Literary Elements
An underlying message that an author is trying to convey through their story.
What is a theme?
A comparison made using the words "like" or "as."
What is a simile?
The main point or claim of an essay or argument.
What is a thesis?
The type of clause that stands alone as a complete sentence.
What is an independent clause?
The use of words to express the opposite of their literal meaning.
What is irony?
When and where a story takes place.
What is setting?
A direct comparison made between two or more otherwise unrelated things without using the words "like" or "as."
What is a metaphor?
Facts or details that support an argument.
What is evidence?
The type of punctuation that should be used to separate two independent clauses in the same sentence.
What is a semicolon?
A hint of what is to come in the future.
What is foreshadowing?
The perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person or third-person.
What is point of view?
Attributing human characteristics to something nonhuman.
What is personification?
Using facts to appeal to an audience's logic or reason.
What is logos?
The type of clause that does not stand alone as a complete sentence.
What is a dependent clause?
Repeating the same pattern of words in a sentence or across multiple sentences to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance.
What is parallel structure (or parallelism)?
The emotion an author tries to evoke in the reader.
What is mood?
The use of an image, object, or idea to represent something other than its literal meaning.
What is symbolism?
Using a person or organization's credibility to help support an argument.
What is ethos?
The term for a sentence that is missing either its subject or its main verb.
What is a sentence fragment?
A story, poem, or picture that has a hidden meaning that is typically moral or political in nature.
What is an allegory?
The way an author expresses their attitude through their writing.
What is tone?
A reference to a person, place, or thing, outside of the text.
What is an allusion?
An appeal to an audience's emotions.
What is pathos?
The term for when two independent clauses run together without proper punctuation or conjunctions.
What is a run-on sentence?
Using exaggeration to emphasize a point.
What is hyperbole?