Literary Elements
This is the main message or lesson of a story
What is theme?
Extreme exaggeration used for effect.
What is hyperbole?
Using evidence from the text and your own thinking to figure something out.
What is making an inference?
A statement that expresses the main idea of an essay.
What is a thesis statement?
A word that describes a noun.
What is an adjective?
The struggle between opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
Words that imitate sounds.
What is onomatopoeia?
The reason an author writes a text.
What is author’s purpose?
(Entertain, Persuade, or Inform)
A sentence that introduces the main idea of a paragraph.
What is a topic sentence?
The exhausted hikers climbed the steep mountain trail before sunset. Identify the verb.
Climbed
The turning point or most intense moment in the plot.
What is the climax?
Repeating the same beginning sound in nearby words.
What is alliteration?
Information from the text that supports an answer or claim.
What is textual evidence?
Facts, examples, or quotations that support a claim.
What is supporting evidence?
Before the movie started we bought popcorn and drinks. What is missing in this sentence?
Bonus points if you tell me where it goes.
Comma, after "started"
A character who changes throughout the story.
What is a dynamic character?
An object or image that represents a deeper meaning.
What is symbolism?
The attitude or feeling the author has toward a subject.
What is tone?
The opposing side of an argument.
What is a counterclaim?
What is the purpose of a semicolon in a sentence, and when should a writer use one instead of a comma?
A writer should use a semicolon instead of a comma when both parts of the sentence could stand alone as complete sentences.
Hints or clues about events that will happen
What is foreshadowing?
When the outcome is different from what is expected.
What is irony?
The perspective from which a story is told.
What is point of view?
Restating a text or idea in your own words.
What is paraphrasing?
What is the purpose of an em dash in a sentence, and how is it different from using commas or parentheses?
Example:
The final project—which took weeks to complete—was finally finished.
Unlike commas or parentheses, em dashes draw more attention to the information between them.