english terms chart
Literary Terms and Definitions
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Allegory
Definition: Stories or poems that have a surface story and also a deeper meaning to represent real-life problems (parables), extended metaphor with other meanings.
Example: The book Animal Farm uses the animals to represent humans, making a statement on the political stance at the time.
Alliteration
Definition: Repetition of similar sounds (tongue twisters).
Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."
Allusion
Definition: A symbol or reference showing an outside idea while still being plausible in that space.
Example: "He's a real romeo with the ladies."
Apostrophe
Definition: A rhetorical device where a word or letter (like "o") is used to address something that is not present, essentially talking to the air.
Example: "O Romeo, O Romeo!" or "O raging waters," used in poetry.
Assonance
Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds anywhere in a series of words.
Example: In "Coca Cola," the 'ou' sounds are repeated.
Caesura
Definition: A break in a line of writing, particularly poetry, that creates rhythm or emphasizes a particular point.
Example: "To be, or not to be — that is the question..."
Characterization
Definition: How a character is developed with physical and mental traits.
Direct Characterization: The author's direct explanation of a character's actions and looks.
Example: "Jimmy has a red hat and he likes to go on walks."
Indirect Characterization: The author explains the thoughts of the character, and reveals how others perceive them, inferred rather than stated.
Example: "Jimmy picked up a spiderman toy and thought of how sad the kid that lost it must be."
Chiasmus
Definition: The presentation of two ideas, A and B, with variants A' and B', structured as A, B, B', A'.
Example: "If love be rough with you, be rough with love."
Conflict
Definition: The main struggle in a plot, around which the story centers.
Types of Conflict:
Person vs. Self: Internal conflict.
Example: A person deciding if they should do something or not.
Person vs. Person: Conflict between two people.
Example: Two people fighting.
Person vs. Society: A person oppressed by society due to differences.
Example: Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games is oppressed and faces silencing for standing up.
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Person vs. Nature
Definition: A conflict between a character and the natural environment (weather or animals).
Example: The sun being so strong it dehydrates the character.
Colloquialism
Definition: Slang words that are not formal English and typically require quotes.
Example: "Bro" or "gonna."
Comedy
Definition: Humor that lightens a scenario, often serving as comedic relief.
Example: The Office, which features sarcastic humor.
Connotation
Definition: The base meaning of something with feelings or implications attached.
Example: A flag may connote a feeling of home.
Diction
Definition: The choice of words for clarity.
Example: "I wrote with strong and concise words to show confidence."
Didactic
Definition: Intended to teach.
Example: Animal Farm serves as a didactic novel, exposing the communist government.
Denotation
Definition: The literal meaning of something.
Example: "She was cold."
Dramatic Monologue
Definition: A speech given by one character to another, uninterrupted, to convey emotion or intent.
Example: Soliloquies in Shakespeare.
In Medias Res
Definition: A narrative that begins in the middle of the action or plot.
Enjambment
Definition: A poetic device where sentences run over without punctuation, resembling run-on sentences.
Epic Poem
Definition: A long narrative poem detailing the extraordinary lives and triumphs of characters.
Example: The tales of King Arthur.
Figurative Language
Definition: Language that employs figures of speech such as metaphors or similes, which convey meanings beyond the literal.
Example: "It's raining cats and dogs."
Flashback
Definition: A narrative device that revisits a scene from an earlier time to provide background information.
Foil
Definition: A character that contrasts with another character to highlight particular qualities.
Example: Tibled and Bolio are foils, with one hot-headed.
Foreshadowing
Definition: Hints about what will happen later in a story, creating suspense.
Hyperbole
Definition: Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.
Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a cow."
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Idiom
Definition: Phrases that convey a meaning unique to them rather than the individual words.
Example: "It's raining cats and dogs" or "Break a leg."
Image/Imagery
Definition: Vivid descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
Irony
Definition: A situation or statement that contrasts with what would be assumed, encompassing different forms:
Verbal Irony: Saying one thing but meaning the opposite.
Example: Saying "It's a beautiful day" when it is raining.
Dramatic Irony: A situation where the audience knows more than the character.
