IB English Literary Elements

Ad Hominem

An argument that criticizes an idea by attacking the speaker instead of the merit of the idea.

(Ex: "You can't trust her analysis of the tax policy; she's a known liar and dresses terribly")

Allegory

A literary or artistic device where characters, objects, or actions represent abstract ideas, moral principles, or historical events, operating on both a literal and symbolic level.

(To be an Allegory, all/most elements must align [i.e. Inside Out Characters])

(If something is symbolized, then it is allegorical)

Alliteration

Repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of adjacent or closely associated words.

(I.e. Peter Piper Picked a Pack of Pickeled Peppers)

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause that then begins the next clause.

(i.e Anger leads to hate. hate leads to suffering, Suffering leads to misery.)

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs.

(i.e MLK's "I had a Dream" Speech)

(I had a dream that one day....

I had a dream that my four....)

Antithesis

A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in grammatically balanced structures.

(i.e Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair)

(i.e That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind)

Appeal to Ignorance

Based on the assumption that whatever has not been proven false must be true (or whatever has not been proven true must be false).

(Ex: Scientists haven't been able to prove that Aliens DON'T exist.Therefore, they must exist)

Aphorism

A short, quick statement of truth.

(Ex: Don't judge a book by it's cover.)

(Ex: Actions speak louder than words)

Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent human being or a personified object.

("O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?")

(Ex: "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee...")

Appositive Phrase

A noun or phrase that redefines or expands upon the noun or pronoun that comes before it.

(Ex: "Jane’s car, a red Porsche, was impounded last week".)

(Ex: "Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano".)

(Ex: "The popular search engine Google receives more than 8.5 billion searches a day".)

Argument from Authority

People agree with the writer's assumptions based on the credibility of the speaker.

(Ex: My mentor, who holds a PhD in philosophy, says philosophy is the most challenging academic discipline. That’s why I decided to study art history)

(Ex: Timothee Chalamet endorses this specific diet plan, so it must be the healthiest.)

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words or phrases in poetry and lyrics.

(Ex: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains)

Asyndeton

The deliberate omission of conjunctions between single words, phrases, or series of clauses.

(Ex: I came, I saw, I conquered")

(Ex: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills)

Background

The distinct layer of a visual component providing the context in the background.

Bandwagon Appeals

Encourages the listener to agree with a position because everyone else does.

(Ex: Buying the newest iPhone because it's "better")

Begging the Question

A form of argument in which someone assumes that parts of what the person claims to be proving are proven facts.

*Assuming there is a common warrant amongst people making the statements

(Ex: Jesus is real because the Bible says so")

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age novel dealing with one's formative years or spiritual journey.

(Ex: Harry Potter, Persepolis)

Bleed

The area of artwork, color, or image that extends beyond the final trimmed edge of the page.

Chiasmus

The rhetorical inversion of the second of two parallel structures.

(Ex: Ask not what your country---ask what you can do what you can do for your country)

(Ex: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going)

Clause

A grammatical construct with a subject and a verb.

*They express a complete thought*

(Ex: The cat slept)

(Ex: I love eating cookies)

Colloquialism

Conversational language/slang, often regional.

(Ex: Allison Kim saying 6, 7)

Complex Sentence

One independent clause with one or more dependent clauses.

(Ex: Because it was raining, we decided to stay inside.)

(Ex: I will go to the park after I finish my homework.)

Compound Sentence

Two or more independent clauses.

(Ex: Tim loves to read, and he also loves to hike.)

(Ex: I like apples, but my sister loves bananas.)

Compound-complex sentence

Two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

(Ex: Because the soup was too cold, I warmed it in the microwave, and then I ate it.)

(Ex: Although I miss the beach, I moved to the city, and I love my new job)

Connotation

The emotions and ideas we give to words.

(Ex: "Youthful" implies positive energy, while "childish" implies immaturity)

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words and phrases in poetry and lyrics.

(Ex: Toss the glass, boss)

Cumulative Sentence

A complex sentence with the Independent Clause at the beginning of the sentence.

(Ex: The airplane landed, tires screeching, smoke billowing, bringing a sudden halt to the long, tiring flight.)

Dash

Longer than hyphens and used to indicate a break in thought, emphasis, or parenthetical idea.

