Flat character - A character that does not develop or undergo a change (ex: Dory in Finding Nemo)

Foreshadow—A hint as to what will come later in the work (ex: In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet has a vision of Romeo “As one dead in the bottom of a tomb,” which foreshadows his fate.)

Hubris—Excessive pride or arrogance (ex: Icarus flying too close to the sun after receiving a warning not to.)

Hypothetical question—A question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition (ex: If money were no object, what would you do with your life?)

Idiom—An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal words (ex: Break a leg)

Inductive reasoning—Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (ex: Every bird that I have seen can fly, so all birds can fly.)

Jargon—The specialized language/vocabulary of a particular group or profession (ex: Hard copy is an example of business jargon)

Juxtaposition—Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast (ex: Life and death)

Legend—A narrative handed down from the past; usually historical and/or supernatural (ex: kraken/bigfoot)

Limerick—Light verse; five lines of regular rhythm

Limited narrator—A narrator who presents the story as it is understood through one character (ex: The narration in ‘The Hunger Games’)

Literary license—Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (ex: Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter)

Litotes—Understatement achieved by expressing an idea by negating its opposite (ex: He’s not the nicest person.)

Malapropism—The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (ex: We are going to dance a flamingo.)

Maxim—A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage (ex: opposites attract)

Metonymy-- substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it. (ex: Once I start this job, I’ll finally have some dough)

Mood--the emotional atmosphere of a work. (ex: humorous)

Motif-- a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works. (ex:The Yellow Brick Road in The Wizard of Oz)

Narrator-- the one who tells the story; may be first-or third-person, limited or omniscient.

Non sequitur-- an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow”). (ex: My room is a mess, I need to read that book by Monday.)

Omniscient narrator-- a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. (ex: The narrator in “Lord of the Flies")

Onomatopoeia-- a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds. (ex:”Bang!”)

Parable— a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. (ex: The Good Samaritan)

Paraphrase-- a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity. (ex: They went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to buy a new water bottle. Paraphrase: They went to the store to get a water bottle.)

Parenthetical-- a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain. (ex: My mom, who’s scared of clowns, didn’t enjoy the circus.)