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Study for lit terms quiz
allusion
A reference to a well-known person, character, place, or event that a writer makes to deepen the reader's understanding of their work.
alliteration
The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables.
hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims that are not meant to be taken literally.
imagery
A description that appeals to any of the 5 senses.
metaphor
Comparing two things without using like or as.
mood
The feeling the reader gets from a story.
motif
A recurring reference or thematic idea.
oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.
paradox
A statement that contradicts itself.
personification
Gives nonhuman things human traits.
point of view
The perspective from which an author tells a story.
setting
The time, place, and environment in which a story occurs.
simile
Comparing two things using like or as.
structure
The organization of a story's various elements, including plot, characters, and themes.
style
The way in which an author writes a story.
symbol
Something that represents something else.
theme
The main idea or takeaway from a story.
antagonist
A character working against the main character.
characterization
Describing characters in a story.
direct characterization
The author specifically tells you something about a character like physical traits.
indirect characterization
The author doesn’t specifically tell you something about a character, you have to infer through the character’s dialogue and actions.
dynamic character
A character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the course of a story.
static character
A character who stays the same throughout the course of a story.
foil
A character who contrasts with another character.
protagonist
The main character of a story.
conflict
A problem or struggle between opposing forces.
external conflict
Conflicts that occur outside of the main character.
person vs person
The main character’s goal is obstructed by another character.
person vs society
The main character has to fight injustices within society.
person vs nature
The main character faces resistance from natural forces.
person vs supernatural
A character faces resistance from supernatural forces.
internal conflict
A character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs.
irony
A contrast between what looks real and what is actually real.
dramatic irony
When the audience knows something that the characters don’t.
situational irony
When the opposite of what is expected actually happens.
verbal irony
A character says one thing but means the opposite.
anaphora
A word or phrase is repeated in multiple sentences.
antithesis
A literary device that positions opposite ideas parallel to each other.
antonym
Words that have opposite meanings
connotation
An implied meaning that's associated with a word in addition to its literal meaning.
denotation
A word’s literal meaning.
diction
The author’s word choice based on the connotation and denotation of words.
figure of speech
A deviation from the ordinary use of words in order to increase their effectiveness.
parallel structure
Using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance.
pun
A play the sounds and meanings of words to make new and surprising sentences.
repetition
Using the same word or phrase over and over again.
syntax
The set of rules that determine the arrangement of words in a sentence and then bending those rules to convey deeper meaning in a story.
synonym
Words that have similar meanings.
tone
The author’s attitude towards the subject, they set it.
flashback
An event that disrupts the chronological order of a story to provide context for the rest of the story.
foreshadowing
A literary device that is used to hint or an indicator of what is going to happen later in the story.
plot
The sequence of events in a story.
exposition
The introduction of a story or book, when the characters and setting are first described.
rising action
All the events that happen in a story on the way to the climax.
climax
The central turning point of the story.
falling action
All the action that happens right after the climax before there is a resolution.
resolution
The conclusion of the story when the conflict is resolved.
suspense
An uneasy feeling the reader gets when they don’t know what is going to happen next.
onomatopoeia
A literary device that uses the letter sounds of a word to imitate the natural sound emitted from an object or action.
poetry
A type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words and typically a lot of figurative language.
prosody
The study of all the elements of language that contribute toward acoustic and rhythmic effects, mainly in poetry.
rhyme
The correspondence of two or more words with similar-sounding final syllables placed so as to echo one another.
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