Ex: "I was just about to—" "No, you weren't!")

Dependent Clause

A group of words containing a subject and verb but doesn't complete a complete thought and cannot stand alone in a sentence.

(Ex: Because it was raining)

(Ex: While I was sleeping)

Denotation

The literal meaning of the word.

(Ex: Cold, means cold)

Diction

The author's choice of words.

Double Entendre

A word or phrase that has two meanings-one that is risque or crass.

(Ex: You look really hot!)

Dramatic Irony

Occurs when the audience knows something the characters on stage do not know.

Dynamic Character

A character who changes throughout the work.

(Ex: Ebenezer Scrooge)

Dysphemism

An unpleasant or harsh term used instead of a neutral one.

(Ex: Chicken instead of Coward)

(Ex: Slob instead of messy)

Ellipsis

The omission of a word or phrase necessary for a complete syntactical construction, but not necessarily for understanding.

(Ex: I was about to leave when...oh, never mind)

Emanata

The teardrops, sweatdrops, question marks, or motion lines that the artists draw around characters' faces to portray emotion.

End Rhyme

Rhyme occurring at the end of lines.

(Ex: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall)

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without the pause at the end of a line or stanza.

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses.

(Ex: ...government of the people, by the people, for the people)

(Ex: Work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together)

Equivocation

Telling part of the truth while hiding the entire truth.

(Ex: "Did you have any math homework?"

"No, I don't have any math homework"

Two hours later working on English homework

"I thought you said you didn't have homework"

"No, I said I didn't have any math homework"

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word is substituted for something considered to be too harsh.

(Ex: Passed away instead of died)

(Ex: Let go instead of fired)

False Dichotomy

A consideration of only two extremes when there are one or more intermediate possibilities.

(Ex: You're either for us or against us)

(Ex: Either you buy this product, or you don't care about your health)

Faulty Analogy

An illogical, misleading comparison between two things.

(Ex: Employees are like pets. They need to be pampered to remain productive)

(Ex: Bananas and telephones are both shaped to fit into human hands; therefore, bananas were created for humans alone)

Faulty Causality

Refers to setting up a cause-and-effect relationship when one doesn't necessarily exist.

(Ex: I wore my lucky socks, and our team won. The socks are the reason we won)

First-person Point of View

A narrative told from the perspective of a character using pronouns 'I' and 'me'.

Flat Character

A character with one characteristic.

(Ex: Draco Malfoy: always witty and mean)

(Ex: Cinderella: good and kind without much inner conflict)

Foil character

Two characters who highlight each other's characteristics because they are juxtaposed.

(Ex: Batman and the Joker)

Foot

The basic unit of measurement of poetry

Foreground

The part of the panel closest to the viewer

Graphic Weight

The prominence, intensity, or heaviness of the elements within a panel or page, determining how strongly they draw a reader's eye

Gutter

The space between framed panels

Hasty Generalization

An argument where a person comes to a conclusion based on insufficient evidence

(Ex: I met one IB student, and they were really busy. All IB students never do anything fun)

Hyphen

Smaller than a dash, it indicates words have a combined meaning

(Ex: First-Class)

(Ex: Self-Assured)

Iamb

A foot of poetry using a pattern of unstress stress

Iambic Pentameter

A line of poetry with five iambs, meaning it has ten syllables whose pattern is unstress stress

Idiom

A phrase that doesn't match its literal meaning, e.g., 'It's raining cats and dogs.'

Imagery

The representation through language of sense experience, including visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, organic, and kinesthetic imagery

Independent Clause

A group of words containing a subject and verb that expresses a complete thought

(Ex: She writes)

(Ex: Cats love tuna)

Inductive Reasoning

Making a general statement based on specific observations

(Ex: "Every cat I have met purrs; therefore, all cats probably purr)

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme occurring within the line

(Ex: I drove myself to the lake / and dove into the water)

Irony

When words or events are the opposite of what is expected

(Ex: A fire station burned down)

(Ex: A pilot is afraid of heights)

Juxtaposition

To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast

(Ex: It was the best of times. it was the worst of times)

(Ex: A beggar standing outside a palace)

Limited POV

A narrative limited to the perspective of one character

Litotes

Deliberate use of understatement to enhance the impact of what is being said

(Ex: Saying that's not bad when describing something good)

