9th Grade Literary Terms

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key literary terms and their verbatim definitions for 9th-grade English.

alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another

allusion

a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, or some other field of knowledge

analogy

a comparison of two things to show that they are alike in certain respects

anecdote

a brief and sometimes witty story that focuses on a single interesting incident or event, often in order to make a point or teach a moral lesson

antagonist

the character or force that opposes or blocks the protagonist, or main character, in a narrative

assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in words that are close together

atmosphere

the mood or feeling in a literary work

autobiography

a written account of a person's own life

ballad

a song or songlike poem, often from the oral tradition, that tells a story

biography

an account of a person's life written or told by another person

character

an individual on a story, play, or narrative poem

characterization

the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character

climax

the point of greatest emotional intensity or suspense in a plot when the outcome of the conflict becomes known

conflict

a struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions

connotation

all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

couplet

two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word

dialect

a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people

dialogue

a way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people

diction

a writer's or speaker's choice of words

drama

a story that is written to be acted out in front of an audience

dramatic irony

irony that occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know

dynamic character

a character that experiences a change over the course of a story

elegy

a poem that mourns the death of a person or laments something lost

epic

a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society

epic hero

an epic's larger-than-life main character whose mighty deeds reflect the values admired by the society that created the epic

exposition

the part of the plot that introduces the characters, setting, and usually the narrative's major conflict

extended metaphor

a metaphor that is developed over several lines of writing or even through an entire poem or paragraph

external conflict

a character struggles against some outside force: another character, society as a whole, or some natural force

fable

a very brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral or practical lesson about life

fiction

any form of narrative which contains event that are not factual but imaginary

figurative language

a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and is not meant to be understood on a literal level

first-person point of view

the point of view where the narrator is a character in the story; it uses the pronoun "I" and the narrator can tell us his or her experiences but cannot reveal with certainty any other characters private thoughts

flashback

a scene in a narrative work that interrupts the present action of the plot to "flash backward" and tell what happened at an earlier time

folk tale

a story with no known author that originally was passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth

foreshadowing

clues that hint at what is going to happen later in the plot

free verse

poetry that serves to bind together several different narratives

idiom

an expression peculiar to a particular language that means something different from the literal meaning of the words

imagery

language that appeals to the senses

implied metaphor

a metaphor not explicitly stated or obvious

internal conflict

a struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within lines

irony

a contrast or discrepancy between expectations and reality--between what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected and what really happens, or between what appears to be true and what really is true

legend

a story about extraordinary deeds, based to some extent on facts

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using the connective words like, as, than, or resembles

mood

the overall emotion created by a work of literature

motivation

the reasons that compel a character to act as he or she does

myth

an anonymous, traditional story that explains a belief, a custom, or a mysterious natural phenomenon

narrative

any work of literature, written or oral, that tells a story

nonfiction

prose writing that presents real events using either narrative or expository structures

ode

a complex, generally lengthy lyric poem on a serious subject

omniscient point of view

the person telling the story--the narrator--knows everything that's going on in the story

onomatopoeia

the use of a word whose sound limits or suggests its meaning

personification

a kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human

plot

the series of related events that make up a narrative, such as a story, a novel, or an epic

poetry

a kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to our emotions and imaginations

point of view

the vantage point from which a writer tells a thought

protagonist

the main character in a work of fiction, drama, or narrative poetry

refrain

a repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines

repetition

the intentional repeating of a sound, word, phrase, line, or idea in order to create a particular literary effect

resolution

all of the mysteries of the plot are unraveled

rhyme

the repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem

rhyme scheme

a pattern of end rhymes in a poem

setting

the time and place of a story, play, or narrative poem

short story

a short fictional prose narrative

simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles

situational irony

occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate

soliloquy

a long speech in which a character who usually is alone onstage expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings

sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter, that has one of several traditional rhyme schemes

speaker

the imaginary voice, or persona, assumed by the author of a poem

speech

a more or less formal address delivered to an audience or assembly or the written or printed copy of this address

stanza

a group of lines in a poem that forms a single unit

static character

a character who doesn't experience a change over the course of a story

style

the unique manner in which writers use language to express their ideas

suspense

the uncertainty or anxiety a reader feels about what will happen next in a story

symbol

a person, place, thing, or event that stands for both itself and for something beyond itself

theme

the central idea or insight of a work of literature

tone

the attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject, or a character

tragedy

a play, novel, or other narrative depicting serious and important events, in which the main character comes to an unhappy end

understatement

a figure of speech that consists of saying something with less force than is appropriate

verbal irony

irony which occurs when a writer or speaker says one thing but really means the opposite