Literary Terms
This is a comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile?
The subject of a sentence must always agree with this.
What is the verb?
The main message or lesson of a story.
What is the theme?
The first paragraph of an essay should include this main sentence.
What is a thesis statement?
Shakespeare was born in this country.
What is England?
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
What is personification?
“Their, there, and they’re” are examples of what?
What are homophones?
The time and place of a story.
What is the setting?
The sentences that support the topic sentence of a paragraph.
What are supporting details?
“Romeo and Juliet” is set in this Italian city.
What is Verona?
The struggle between opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
Identify the error: “Each of the students have a pencil.”
Should be “Each of the students has a pencil.” (subject-verb agreement)
The perspective from which a story is told.
What is point of view?
Words or phrases that connect ideas between paragraphs.
What are transitions?
What type of play is Macbeth — tragedy, comedy, or history?
What is a tragedy?
An indirect reference to another work, person, or event.
What is an allusion?
A sentence that contains two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation is called this.
What is a run-on sentence?
When the audience knows something the character does not.
What is dramatic irony?
This type of essay tries to convince the reader of a position.
What is a persuasive/argumentative essay?
A humorous character or scene in a tragedy that provides a break from the tension is called this.
What is comic relief?
A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist.
What is a foil?
The correct punctuation for items in a series is known as this (Oxford vs. non-Oxford debate).
What is the serial (Oxford) comma?
The sequence of events in a story.
What is the plot?
A summary of the main points that ends an essay is called this.
What is a conclusion?
In “Romeo and Juliet,” this character serves as comic relief with her humorous lines.
Who is the Nurse?