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Allegory

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a work with two levels of meaning, literal and symbolic. in such a work, most of the characters, objects, settings, and events represent abstract qualities. The purpose of an allegory may be to convey truths about life, to teach religious or moral lessons, or to criticize social institutions.

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Allusion

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an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar

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Analogy

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a point-by-point comparison between two things for the purpose of clarifying the less familiar of the two subjects

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Analyze

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to examine and break down information into small parts as to identify causes, key factors, and possible results

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Anecdote

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a brief story that focuses on a single episode or event in a person's life and is used to illustrate a particular point

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Aphorism

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a brief statement, usually one sentence long, that expresses a general opinion about life

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Argumentation

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a type of discourse in speech or writing that debates or simply develops a topic in a logical way

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Assess

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to evaluate or judge the quality of; to evaluate

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Assonance

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the repetition of vowel sounds within words

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Bias

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to cause favoritism toward or against (especially unfairly) a person, place, thing, or idea

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Citation

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verbal or written credit given for a source

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Cite

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to give credit (verbal or written) to a source

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Claim

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an assertion of something as a fact

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Counterclaim

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a claim set up in opposition to another

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Cliché

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an overused expression that has lost its freshness, force, and appeal.

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Cohesion

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the property of unity in a written text or a segment of spoken discourse

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Colloquialism

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a term defining the diction of common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area

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Comedy

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light and amusing narrative in which the central characters triumph over adversity

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Compare

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to examine and appraise characteristics or qualities in order to discover similarities

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Contrast

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to examine and appraise characteristics or qualities in order to discover differences

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Conclusion

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often referred to as the ending, the final section of a piece of writing or speech

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Connotation

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the emotional response evoked by a word, in contrast to the denotation, which is its literal meaning (see denotation)

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Consonance

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the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of words

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Delineate

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to analytically list with detail and precision

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Denotation

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a word's literal meaning, as opposed to the emotional response it provokes (see connotation)

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Dialogue

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a conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

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Direct quotation

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author's words copied directly from the text and noted with quotation marks

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Discrepancy

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opposition to prevailing idea or entity

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Epilogue

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the concluding section of a work

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Etymology

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the study of history and development of the structures, origin, and meanings of words

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Euphemism

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the substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

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Expository writing or speech

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writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain

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Fallacious reasoning

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logically unsound statements or thinking

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Figurative language

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language that achieves a special meaning or effect; e.g. simile, metaphor, oxymoron

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Foil

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a character whose traits contrast with those of another character

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Free verse

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poetry that does not have regular patterns of rhyme and meter

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Gothic

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a genre characterized by a general mood of decay, action that is dramatically and generally violent or otherwise disturbing, and gloomy or bleak settings

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Hyperbole

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a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect

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Imagery

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the descriptive words or phrases a writer uses to re-create sensory experiences

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Inference

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a conclusion reached by interpreting information

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Informative/explanatory text

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non-fiction writing in narrative and non-narrative form that is intended to inform (commoncore.org)

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Internal rhyme

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rhyme that occurs within a line of verse

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In-text citation

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note made in the text that signals where the information was found

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Logical fallacy

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a flaw in the structure of a deductive argument which renders the argument invalid

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Local color

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local color realism, especially popular in the late 18th century, is a style of writing that truthfully imitates ordinary life and brings a particular region alive by portraying the dialects, dress, mannerisms, customs, character types, and landscapes of that region

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Memoir

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a form of autobiographical writing in which a person recalls significant events and people in his or her life

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Metaphor

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direct comparison of two dissimilar things

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Mood

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overall feeling or emotional quality that an author creates for the readers

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Motivation

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the reasons, either stated or implied, for a character's behavior

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Narrative

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a story or a telling of a story, or an account of a situation or event.

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Naturalism

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an offshoot of realism, naturalism was a literary movement that originated in France in the late 1800s. Like the realists, the naturalists sought to render common people and ordinary life accurately. However, the naturalists emphasized how instinct and environment affect human behavior.

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Non-fiction (informational text)

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prose writing that deals with real people, things, events, and places

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Nuances

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a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, or response (dictionary.com)

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Objective summary

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summary produced without bias or opinion using textual evidence

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Onomatopoeia

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use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning (ex:"buzz")

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Oxymoron

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a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory ideas or terms ("living death").

