American Lit GMAS

Alliteration

The repetition of identical beginning consonant sounds

Flashback

The author interrupts the scene of a narrative to tell about earlier events

Foreshadowing

An author gives hints or clues as to what will happen in a story

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect

Situational Irony

When things happen that are in direct contrast to what we expect (or would like to happen)

Dramatic Irony

When the reader knows something the character doesn't

Metaphor

Compares two things directly, without using the words "like" or "as"

Extended Metaphor

A continued comparison throughout a work

Onomatopoeia

The technique of forming words that imitate specific sounds

Paradox

A statement that at first seems self-contradictory but that upon reflection makes sense

Personification

Gives human characteristics to animals, objects, or ideas

Pun

A play on words that have similar meanings

Refrain

A word, phrase, or series of lines that is repeated, adding rhythm and emphasis to a song or poem

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Symbol

Using one thing to represent another

Tone

The emotion created by the author's use of language or by a character's words and actions

Understatement

Minimizes or lessens the importance of what is meant.

Understatement is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a

situation seem less important or serious than it really is. For example, a writer might say

that Hurricane Katrina left some damage in New Orleans. The writer is downplaying the

seriousness of the effects of one of the worst hurricanes in history.

Fiction

A literary genre based on imagination and not necessarily on fact

Non-fiction

A literary genre based on fact

Drama

A literary genre intended to be performed by actors on a stage

Chronological

The story is arranged in order of time from the beginning to the end

Epistolary Narrative

A narrative written in the form of letters, diary/journal entries, postcards, or e- mail

Frame Narrative

A story is told within a story

In Medias Res

The novel or story begins at the midpoint

End Rhyme

Rhymes that occur at the end of a line of poetry; the most common type of rhyme

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme occurring within a line of poetry

Slant Rhyme

Also called a near rhyme, half rhyme, or off rhyme. The final consonant sounds are the same but the vowel sounds are different.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds at any point in a word

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem

Fixed Form

Has specific requirements on length, rhyme scheme, and number of syllables

Free Verse

Follows no specific guidelines about rhyme, meter, or length

Narrative Poem

The main purpose is to tell a story

Ballad

A narrative poem, often of folk origin, intended to be sung

Lyric Poetry

Expresses a person's thoughts or feelings

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to a person, place, or thing that is fictitious, historical, or real

Conceit

An elaborate or extended simile or metaphor

Tragedy

A serious play that ends in disaster and sorrow

Comedy

A lighthearted play intended to amuse the audience

Dramatic Conventions

Rules in which the actors and audience engage during a play

Fourth Wall

The imaginary wall that is supposedly removed to allow the audience to peer into a room to see the drama unfold

Political Drama

A drama or play with a political component, advocating a certain point of view or describing a political event

Modern Drama

Explores themes of alienation and disconnectedness

Theme

The central idea of a text

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Connotation

A meaning or idea associated with a word

Dictionary

The best source for the definition and spelling of words

Encyclopedia

Reference book used to get more detailed information on subject areas

Thesaurus

Reference book used to find synonyms and related words

Narrative Writing

Tells a story

Descriptive Writing

Language to describe a person, place, or thing

Persuasive Writing

Designed to influence the reader's thoughts in some way

Expository Writing

Used to provide information on a topic or to explain something. Informational text, or expository nonfiction, is writing that explains or informs.

Informational texts include business letters and memos; how-to passages that

explain a process or project; news stories; and historical, scientific, and technical

accounts (including digital sources) written for a broad audience. Expository writing

may include vivid descriptions or the narration of personal stories and events that

actually happened.

Rhetorical Question

A question to which no answer is needed

Parallelism

The repetition of similar parts of a sentence or of several sentences to show that the phrases or sentences are of equal importance

Repetition

To repeat words or phrases to emphasize a point.

Repetition is related to parallelism. Good writers may repeat words or phrases

throughout their writing to emphasize a point. Be careful not to overdo this rhetorical

strategy. If you repeat the same words and phrases too much, your writing becomes

dull, not emphatic.

Diction

The word choices a writer makes

Imagery

Description intended to elicit a sensory response

Exposition

Introduces the characters, establishes the setting, and reveals the problem or conflict

Plot

The events that occur in a story

Rising Action

Incidents that either help or hinder the protagonist in finding a solution

Climax

The peak or turning point of the action

Falling Action

The part after the climax that gives any necessary explanation and ends with resolution

Protagonist

The central character and the one with whom the reader often identifies

Antagonist

A character (or force) that opposes the protagonist

Setting

When and where a story takes place

Mood

A feeling or emotion created by the words and setting. Sometimes called "atmosphere," mood is the overall feeling or emotion the author establishes by the choice of words and language, the actions of the characters, and the setting. Mood is sometimes confused with tone. Tone is the attitude a writer puts into a subject; mood is the feeling the reader experiences from it.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told

First Person Point of View

The events are told by a character in the story using his or her own words

Second Person Point of View

The narrator addresses the reader directly using the word you

Third Person Point of View

A speaker outside the action narrates the events using he, she, and they

Genre

Genre is a specific type of writing or literature. Each genre has a particular

style, form, and content. Genres include narrative, expository, opinion, and

argumentative writing. Literature genres include fiction, nonfiction, information,

biographies, autobiographies, histories, science fiction, drama, and poetry.

Trait

Pieces of a person's personality

Interior monologue

(their internal, unspoken thoughts).

Direct characterization

occurs when the reader is told what a character is like; a

speaker or narrator describes what he or she thinks about a character.

Indirect characterization

occurs when a reader must infer what a character is

like; the text provides clues through the character's words, thoughts, or actions or

through other characters' words, thoughts, or actions, but there is no evaluation or

explanation from a narrator.

Internal conflict

Conflict also occurs when there is incompatibility between ideas or beliefs, as when a

character has mixed feelings or struggles with a choice between right and wrong. A