question designed to draw attention, pause for thought

time, place and social context in which a story takes place

an image that is itself but also stands for something more

what we expect and what happens are not the same

use of key words, phrases, or ideas more than once, in close proximity

a logical deduction that has three parts: a main premise, a secondary premise, and a conclusion

a part is substituted or used to represent the whole

any of a number of literary elements such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.

main idea of a work of literature

cruel, rude form of verbal irony

analyzing and graphically marking poetry for stressed and unstressed patterns

the way words and phrases are connected to form sentences

a group of verse lines of the same structure and rhythm and rhyme scheme

a type of writing that points out the follies and failings of man

literary style that attempts to capture thoughts, memories, impressions, often without punctuation or structure

the organized, planned framework of a piece of literature

stock character; character created to represent some standard archetypes

informal words and expressions

repetition of initial consonant sounds

vague, unclear, in literature, done on purpose

short saying known for its wit and wisdom

a short story used to illustrate a point

speech in a drama where character speaks his mind and other characters on stage don’t “hear”

moving from the serious to the ridiculous

harsh sounds; should reflect meaning and content

an overused expression that has lost meaning such as quick as lightning

an emotional release – crying, laughing, fear

addressing an inanimate object as if it were alive and could respond

character in opposition to the protagonist

repetition of the same vowel sounds in close proximity

one in whom others confide their confidences, secrets

dictionary definition of a word

word choice

the reader or audience knows more than the characters

an extended metaphor

repeated consonant sounds; not at the beginning of words

two lines, in successive order, that have end rhyme

when a line of poetry runs from the end of one into another without stopping or pausing for punctuation

language that appeals to the five senses; creating pictures with words

poetry without formal structure, stanzas, or rhyme scheme

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

couplet that rhymes and is written in iambic pentameter

a comparison of two dissimilar items through direct comparision

specialized language of a group or profession

a verse stanza of four lines

a long lyrical poem on a serious subject

a poem or other work of literature that tells a story

words that sound like they are spelled and create aural imagery like fizz and whirr

a clever play on words, usually involves double entendres

a work of literature that raises emotions of pity and fear and shows the fall of a noble person

saying one thing but really meaning another

common every day language

the vantage from which a story is told: first or third person, omniscient, limited, or not at all

speed at which a story and its plot move along; should reflect the content

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

a word related to the topic is substituted for it

the main character in a story

events that are similar in scope

words that rhyme at the ends of lines of poetry

a long narrative poem that spans a long time period, uses grand language, involves the fate of an entire people, and has a hero of super human characteristics, among other things

using a less offensive word for one that could be offensive

the point of highest tension in a plot

a poem with an abcb rhyme scheme, characters that pop in and out, and have repetition

how a character acts and talks, what other characters say about him, and how others react to him

words with one syllable word that rhymes such as man and can

words with two syllables that rhyme such as mister and blister

an explicit comparison between two unlike things signaled by the use of like or as

attributing human qualities to an inanimate object

the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or causes

word order is reversed or rearranged

the placing next to a noun, another noun or phrase that explains it

conjunctions are omitted, producing a fast paced and rapid prose

repetition at the end of a clause of the word that occurred at the beginning

repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses (opposite of anaphora)

the use of many conjunctions to slow the pace

the insertion of words, phrases, or a sentence that is not syntactically related to the rest of the sentence, set off from the rest of the sentence by dashes or parentheses

contradiction; two contradictory terms or ideas used together

a statement that appears to be contradictory but, in fact, has some truth

expresses similar or related ideas in similar grammatical structures

grammatical structure of the first clause or phrase is reversed in the second, sometimes repeating the same words

the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas

when two different words that sound exactly alike are yoked together. “He bolted the door and his dinner.”

when the writer takes on another voice or role that states the opposite of what is expressed

exaggeration; deliberation exaggeration for emphasis

opposite of hyperbole; intensifies an idea by understatement

the emotional effect an author wishes to achieve on his audience

the persona or credibility of an author