Literary Elements
Literary Devices
Literary Elements
Essay 1
Essay 2
100

The specific reason or reasons for the writing; what the author hopes to accomplish

Author's Purpose

100

The use of words to describe one thing in terms of another

Figurative Language

100

The sequence of related events that make up a story

Plot

100

A form of writing that presents a particular claim or idea and supports it with evidence

Argument

100

An opening in an argument or a piece of writing that grabs the reader's attention

Hook

200

A struggle or problem in a story

Conflict

200

The verbal expression of sensory experience; descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures

Imagery

200

Explicitly stated in a text; exact

Literal

200

The main idea or point of an essay or article

Thesis

200
Introduce the text by saying what the text is about and the topics it covers

Overview

300

A writer's word choices, which often convey voice and tone

Diction

300

A literary device that exploits reader's expectations; when what happens turns out to be quite different from what was expected

Irony

300

A way of looking at the world or a mental concept about things or events

Perspective

300

A sentence that states the main idea

Topic Statement

300

A restatement of the claim and what the writer wants the reader to do

Call to action

400

A conclusion about ideas or information not directly stated

Inference

400

A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another

Metaphor

400

The perspective from which a narrative is told, that is, first person, third person, or third person omniscient

Point of View

400

The information that supports a position in an argument

Evidence

400

The arguments that can be made to oppose a viewpoint

Counterargument

500

A statement that summarizes the key details of a text

Main Idea

500

A comparison of two different things or ideas using the words like or as 

Simile

500

A writer's central idea or main message

Theme

500

Explain your evidence by saying how it is important and relevant to the essay

Analysis

500

A reason why a counterargument is wrong

Rebuttal