70 Literary Terms HOLT Literature

1
70 Literary TermsHOLT Literature
2
plot
3
plot
chain of related events that tells us what
happens in a story
4
conflict
5
conflict
problem faced by a character
6
resolved
7
resolved
how the story turns out
8
complications
9
complications
situations that create conflict
10
climax
11
climax
when the outcome of the conflict is decided
12
resolution
13
resolution
the last part of the plot the end of the story
14
subplots
15
subplots
parts that are part of the larger story but are
not as important
16
parallelepisodes
17
parallelepisodes
the storyteller repeats the main outline of an
episode several times
18
proposition
19
proposition
an opinion usually in the beginning of a
persuasive article
20
facts
21
facts
the results of scientific research and surveys
22
statistics
23
statistics
facts in number form
24
examples
25
examples
specific instances that illustrate reasons or
facts
26
anecodotes
27
anecodotes
brief stories, such as personal experiences
28
opinion
29
opinion
a belief or an attitude
30
foreshadowing
31
foreshadowing
clues that hint at what will happen later
32
characterization
33
characterization
the way a writer reveals character
34
motivation
35
motivation
what makes people behave the way they do
36
motives
37
motives
why characters do the things they do
38
biography
39
biography
the story of someones life written by another
person
40
actions
41
actions
what characters say and do
42
character
43
character
the way someone is
44
biased
45
biased
one-sided, treatment of a subject
46
autobiography
47
autobiography
the story of a writers own life by the writer
48
setting
49
setting
where and when a story takes place
50
mood
51
mood
atmosphere the feeling of the story
52
chronology
53
chronology
time order what happens first, next, and last
54
inference
55
inference
educated guess based on clues the writer gives
you and your own experience
56
conclusion
57
conclusion
final thought or judgement about what you have
read
58
valid
59
valid
both true and logical
60
generalization
61
generalization
a broad statement that can apply to many
situations
62
theme
63
theme
answers the question What does this
reveal? the general idea or insight about human
existence
64
main idea
65
main idea
the message, opinion, or insight that is central
to a piece of non-fiction
66
refrain
67
refrain
repeated sounds, words, phrases, lines, or a
group of lines
68
allusion
69
allusion
a reference to features of a culture that people
share (literature, religion, history, mythology,
sports) Ex I have a dream speech
70
narrator
71
narrator
person telling the story
72
verbal irony
73
verbal irony
we say just the opposite of what we mean
74
situationalirony
75
situationalirony
what happens is different from what we expect
76
dramatic irony
77
dramatic irony
we know something a character doesnt know
78
fallaciousreasoning
79
fallaciousreasoning
false thinking when people draw incorrect or
false conclusions Ex Because the world is flat,
youll fall off if you sail to the end.
80
sterotyping
81
sterotyping
82
sterotyping
believing that all members of a group share a
certain characteristic Ex All teenagers are
angry and rebellious, and they all sleep too
late.
83
fallacy
84
fallacy
the assumption that a problem or situation has
only one possible cause Ex If we dont elect
Jane class president, girls will have no say in
running the school.
85
analogy
86
analogy
a comparison of two things to show how they are
alike used to explain one concept by showing how
it is similar to another concept
87
personification
88
personification
a non-human thing is described as if it were
human or alive and did something only living
things do
89
metaphor
90
metaphor
directly compares two very different things Ex
The moon was a golden Grapefruit high up in the
sky.
91
simile
92
simile
compares one thing to another using like, as,
than, resembles Ex The moon looked like a
gleaming new penny.
93
lyrics (poem)
94
lyrics (poem)
poems that express feelings and do not tell
stories
95
narrativepoem
96
narrativepoem
a poem that tells a story
97
ballad
98
ballad
song or a song like poem that tells a story
usually about lost love or betrayal or death
99
tall tale
100
tall tale
an exaggerated, far fetched story that betrayal
or death is obviously not true
101
exaggeration
102
exaggeration
stretching the truth
103
epic
104
epic
long narrative poem written in formal or elegant
language that tells about a series of
events undertaken by a great hero
105
ode
106
ode
originated in Ancient Greece celebrate a
particular poem or thing
107
sonnet
108
sonnet
fourteen line poem
109
lambic
110
lambic
verse in which the stress is on every other
syllable, starting with the unstressed beat
111
elegy
112
elegy
a poem of mourning
113
free verse
114
free verse
does not follow a regular rhyme, scheme, or
pattern
115
alliteration
116
alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds Ex snow falling
fast
117
onomatopoeia
118
onomatopoeia
the use of words whose sounds echo their
meaning Ex the chains saws buzz
119
imagery
120
imagery
language that evokes sensations of light, sound,
smell, taste, and touch
121
figures of speech
122
figures of speech
language that is based on comparisons and is not
literally true (metaphors, similes,
personification)
123
rhythm
124
rhythm
the rise and fall of the voice, produced by sounds
125
speaker
126
speaker
the person who tells the story or talks to you in
the poem
127
unity
128
unity
all the storys details support the main idea or
topic
129
logic
130
logic
correct reasoning
131
idiom
132
idiom
means something different from the literal
meaning of each word Ex Hold your tongue
means dont speak in English
133
epilogue
134
epilogue
a brief closing section to a piece of literature
135
consumer
136
consumer
someone who buys something or uses what someone
else buys
137
warranty
138
warranty
spells out exactly what happens if the product
doesnt work properly and what you are required
to do to receive service
139
contract
140
contract
spells out exactly what services will and will
not be provided
141
productinformation
142
productinformation
tells what the product will do