literary Terms
What is the term for a repeating or recurring symbol, image, word or theme in literature?
Motif
What do we call the use of "I" or "you" in writing or what point of view is it?
First person point of view
What is a thesis statement?
A sentence that presents the main idea or argument of an essay.
What do you call the main idea of a text?
Central Idea
What is figurative language?
Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal meaning
Ex. If you say “that news hit me like a ton of bricks,” you are using figurative language; listeners understand the news you got was deeply moving, and also know that you were not actually hit by 2000 pounds of bricks(because if you had been you would be dead).
What do you call a character's struggle against an outside force (such as society, nature, or another character)?
External conflict
What is the term for a word that has the opposite meaning of another word?
Antonym
What do we call the main idea of a paragraph?
Topic sentence
What does it mean to analyze a text?
To examine the text in detail to understand its meaning and how it works.
What is literal language?
Language that means exactly what it says, without exaggeration or metaphor.
Ex. “It was raining a lot so I rode the bus.”
Figurative language Ex. “It was raining cats and dogs so I rode the bus”
What is a comparison using "like" or "as"?
Simile
What is a sentence fragment?
A group of words that does not express a complete thought.
Example “Went to the store yesterday" is missing a subject
Example “After the classes, the library" is missing a main verb
What is a transitional word or phrase or what does a transitional word do?
A word that helps connect ideas (e.g., however, therefore).
What is the central idea of a text?
The most important point the author is making.
What is personification?
Giving human traits to non-human things
(e.g., "The wind whispered through the trees").
What is the comparison of two unlike things without using "like" or "as"?
Metaphor
What is the correct form of the verb "to be" in the sentence: "He ____ a good student"?
Is
What type of writing is meant to inform or explain?
Expository
What are context clues?
Words or phrases in the text that help you understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.
What is imagery?
Descriptive language that creates sensory experiences for the reader.
Words that triggers the reader to recall images, or mental pictures, that engage one of the five senses: sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch
What do we call the character who opposes the protagonist?
Antagonist
What part of speech expresses action
Verb
What is the term for a piece of writing that tells a story?
Narrative
What is a counterargument?
An opposing viewpoint to the main argument presented.
what is dramatic irony?
when the audience or reader knows information that the characters do not know.