(Ex: Saying no small feat when talking about a big event)

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two unlike things to help make a point

Meter

The number and types of stresses in a line

Metonymy

Substitutes something closely associated with a thing for the thing itself

(Ex: Saying "the crown" when refering to the monarch)

(Ex: Saying "The White House" when reffering to the US Administration)

Midground

If a subject stands in the middle of the scene, it is in the midground

Motif

A recurring element that appears throughout a work to support a theme, create mood, or connect ideas

(Ex: the green light in The Great Gatsby)

Near/Slant Rhyme

Rhyme where words sound the same but do not rhyme perfectly

(Ex: I put my orange, door hindge, in storage)

Omniscient POV

A narrative perspective where the narrative is an all-knowing entity that can reveal the thoughts of all characters

Panel

An individual frame or single drawing that acts as the fundamental building block of sequential art storytelling

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement that does contain a measure of truth

(Ex: The only constant is change)

(Ex: This is the beginning of the end)

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

(Ex: Easy come, easy go)

(Ex: He wants to eat, to sleep, and to play)

(Ex: I have a dream...)

Periodic Sentence

A complex sentence with the independent clause at the end of the sentence

(Ex: With a thuderous roar, the volcano erupted)

(After a long day of walking, we finally reached the cabin)

Persona

The personality/characteristics that the author adopts

Plastic Theater

A symbolic, non-realistic style of drama that uses visual and sensory elements to express inner emotions and symbolic truths

(Ex: The lighting in A Streetcar Named Desire hiding Blanche's aging, symbolizing her illusion-filled, fragile reality)

Polysyndeton

The use of repeated conjunctions in close succession to similar words for emphasis

(Ex: I have to wash the dishes and make dinner and take out the trash and walk the dog)

Prose

Written or spoken language without a metrical structure

Pun

A joke exploiting the different meanings of a word or between homonyms

(Ex: Don't trust atoms, they make up everything)

Red Herring

Attempts to shift attention away from an important issue by introducing an unrelated issue

(Ex: The military wants to make it unrequired for their soldiers to get vaccinated for the flu. The comments section for that post had hastags saying "mybodymychoice" followed by "#abortion"

Round Character

A character with multiple characteristics

(Ex: The Grinch: His backstory explains why he hates Christmas, which also allows him to change)

Satire

Using humor to criticize social constructs, ideology, etc.

(Ex: 1984, Animal Farm)

Scheme

Artful Syntax

Signpost

Any word, phrase, clause, or sentence that indicates what the writer plans to do next or has done

(Ex: Consequently, Therefore, Because of This)

Simple Sentence

One independent clause

(Ex: Dogs bark)

(Ex: She sings)

Situational Irony

Occurs when events starkly contrast with expectation

(Ex: A police station getting robbed)

Slippery Slope

Suggests dire consequences from relatively minor causes

(Ex: Your grandma saying you'll die because you slept with wet hair)

Soliloquy

A monologue given alone on stage

Splash

A kind of panel that spans the width of the page

Static Character

A character who doesn't change throughout the work

(Ex: Voldemort: He is cruel and desires power since to introduction of his death)

(Ex: Scar: He is consistently cynical and cunning with no real reasoning)

Strawman Argument

Consists of an oversimplification of an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack

(Ex: Person A: "We should redirect some funding from the military to education."

Person B (Straw Man): "My opponent wants to leave our country completely defenseless and vulnerable to terrorists just to buy more schoolbooks".)

Syllogism

A conclusion made from a statement with a major and minor premise that share common elements

(Ex: All mammals are warm-blooded

All dogs are mammals

Therefore, all dogs are warm-blooded)

Synecdoche

Using part of the whole to represent the whole

(Ex: "All hands on deck" The hands represent the people)

Syntax

Author's arrangement of words

Third-Person Point of View

An outside narrator's perspective that can be limited, omniscient, or objective

Trope

Recurring characteristics of genres, characters, etc.

(Ex: Enemies to Lovers)

Verbal Irony

Occurs when someone says something dramatically different than what they mean

Warrant

An underlying belief in an argument that helps to connect evidence to a claim

(Ex: "Jesus is real becasue the Bible says so"

This argument relies on the warrant that each person believes in the Bible)