Literary Terms
A figure of speech that compares two things using "like" or "as".
Simile
He wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream
William Shakespeare
The part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, or).
What is a conjunction?
The meaning of the idiom "break the ice".
What is to start a conversation?
"To be, or not to be: that is the question." — Who said this?
Who is William Shakespeare?
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Alliteration
Author of Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Austen
The term for a verb form that functions as a noun.
What is a gerund?
The meaning of the word "ubiquitous".
What is "found everywhere"?
"I have a dream." — Who delivered this famous speech?
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
A hint or clue about what will happen later in a story.
Foreshadowing
Wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Mark Twain
The punctuation mark used to separate items in a complex list, especially when items contain commas.
What is a semicolon?
The meaning of the idiom "to throw in the towel."
What is "to give up or admit defeat"?
Meaning of the quote: "All that glitters is not gold."
What is "Not everything that looks valuable is valuable"?
When the opposite of what is expected happens.
Irony
Poet and civil rights activist who wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Maya Angelou
A sentence structure that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
What is a complex sentence?
A synonym for “ephemeral,” meaning lasting a very short time.
What is “transient” or “fleeting”?
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." — Who said this?
Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?
A long speech by one character in a play, revealing inner thoughts.
Soliloquy
Russian author of Crime and Punishment.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The grammatical mood used to express wishes, hypotheticals, or conditions contrary to fact.
What is the subjunctive mood?
Define the word “antediluvian” and use it in a sentence.
What is “extremely old or outdated”? Example: “His ideas about technology are antediluvian.”
Explain the meaning of "Et tu, Brute?" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
What is "A betrayal by a trusted friend"?