ELA

Figurative Language

Writing technique that temporarily interrupts normal meaning/order for a particular effect.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Example: Purple Penguins Pick Plums.

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.

Diction

A speaker or writer's choice of words.

Motif

A frequently recurring theme, image, or idea in a work.

Pun

A play on words based on multiple meanings or words that sound alike.

Paradox

A statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a kind of truth. Example: hidden in plain sight.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech combining seemingly contradictory words.

Symbolism

An object, person, place, or experience that represents something else, usually an abstract idea.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using like, as, than, or resembles. Example: I am a bear in the morning.

Characterization

How an author reveals what a character is like through appearance, speech, thoughts, feelings, effects on others, and actions.

Round Character

A complex, well-developed character; personality-wise, a "3D" character.

Flat Character

A stereotypical, less-developed "2D" character.

Dynamic Character

A main character who changes as a result of their experiences.

Static Character

A character who does not change internally; things happen to them but not within them.

Imagery

Language that evokes a picture or concrete sensation and invokes at least two of the five senses.

Foil

A character who acts as a contrast to another character.

Hyperbole

An incredible exaggeration or overstatement used for effect. Example: I've told you a million times.

Connotation

The feelings and associations created by a writer's diction and selected details.

First Person

A point of view where one of the characters tells the story, using I.

Third Person Limited

An unknown narrator tells the story but focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one character.

Third Person Omniscient

An all-knowing narrator tells the story and can reveal information about many characters.

Personification

Giving an object or animal human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. Example: The trees whisper.

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward the subject, characters, or audience.

Theme

The statement about an idea or human life that the author is making through a literary work.

Allegory

A story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people, events, or abstract ideas. Example: Animal Farm.

Antagonist

An opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero in a story.

Direct Characterization

The author explicitly tells the reader what a character is like.

Foreshadowing

Clues an author gives to prepare readers for events that will happen later.

Flashback

An interruption in the narrative showing something that happened earlier, often explaining present actions.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as.

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds within nonrhyming words.

Dramatic Irony

A character thinks something is true, but the audience or reader knows better.

Aside

A comment by a character heard by the audience but not the other characters onstage.

Atmosphere

The mood or emotional quality of a literary work, created through details about people and setting.

Rhythm

The pattern of sound created by stressed and unstressed syllables, especially in poetry.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem that forms a unit, similar to a paragraph in prose.

Onomatopoeia

A word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound it describes.

Genre

A category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Science Fiction

A genre involving advanced technology, such as robots, almost always set in the future.

Fantasy

A genre involving unreal creatures such as dragons and fairies, often including magic.

Regional Fiction

Stories where the region's land, culture, religion, politics, people, and customs play a crucial role.

Historical Fiction

Fiction set before the author's lifetime that uses research to accurately capture the time period.

Memoir

A particular part or period of a person's life.

Nonfiction

Writing that is true.