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Pacing

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speed at which an author tells a story; movement from one point to another (yourcharlotteschools.net)

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Paradox

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a statement that seems to contradict itself but may nevertheless suggest an important truth

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Parallel plots

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multiple plots happening simultaneously

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Parallel structure

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using similar grammatical structures i.e. words, phrases, lines

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Paraphrase

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to restate a text passage or work, giving the meaning in another form (dictionary.com)

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Pathos

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the quality in a work of literature or art that arouses the reader's feelings of pity, sorrow, or compassion for a character

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Personification

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a figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities.

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Plagiarism

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the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, as by not crediting the author (dictionary.com)

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Plot

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the sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem

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Premise

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a proposition on which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is drawn

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Point of view

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vantage point from which a writer tells a story.

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Primary source

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materials written or created by people who were present at events are called primary sources.

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Protagonist

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main character in fiction or drama.

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Realism

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refers to any effort to offer an accurate and detailed portrayal of real life.

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Refrain

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a word, phrase, line or group of lines repeated regularly in a poem usually at the end of each stanza

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Repetition

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the return of a word, phrase, stanza form or effect in any form of literature.

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Resolution

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all action taking place after the climax; also known as falling action

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Rhetoric

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the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse; the study of the effective use of language (dictionary.com)

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Rising-action

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the action leading to the climax and the simultaneous increase of tension in the plot

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Rhyme

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repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem

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Romanticism

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a movement in the arts that flourished in Europe and America throughout much of the 19th century. Romantic writers glorified nature and celebrated individuality.Their treatment of subject was emotional rather that rational, intuitive rather than analytic.

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Satire

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a literary technique in which foolish ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. Satire may be gently witty, mildly abrasive, or bitterly critical. Scaffolding (text complexity band)- specialized instructional supports needed in order to best facilitate learning (about.com)

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Scene

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traditionally, a subdivision of an act in drama

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Sensory language

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use of words to describe tastes, smells, textures, sounds, and images in order to provide a sensory experience for the reader (commoncore.org)

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Seminal

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strongly influencing later developments of a work, event, moment, or figure

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Setting

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the time and place in which the events in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem occur

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Situational irony

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a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen

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Simile

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a comparison made between two things through the use of a specific word or comparison, such as like, as, than or resemble

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Speaker

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the voice that speaks to a reader in a poem

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Stanza

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group of consecutive lines that form a single unit in a poem

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Stereotype

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classifying people by their traits

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Stream of consciousness

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a technique that was developed by modernist writers to present the flow of a character's seemingly unconnected thoughts, responses, and sensations

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Style

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the distinctive way in which a work of literature is written. Style refers not so much to what is said but how it is said. Word choice, sentence length, tone, imagery and use of dialogue all contribute to a writer's style.

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Summarize

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give a brief statement of the main points of something (dictionary.com)

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Suspense

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the uncertainty of anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story

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Symbolism

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the serious and relatively sustained use of symbols to represent or suggest other ideas or things.

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Syntax

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the arrangement of words or phrases to create well-formed sentences (dictionary.com)

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Synthesize

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combine a number of things into a coherent whole

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Soliloquy

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in drama, an extended speech delivered by a character alone onstage

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Symbol

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person, place, thing, or event that stands both for itself and for something beyond itself

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Text complexity band

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see appendix A pages 2-16 of the Common Core Standards document for additional information

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Textual evidence

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facts, figures, details, quotations, or other sources of data that provide support for claims or an analysis and that can be evaluated by others

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Theme

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a topic discussion or writing; a major idea or proposition broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary or other work of art (commoncore.org)

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Tone

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author's or narrator's attitude reflected in the style of the text (commoncore.org)

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Tragedy

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play, novel, or other narrative, depicting serious and important events, in which the main character comes to an unhappy end

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Transcendentalism

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a philosophy based on a belief that "transcendent forms" of truth exist beyond reason and experience. The movement was led by Ralph Waldo Emerson and included writer Henry David Thoreau.

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Transition

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connection (a word, phrase, clause, sentence, or entire paragraph) between two parts of a piece of writing {and speaking} contributing to cohesion (grammar.about.com)

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Vernacular

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the use of plain, everyday language

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Voice

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voice refers to a writer's unique use of language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in his or her writing. The elements of style that determine a writer's voice include sentence structure, diction, and tone. The term can be applied to the narrator of a selection, as well as the writer.

English Language Arts Grades 9-12 Literary Terms and Terminology – Flashcards

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