Literary Terms

Here are clear and concise definitions for each literary term:

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1. External Conflict

➤ A struggle between a character and an outside force (e.g., another character, society, nature, or fate).

2. Internal Conflict

➤ A psychological struggle within a character’s mind—typically involving emotion, decision, or moral dilemma.

3. Soliloquy

➤ A long speech delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings.

4. Dramatic Irony

➤ When the audience knows something that the characters do not, creating tension or humor.

5. Pun

➤ A humorous play on words that have similar sounds but different meanings, or a single word with multiple meanings.

6. Comic Relief

➤ A humorous scene, character, or dialogue inserted into a serious drama to relieve emotional intensity.

7. Aside

➤ A brief remark by a character directed to the audience (or another character) that is not heard by others on stage.

8. Situational Irony

➤ When the opposite of what is expected to happen actually occurs.

9. Verbal Irony

➤ When someone says one thing but means the opposite, often sarcastically.

10. Alliteration

➤ The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words (e.g., “Peter Piper picked…”).

11. Imagery

➤ Descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create vivid mental pictures.

12. Simile

➤ A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as” (e.g., “as brave as a lion”).

13. Metaphor

➤ A direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as” (e.g., “time is a thief”).

14. Allusion

➤ A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work (e.g., “He met his Waterloo”).

15. Onomatopoeia

➤ A word that imitates the sound it represents (e.g., “buzz,” “crash,” “sizzle”).

16. Symbol

➤ An object, person, or event that represents a deeper meaning or abstract idea beyond its literal sense.

17. Inversion

➤ The reversal of normal word order in a sentence (e.g., “Never have I seen…” instead of “I have never seen…”).

18. Foil

➤ A character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

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Let me know if you’d like example sentences or quotes for any of these!