LITERARY TERMS

(Words you (Words you must must understand to understand to answer questions on the EOC.)answer questions on the EOC.)

POINT OF VIEW an angle of an angle of

vision from vision from which the which the people, people, events, and events, and details of a details of a story are story are viewedviewed

1st PERSON one of the characters is telling one of the characters is telling

the story the story uses pronouns like uses pronouns like I, me, I, me, andand

we. we.

3rd PERSON OBJECTIVE narrator is narrator is notnot a character a character

and does not know and does not know anyone’s thoughts anyone’s thoughts or feelingsor feelings

3rd PERSON LIMITED narrator is narrator is notnot a a

character, but knows the character, but knows the thoughts and feelings of thoughts and feelings of ONLY ONLY ONE ONE charactercharacter

Aw, Aw, man!man!

3rd PERSON OMNISCIENT narrator is narrator is notnot a character, but a character, but

knows the thoughts and knows the thoughts and feelings feelings of EVERY of EVERY character. character.

RHYME repetition of repetition of

accented accented vowel sounds, vowel sounds, and all sounds and all sounds following following them, in words them, in words that are close that are close togethertogether

I haven’t been to church since I don’t

remember when

Things were goin’ great ‘til they fell apart again

So I listened to the preacher as he told

me what to do

He said you can’t go hatin’ others who

have done wrong to you

Sometimes we get angry, but we must

not condemn Let the good Lord do His job and you

just pray for them I pray your brakes go out runnin’ down a hill

I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill

and knocks you in the head like I’d like to

I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls

I pray you’re flyin’ high when your engine stalls

I pray all your dreams never come true

Just know wherever you are honey, I pray for you I’m really glad I found my way to church

‘Cause I’m already feelin’ better and I

thank God for the words

Yeah I’m goin’ take the high road

And do what the preacher told me to do

You keep messin’ up and I’ll keep prayin’ for you

RHYTHM

musical musical quality in quality in language language produced by produced by repetitionrepetition

REPETITION repeating repeating

words or words or phrases to phrases to add add emphasisemphasis

ALLITERATION repetition of repetition of

the same or the same or similar similar consonant consonant sounds usually sounds usually at the at the beginning of beginning of words that are words that are close togetherclose together

Sally

Sells

Seashell

s

by the

Seashor

e!

ONOMATOPOEIA Use of a Use of a

word whose word whose sound sound imitates or imitates or suggests its suggests its meaningmeaning

Old MacDonald had a farm,Ee i ee i oh!

And on that farm he had some chickens,Ee i ee i oh!

With a cluck-cluck here,And a cluck-cluck thereHere a cluck, there a cluck,

Everywhere a cluck-cluckOld MacDonald had a farm

Ee i ee i oh!

DRAMATIC IRONY The audience The audience

knows knows something something that the that the character character does not does not knowknow

Oh no! Don’t go up

there!

SITUATIONAL IRONY What What happens is happens is the the opposite of opposite of what we what we expectexpect to to happenhappen

VERBAL IRONY When a When a

person says person says one thing but one thing but really means really means something something completely completely differentdifferent

Today is turning out to be just great.

IDIOM An An expression expression that means that means something something different different from the from the literal literal meaningmeaning“It’s raining cats and dogs.”

METAPHOR A A

comparison comparison of two of two unlike unlike thingsthings

We could have all had more dessert if Matt wasn’t a hog.

SIMILE A A comparisocomparison of two n of two unlike unlike things, things, using using likelike or or as.as.

You know a dream is like a river

Ever changin' as it flows

And a dreamer's just a vessel

That must follow where it goes

Trying to learn from what's behind you

And never knowing what's in store

Makes each day a constant battle

Just to stay between the shores

And I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry

Like a bird upon the wind These waters are my sky

I'll never reach my destination If I never try

So I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry

PERSONIFICATION A A nonhuman nonhuman thing or thing or quality is quality is talked about talked about as if it were as if it were human.human.

"Fear knocked on

the door. Faith

answered. There

was no one there."

(proverb)

"Oreo: Milk’s

favorite cookie."

HYPERBOLE Using Using

exaggeratioexaggeration to express n to express strong strong emotion or emotion or create a create a comic effect.comic effect.

I died laughing.

I tried a million times.

I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.

PUN A play on A play on the multiple the multiple meanings of meanings of words that words that sound alikesound alike

JOKES!

What has four

wheels and

flies?

A garbage

truck!

SETTING timetime and and placeplace of a story of a story

PLOT The series of The series of events that events that make up a make up a storystory

THEME The idea The idea the writer the writer wants to wants to reveal about reveal about the subjectthe subject

TONE The The writer’s writer’s ATTITUDE ATTITUDE towards towards the the subjectsubject

MOOD A story’s A story’s atmosphere atmosphere or the or the feeling it feeling it evokesevokes

ALLUSION A reference to A reference to something well-something well-knownknown

SYMBOL

Something Something that that stands for stands for itself AND itself AND something something beyond beyond itself itself

ALLEGORY A story A story where the where the characters characters and events and events stand for stand for other ideasother ideas

PARADOX Something Something that seems that seems to be a to be a contradictiocontradiction, but really n, but really reveals truthreveals truth

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."(C.S. Lewis to his godchild, Lucy Barfield, to whom he dedicated The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

PARODY A A comical comical imitatioimitation of n of someonsomeone else’s e else’s workwork

FORESHADOWING The use The use of clues to of clues to hint at hint at events events that will that will occur later occur later in a plot.in a plot.

FLASHBACK A scene that A scene that

interrupts the interrupts the present action present action of the plot to of the plot to flash backward flash backward and tell what and tell what happened at happened at an earlier timean earlier time