English 9 Honors Final Exam Review

Drama Terms

Terms related to the structure and elements of drama.

Playwright

A person who writes plays.

Tragedy

A dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character.

Comedy

A genre of literature that aims to entertain and amuse, often with a happy ending.

Act

A major division in a play, typically consisting of multiple scenes.

Scene

A subdivision of an act in a play, usually set in a single location.

Dialogue

The spoken exchanges between characters in a literary work.

Dialect

A particular form of a language specific to a region or social group.

Aside

A remark made by a character that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters.

Soliloquy

An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when alone, often used in drama.

Pun

A form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term for humorous effect.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene or passage inserted into a serious work to provide relief from tension.

Dramatic Irony

A situation where the audience knows more about the circumstances than the characters.

Foil (character)

A character who contrasts with another character, often the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but reveals a truth.

Poetic Terms

Terms related to the structure and elements of poetry.

Line

A single row of words in a poem.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, often set apart by a space.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, often used in English dramatic and epic poetry.

End Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs at the end of lines in poetry.

Internal Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem.

Rhymed Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as.'

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things.

Connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

Onomatopoeia

A word that phonetically imitates the sound it describes.

Literary Terms

Terms used to describe the elements and techniques of literature.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story.

Exposition

The introduction of background information in a story.

Narrative Hook

An opening that grabs the reader's attention.

Rising Action

The series of events that lead to the climax of a story.

Climax

The most intense, exciting, or important point of a story.

Falling Action

The events that follow the climax and lead to the resolution.

Resolution/Denouement

The conclusion of a story where conflicts are resolved.

Setting

The time and place in which a story occurs.

Characterization

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

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often facing a conflict.

Antagonist

A character or force that opposes the protagonist.

Internal Conflict

A struggle occurring within a character's mind.

External Conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force.

Theme

The central idea or message in a literary work.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.

Irony - Situational

A situation in which the outcome is significantly different from what was expected.

Irony - Verbal

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

1st Person Point of View

A narrative perspective where the narrator is a character in the story, using 'I' or 'we.'

3rd Person PoV - Limited

A narrative perspective where the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.

3rd Person PoV - Omniscient

A narrative perspective where the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Flashback

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Poem Interpretation

The analysis of a poem's meaning and themes.

Reading Comprehension

The ability to understand, analyze, and interpret written text.