Literary Terms Pt. 2

Diction

An author's specific choice of words and style of expression, often used to create a particular tone or effect.

Connotation

The feelings, ideas, or associations connected to a word beyond its literal meaning.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases in sentences.

Figurative Language

Language that goes beyond literal meaning to create comparisons, emphasis, or deeper meaning.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things by stating that one thing is another.

Personification

Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to nonhuman things.

Apostrophe

Directly addressing someone or something absent, dead, or nonhuman as though they were present and able to respond.

Antithesis

Placing contrasting ideas in close or parallel structure to emphasize their differences.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

Oxymoron

A phrase that combines two seemingly contradictory words or ideas.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to help the reader form a vivid mental picture.

Sound Effects

acoustic tools a writer uses to make prose or poetry musical and atmospheric

Rhythm/Meter

Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in language; meter is a regular, structured pattern of rhythm, especially in poetry.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar or identical sounds, usually at the ends of lines in poetry.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates or resembles the sound associated with what it describes, such as buzz or clang.

Cliché

An overused expression or idea that has become predictable and lacks originality.

Parody

An imitation of a work, style, or genre that exaggerates its features, often for humor or criticism.

Romance

A genre or type of story focused on adventure, idealized love, extraordinary events, or heroic characters.

Satire

The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize human behavior, institutions, or society.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion, especially feelings such as sympathy, sadness, or compassion.

Malapropism

The accidental or intentional use of an incorrect word that sounds similar to the intended word, often creating humor.

Realism

A literary style that portrays people, events, and settings as they appear in ordinary life, without idealization.

Pastoral

A genre that presents rural life and nature, often portraying the countryside as peaceful or simple.

Allegory

A story in which characters, events, and settings represent broader ideas, often moral, political, or philosophical ones.

Genre

A category of literature defined by shared characteristics, such as fiction, poetry, tragedy, satire, or romance.

Analogy

A comparison between two different things used to explain or clarify an idea by showing how they are similar.