Literary Terms
The main character in a story.
What is a protagonist?
This type of word describes a noun.
What is an adjective?
A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
What is meter?
This genre focuses on factual information, aiming to inform or educate readers on real events, people, and concepts.
What is nonfiction?
This is the main reason an author has for writing a text, such as to inform, entertain, or persuade.
What is the author’s purpose?
The struggle between opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
A group of words containing a subject and a predicate.
What is a clause?
A form of Japanese poetry with a 5-7-5 syllabic structure.
What is a haiku?
In this genre, the storyline is often set in a past time period and includes authentic historical elements.
What is historical fiction?
When an author writes with the intent to change the reader’s opinion, they are primarily writing to do this.
What is to persuade?
When words imitate the sound they make.
What is onomatopoeia?
The type of sentence that asks a question.
What is an interrogative sentence?
Repetition of similar vowel sounds in a line of poetry.
What is assonance?
A genre often featuring advanced technology, space exploration, or futuristic worlds.
What is science fiction?
This element is influenced by the author's background, experiences, and beliefs, affecting how they present information.
What is perspective?
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.
What is an allusion?
The verb form that expresses a wish, a suggestion, or a condition that is not true.
What is the subjunctive mood?
A rhymed pair of lines in a poem.
What is a couplet?
Known for suspense, tension, and sometimes supernatural elements, this genre aims to thrill or scare readers.
What is horror or thriller?
If a writer emphasizes only the positive aspects of a character or situation, this might reveal their perspective, which we call this?
What is a positive bias?
The contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs.
What is irony?
A verb form ending in -ing used as a noun.
What is a gerund?
A type of poem that tells a story and has characters and a plot.
What is a narrative poem?
This genre combines mystery with elements like red herrings and clues, requiring the reader to solve a puzzle along with the characters.
What is detective fiction or mystery?
When evaluating the author's purpose, it is essential to consider if the author has any vested interest, which could lead to this.
What is conflict of interest?