in a story

Internal Conflict

conflict that occurs inside someone (man v.s. self)

Man v.s. Man

conflict between two characters

Man v.s. Nature

conflict for survival

Man v.s. Society

conflict between a character and “the system”

Man v.s. Fate

conflict against destiny

Verbal Irony

sarcasm

Dramatic Irony

when the audience knows something the character doesn’t

Situational Irony

when something happens that goes against expectations

Diction

writer’s choice of words

Mood

feeling created in the reader

Tone

writer’s attitude towards a subject

Purpose

writer’s reason for writing the piece

Theme

message of the story

Genre

category of literature

Symbol

something that has a literal meaning, but symbolizes something else as well

Foreshadowing

when writer gives clues and hints on the future

Simile

comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as”

Allusion

reference to something famous to make a point

Personification

when an object is given human traits

Imagery

descriptive or figurative language used in literature that evokes the senses

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Rule of 3 (Omne Trium Perfectum)

principle that things that come in three are perfect

Metonomy

use of a term to represent an object or a concept (ex: I swear loyalty to the crown)

Paradox

a statement that might seem contradictory but can be true

Antithesis

pairing exact opposite ideas by using parallel structure (ex: It was the best of days, it was the worst of days)

Juxtaposition

placing two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words, side by side to show their differences

Onomatopoeia

where a word mimics the sound it represents

Allegory

a narrative in which characters, events or settings symbolize a deeper moral, political, or philosophical meaning

Problem and Solution

presents a problem and describes a solution (s)

Description

gives details to help reader understand a topic

Sequence and Order

shows events or steps in order

Compare and Contrast

shows how two or more things are alike and/or different

Cause and Effect

explains why something happened and what happened as a result

Noun

a person, place, thing, or idea

Pronoun

replaces a noun

Verb

action or state of being (ex: jump, is)

Adjective

describes a noun

Adverb

modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

Preposition

shows relationship of time, place, or direction between words

Conjunction

connects words, phrases, or clauses together

Interjection

expresses feeling/emotion