Literary Terms
A comparison using "like" or "as."
What is a simile?
The part of speech that names a person, place, or thing.
What is a noun?
Writing is meant to tell a story.
What is narrative writing?
A synonym for "happy."
What is joyful (or glad, cheerful)?
The person telling the story.
What is the narrator?
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
What is personification?
A word that shows action or being.
What is a verb?
Writing that tries to convince the reader of something.
What is persuasive (or argumentative) writing?
The opposite of "generous."
What is selfish (or greedy)?
When a narrator only knows one character’s thoughts and feelings.
What is third-person limited?
The struggle between opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
The correct punctuation to use between two independent clauses joined by a conjunction.
What is a comma?
Writing that explains or informs.
What is expository writing?
A word that means to guess based on clues.
What is an inference?
The most exciting or intense part of a story.
What is the climax?
The central message or lesson of a story.
What is the theme?
The voice used when the subject is doing the action.
What is active voice?
A short, personal nonfiction story.
What is a memoir?
A word that means “extremely important.”
What is crucial (or essential)?
The difference between what is expected and what happens.
What is irony?
A reference to another work of literature, history, or pop culture.
What is an allusion?
A clause that can’t stand alone as a sentence.
What is a dependent clause?
A research-based writing that supports a claim with evidence and analysis.
What is an argumentative essay?
A word that means “to examine closely and in detail.”
What is analyze
Text features like headings, bold words, and captions help with this.
What is understanding/information (or comprehension/navigation of nonfiction)?