Literacy Terms

1. Abstract-a style (in writing) that is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points.

2. Allegory- something which can be read with double or two meanings: with an obvious literal meaning, as well as a figurative

3. Allusion- a casual reference to any piece of literature, art, music, person or life in general

4. Ambiguity- when words, sentences and texts have more than one meaning and can be deliberate or unintentional

5. Analogy- a similarity or comparison between like features of two things

6. Anecdote- a short narrative relating to a single incident told for amusement, gossip, or moral guidance

7. Antagonist- a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent

8. Archetype- constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting or mythology

9. Atmosphere- the emotion or mood induced by a part or whole of a work of art

10. Characterization- the methods by which characters are established in a story, using description, dialogue, dialect, and action

11. Climax-the start of intensity in a play or narrative

12. Concrete- quotes from the story that answers a question

13. Conflict- incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces that creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome

14. Connotation- a suggestion from a word, or string of words, beyond the literal meaning

15. Denotation- the direct or explicit meaning of a word, or a string of words

16. Denouement- the final resolution of a plot, especially in drama or narrative

17. Dialect- he language of a particular district, class, or group of persons that includes the sounds, spelling, grammar, and diction

18. Diction- The choice of a particular word or words as opposed to others

19. Dramatic Irony- where a character is unaware of the irony of his or her words or situation. It is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play

20. Epic- a type of classical poetry, generally recounting heroic achievements

21. Euphemisms- Using a mild or gentle phrase instead of a blunt, embarrassing, or painful one.

22. Exposition- Where the scene is outlined through setting, in a play or store

23. Extended Metaphor- a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work

24. Falling Action- the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.

25. Farce- a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable

26. Figurative Language- language where literary or poetic techniques and devices, such as metaphors and similes, are used to produce a meaning beyond the literal surface meaning

27. Flashback- a method of narration in which the present action is temporarily interrupted, to relive an episode in the characters past

28. Foil- the author creates a character whose primary purpose is to create a contrast to another character by laying emphasis or drawing attention to the latters traits and characteristics

29. Foreshadow- suggesting, hinting and indicating what will occur later in a narrative

30. Genres- a category of literature or film marked by defined shared features in poetry, drama, and fiction

31. Hyperbole- the literary device of exaggeration or overstatement

32. Imagery- The "mental pictures" that readers imagine whilst reading a passage of literature using all 5 senses

33. Irony- words or ideas which have an extra layer of meaning, distinctive to the literal one

34. Juxtaposition- the assembly of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development

35. Metaphor- a comparison, between two things not usually compared, that implies that one object is another one, figuratively speaking

36. Mood- a feeling, emotional state, or disposition of mind, especially the dominant atmosphere or tone of a literary work

37. Motif- a recurring element, such as an incident, a device, a reference, or verbal formula, which appears frequently in a work of literature

38. Narrator- the process of telling a sequence of actions and events, usually in chronological order

39. Onomatopoeia- the application of sounds that are comparable to the noise they represent for an artistic effect: buzz, click, rattle, and grunt

40. Oxymoron- the use of contradiction in a manner that oddly makes sense on a deeper level: starbursts.

41. Paradox- a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but

in reality expresses a possible truth

42. Personification- a figure of speech by which animals, abstract ideas, or inanimate things are referred to as if they were human

43. Persuasion- able, fitted, or intended to persuade

44. Plot- the writer's structure and the relationship of actions, characters and events in a fictional work organized by the narrative

45. Point of View- the method a story is told and who tells it

46. Protagonist- the main character in a narrative or poetry

47. Realism- a manner of treating subject matter that presents a careful description of everyday life

48. Repetition- the duplication of a number of things in literature be the reiteration of words, phrases, sounds, motifs or ideas within a text

49. Resolution- where the loose ends of a narrative are brought together and resolved or the conclusion of the climax.

50. Satire- the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding bad habit, being foolish, etc.

51. Setting- the place or period within which a narrative or play is located

52. Simile- a comparison of two things not usually paired, made by using the adverbs like or as

53. Situational Irony- irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

54. Speaker- a person who speaks, as well as someone who gives a speech or a talk

55. Style- the distinguishing way writers employ language and their words choice to accomplish certain effects

56. Symbol- a word, place, character, or object that signifies something beyond what it is on the surface, and represents a broader concept

57. Syntax- in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing

58. Theme- a principal concept or concepts that unify and preoccupy a literary work

59. Tone- the mood of a text or part of a text

60. Verbal Irony- irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning