English Vocab Unit 1-15

Characterization

the act of creating or developing a character

Exposition

introduction to a story that includes setting, characters, conflict, and provides important background information

Falling Action

follows the high point/turning point of the story; happens as a result of the climax

Plot

the sequence of events in a literary work

Protagonist

the main character in a literary work

Antagonist

the person or force working against the main character

Rising Action

the events leading up to the story's climax

Resolution

the settling of the main/primary conflict in a piece of literature

Narrative Hook

the part of the story that catches the reader's interest & makes them want to go on

Irony

the differences appearance and reality, expectation and result, or meaning and intention

Allusion

a writer's indirect reference to a person, place or thing that the reader should know about

Diction

word choice; a writer's word choice

Dramatic Irony

occurs when the reader knows important information that a character does not know

Verbal Irony

when something is said and something opposite or nearly opposite is meant

Situational Irony

an unexpected event ~ an interesting surprise or coincidence

Setting

the location and time-period in which a story takes place

Climax

high point of interest or suspense in a story

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces

Narrator

the person telling the story

Tone

the writer’s attitude toward his/her audience or subject

Theme

a central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work

Mood

the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

Symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else

Figurative Language

writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

Flashback

when the action in a work stops and the reader is returned to some previous time period or event

Foreshadowing

the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

Imagery

the descriptive or figurative language used in literture to create word pictures

Suspense

the feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of event

Oxymoron

the close combing of opposite terms or words to create an ironic effect

Dialogue

a conversation between characters

Hero / heroine

a character who exhibits extraordinary powers such as strength, courage, or intelligence

Inference

a conclusion drawn based on facts presented or gathered

Metaphor

a comparison not using like, as, or than

Simile

a comparison using like, as, or than

Motive

a character’s reason for behaving in a certain way

Onomatopoeia

a word whose sounds suggests or communicates its meaning

Personification

giving non-human or inanimate objects human characteristics

Hyperbole

a figure of speech in which an exaggeration is made for emphasis or humorous effect

Narrative

a written story told in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama

Genre

a category or type of literature

Fiction

prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events

Nonfiction

prose writing that present and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects or events

Historical Fiction

a fictional narrative set in an actually historical event or moments

Short Story

a brief work of fiction

Autobiography

a form of nonfiction in which a person tells his or her own life story

Biography

a form of nonfiction in which the writer tells the life story of another person

Essay

a short nonfiction work about a particular subject

Prose

the ordinary form of a written language (as opposed to poetry, drama, or song)

Expository

writing that gives information, discusses ideas or explains a process

Poem

piece written in verse: a complete and self-contained piece of writing in verse that is set out in lines of a particular length and uses rhythm, imagery, and often rhyme to achieve its effect

Speaker

the person doing the talking in a poem

Stanza

a group of words in a poem or song that convey/communicate a complete thought

Couplet

two consecutive lines of poetry that thyme

Extended Metaphor

a comparison or several comparisons sustained for several lines or for an entire poem

Monologues

a dramatic speech delivered by a single character in a play

Found Poem

a poem consisting of words, phrases, and/or lines that come directly from another text

Scansion

the analysis of a rhythmic structure

Sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem usually written in iambic pentameter

Iambic Pentameter

a five-beat poetic line w/ an alternating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Soliloquy

a long speech delivered by an actor alone on the stage; represents the character's internal thoughts

Ode

a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter.

Sonnet

a 14-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter and following a strict pattern of rhyme

Anaphora

the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginnings of two or more clauses or lines

End Rhyme

when the rhyming words come at the end of lines

Meter

a rhythmical pattern which is determined by the number and types of stresses or beats in each line

Rhyme

similar vowel and/or consonant sounds between two or more syllables or words

Rhythm

the pattern of beats or stresses in spoken or written language

Prologue

an introductory passage or speech before the main action of a play, novel or long poem

Narrative Poetry

poems that tell stories

Argument

a form of writing that presents a particular claim or idea and supports it with evidence

Claim

A statement essentially arguable, but used as a primary point to support or prove an argument

Evidence

the information that supports a position in an argument

Reasoning

the thinking or logic used to make a claim in an argument

Rhetoric

the art of expressive speech or discourse & skill in its effective use

Rhetorical appeal

emotional, ethical, and logical arguments used to persuade an audience to agree with the writer or speaker

Ethos

(ethical appeal) a rhetorical appeal that focuses on the character or qualifications of the speaker

Pathos

(emotional appeal) a rhetorical appeal to the reader's or listener's senses or emotions

Logos

(logical appeal) a rhetorical appeal to reason or logic  

Logical Fallacy

a statement that is false because it is based on an error in reasoning

Bias

an inclination or mental leaning for or against something; prevents impartial judgment

Anecdote

a brief story used to illustrate a point

Concession

an admission in an argument that the opposing side has valid points

Credibility

the quality of being trusted or believed

Objective

based on factual information

Rebuttal

a reason why a counterargument is wrong

Subjective

based on a person's point of view, opinions, values, or emotions

Works Cited

a list of source material used in the preparation of a work or referred to in the text

Audience

those reached by books, magazines, newspapers, etc.

Persuasive

writing or speech that attempts to convince the reader/listener to adopt a particular opinion or course of action

Rhetorical Question

asked for effect \~ not meant to actually be answered

Mode

a form or manner of expression; style

Thesis Statement

a position/proposition that a person advances & maintains or offers to maintain w/argument

Editorial

an article that expresses a view on a matter of current interest or an expression of such an opinion that  resembles such an article

Counter Claim

a position taken by someone with an opposing viewpoint

Voice

distinctive qualities of a writer’s personality & style; includes diction, attitude & idea

Plagiarism

the unattributed use of another writer's words or ideas

Analogy

a comparison between 2 or more things that are similar in some ways but otherwise unalike

Primary Source

an original document or image created by someone who experiences an event first hand

Secondary Source

a discussion about or commentary on a primary source; the key feature of a secondary source is that it offers an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources

Annotated Bibliography

a list of sources used in research along with comments or summaries about each source