ENGLISH 10 LITERARY TERMS

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

Analogy

A comparison between two things to highlight their similarities.

Antagonist

The character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

Aside

A character's dialogue directed to the audience or another character but not heard by others on stage.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

Climax

The turning point in a story where the conflict reaches its peak.

Comedy

A literary genre characterized by humor and a happy ending.

Conclusion

The final part of a story where loose ends are tied up.

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces driving the plot.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural association of a word beyond its literal meaning.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

Denotation

The literal dictionary definition of a word.

Denouement

The resolution of the plot after the climax.

Dialogue

Conversation between characters in a literary work.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the characters do not.

Exposition

The background information provided at the beginning of a story.

External Conflict

Conflict between a character and an outside force.

Fiction

Imaginative writing that is not based on real events.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another character to highlight their qualities.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about events to come in a story.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Iambic Pentameter

A metrical pattern in poetry consisting of five iambs per line.

Imagery

Vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses.

Internal Conflict

Conflict within a character's mind or emotions.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Metaphor

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using "like" or "as."

Monologue

A long speech by one character in a play or story.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a literary work.

Narration

The act of telling a story.

Non-Fiction

Writing based on real events and facts.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

Prologue

An introductory section of a literary work.

Protagonist

The main character in a story.

Pun

A play on words with multiple meanings.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines in a poem.

Rhyme

The repetition of sounds at the ends of words.

Rhyme Scheme

A pattern of rhyming words in a poem.

Rhythm

The pattern of beats or stresses in language.

Rising Action

The events leading up to the climax in a story.

Sestet

The final six lines of a sonnet.

Setting

The time and place where a story takes place.

Simile

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

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem usually in iambic pentameter.

Stanza

A group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem.

Symbol

An object or idea that represents something beyond itself.

Theme

The central message or lesson in a literary work.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Tragedy

A genre of literature that deals with sorrowful events.

Refrain

The repetition of a phrase or line in a poem.

Free Verse

Poetry without a regular meter or rhyme scheme.

Meter

The rhythmic pattern of a poem, based on the number of syllables.