Example: The audience knows Juliet is not really dead.
Jargon
Definition: Specialized language associated with particular groups or fields.
Example: Literary words, scientific terms, etc.
Litotes
Definition: A form of understatement using double negatives.
Example: "You can't say I didn't tell you."
Metaphor
Definition: A figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
Example: "Drowning in work."
Metonymy
Definition: Using an object or person to represent a larger idea.
Example: "The White House passed a bill."
Meter
Definition: The rhythm and structure of lines in poetry.
Motif
Definition: A repeated symbol or theme that carries significance throughout a work.
Example: Bloodied hands and the dagger in Macbeth.
Onomatopoeia
Definition: Words that imitate sounds for emphasis.
Example: "BOOM!!"
Personification
Definition: Assigning human traits to inanimate objects.
Example: "The grass danced in the wind."
Plot
Definition: The sequence of events in a story, typically including introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Example: Fights between superheroes and villains.
Poetry
Definition: A literary work written in verses, characterized by rhythm and figurative language.
Point of View
Definition: The perspective from which a story is told.
First Person: Told from a character's perspective using "I."
Third Person Limited: Narrator shares only one character’s perspective.
Third Person Omniscient: The narrator knows thoughts and feelings of all characters.
Third Person Objective: The narrator does not offer perspectives of characters.
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Prose
Definition: Ordinary written language.
Example: "I took my dog on a walk today."
Rhetoric
Definition: The art of persuasion through effective language and logic.
Sarcasm
Definition: Saying the opposite of what is meant, often as verbal irony.
Example: "Nice job, Einstein."
Satire
Definition: Addressing social issues through humor to promote change.
Example: American Psycho critiques Wall Street culture.
Setting
Definition: The time, place, and circumstances in which a story occurs.
Simile
Definition: A figurative comparison using "like" or "as."
Example: "You look like a clown."
Soliloquy
Definition: A character’s speech revealing internal feelings, often in drama or poetry.
Example: Juliet's speech on the balcony.
Stanza
Definition: A grouped set of lines in a poem, set apart by spaces.
Symbol
Definition: Something that represents another thing or concept, often abstract.
Example: The mockingjay in The Hunger Games.
Synecdoche
Definition: A part representing the whole.
Example: "All hands on deck."
Syntax
Definition: The arrangement of words and phrases in sentences, affecting meaning.
Example: "I like to walk my dog."
Theme
Definition: The central idea or moral of a story.
Example: In Story of an Hour, the theme is that freedom is fleeting.
Tone
Definition: The author's attitude towards the subject, expressed through specific word choices.
Example: "It was a dark, gloomy night..."
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Tragedy
Definition: A narrative marked by a crisis or catastrophe highlighting darker aspects of humanity.
Example: The climax involving personal or societal disasters.
Unreliable Narrator
Definition: A narrator whose credibility is compromised, often first-person.
Aphorism
Definition: Concise statements using plain language to express life lessons.
Example: "Actions speak louder than words."
Anaphora
Definition: The repetition of words or phrases to emphasize an idea.
Example: "Damned if I do, damned if I don't."
Cacophony
Definition: A harsh and discordant mixture of sounds.
Euphony
Definition: A pleasant combination of sounds.
Pathos
Definition: Elements in literature that evoke pity or sorrow for a character.
Example: Using sad music in a scene.
Anagnorisis
Definition: When a character realizes another character's true nature (the "aha" moment).
Hamartia
Definition: A character's fatal flaw that leads to their downfall.
Example: Macbeth's greed.
Euphemism
Definition: Using milder words to soften harsher realities.
Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."
Non Sequitur
Definition: Statements that do not logically connect, lacking an argument thread.
Nemesis
Definition: The main problem faced by the protagonist, often a character's flaw or another character.
Example: Macbeth's nemesis is his greed.
Paradox
Definition: A statement that contradicts itself yet may contain truth.
Example: "The beginning of the end."
Mood
Definition: The emotional atmosphere created by the writing style or setting.
Example: Relaxed atmosphere indicated by soft lighting and no loud sounds.