EOC English I Ex. 2

Allegory

A story or tale with two or more levels of meaning- a literal level and one or more symbolic levels (e.g., Animal Farm, Wizard of Oz)

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds (she sells sea shells)

Allusion (Classical & Biblical)

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art (Classical allusions are references to Greek/Roman mythology; Biblical allusions are references to the Bible)

Anecdote

A brief true story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event told to entertain or make a point

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with a main character or protagonist

Aside

A short speech delivered by a character in a play to express thoughts and feelings, unheard by other characters

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables (the wide slide would not glide)

Blank Verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines (e.g., much of Romeo and Juliet)

Character

A person, animal, or entity in a literary work

Climax

The highest point of action in the plot; the moment the reader has been waiting for

Comedy

A literary work, especially a play, that has a happy ending (e.g., Shakespeare's comedies often end in marriage)

Comic Relief

A humorous character or scene that interrupts a serious part of a literary work

Conflict (Internal & External)

A struggle between opposing forces; internal: within a character; external: against an outside force (e.g., person, nature, object)

Connotation

Ideas or feelings associated with a word beyond its literal meaning (e.g., calling someone a "dog" has a negative connotation)

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Couplet

A pair of rhyming lines in poetry, usually of the same length

Dialect

A form of language spoken in a particular region or group

Dialogue

Conversation between characters

Drama

A story written to be performed on stage; a play

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something a character does not

Epic

A long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes

Exposition

The beginning of the plot that introduces characters, setting, and basic situation

Fiction

Writing that tells about imaginary characters and events

Figurative Language

Language not meant to be taken literally; includes similes, metaphors, etc.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the plot to show earlier events

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to highlight certain traits (e.g., Mercutio and Romeo)

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues that suggest future events in a story

Free Verse

Poetry without a regular pattern of meter or rhyme

Genre

A category of literature (e.g., mystery, science fiction, poetry)

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect

Idiom

An expression whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of its words

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)

Irony

When what is expected is the opposite of what occurs, or when words mean the opposite of what is said

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two unlike things without using like or as (e.g., My love is a rose)

Meter

The rhythmical pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem

Monologue

A speech by one character addressed to other characters

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere created in the reader by a literary work

Theme

The central message or insight about life revealed through a literary work

Narrative

A story (fiction or nonfiction) told in prose or verse

Nonfiction

Writing that presents real people, places, events, or ideas

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., buzz, ring, sizzle)

Oxymoron

Two contradictory terms used together (e.g., jumbo shrimp, cruel kindness)

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth

Parallelism

Repetition of grammatical structures in writing

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human things or ideas

Plot

The sequence of events in a story (includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution)

Prose

Ordinary written or spoken language without poetic structure

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work

Pun

A play on words with humorous or rhetorical effect

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines, often with a specific rhyme scheme

Repetition

Using an element of language multiple times (word, phrase, line, etc.)

Resolution

The final part of the plot that resolves the conflict and concludes the story

End Rhyme & Internal Rhyme

End rhyme: rhyming words at the end of lines; internal rhyme: rhyming words within a line

Rhyme Scheme

A regular pattern of rhymes in a poem (e.g., ABAB)

Rhythm

The pattern of beats or stresses in spoken or written language

Rising Action

Part of the plot where conflicts develop and events build toward the climax

Satire

A literary work that mocks or criticizes the flaws or foolishness of individuals or society

Setting

The time and place of the action in a story

Short Story

A brief work of fiction, usually focusing on one main conflict

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Soliloquy

A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Sonnet

A 14-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter with a specific rhyme scheme

Stage Directions

Instructions in a play that describe the setting, props, lighting, sound effects, and the actions of characters

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem, similar to a paragraph

Suspense

A feeling of tension or uncertainty about what will happen next in a story

Symbol

An object, character, or event that stands for something more than itself

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and style

Tragedy

A literary work, especially a play, that ends in catastrophe for the main character

Verbal Irony

When someone says one thing but means the opposite (e.g., sarcasm)

Diction

An author's choice of words to convey tone, mood, or meaning

Archetype

A typical character, action, or situation that represents universal patterns in human nature

Autobiography

A nonfiction account of a person’s life written by that person

Ballad

A narrative poem that is often musical and meant to be sung

Biography

A nonfiction story of someone’s life written by another person

Aphorism (Maxim)

A short, witty statement that reveals a general truth or observation about life

Analogy

A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification

Static Character

A character who does not change significantly over the course of a story

Dynamic Character

A character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the story

Round Character

A complex character with many traits and a fully developed personality

Flat Character

A one-dimensional character with only a few traits

Characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their traits

Indirect Characterization

Revealing a character's traits through their actions, speech, thoughts, or other characters’ reactions

Direct Characterization

When the author directly describes a character’s traits

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the end of words (e.g., blank and think)

Ethos

An appeal to ethics or credibility

Pathos

An appeal to emotion

Logos

An appeal to logic or reason