Terms 1
Alliteration
The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words
Antonym
A word that is the opposite in meaning to another word.
Characterization
The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities
Words and phrases in a sentence, paragraph, and/or whole text, which help reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
Context Clues
An author’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning and tone.
Diction
Allegory
A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning may have moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as charity, greed, or envy.
The position or claim the author establishes. Arguments should be supported with valid evidence and reasoning and balanced by the inclusion of counterarguments that illustrate opposing viewpoints
Argument/Position
Climax
The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax.
: The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture.
Cultural Significance
Differentiate
Distinguish, tell apart, and recognize differences between two or more items
Allusion
An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event.
The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic.
Bias
Compare/Contrast
Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections
Defense of a Claim
Support provided to mark an assertion as reasonable.
Drama
The genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage; a work to be performed by actors on stage, radio, or television; play
Affix
One or more letters occurring as a bound form attached to the beginning, end, or base of a word and serving to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form
A written account of another person's life.
Biography
A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions.
Conflict/Problem
A variety of a language distinct from the standard variety in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary.
Dialect
Draw Conclusion
To make a judgment or decision based on reasoning rather than direct or implicit statement.
Author’s Purpose
The author’s intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people or to persuade or convince his/her audience to do or not do something.
A person, animal or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work
Character
The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its dictionary meaning.
Connotation
In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama.
Dialogue
Traits that mark a work as imaginative or narrative discourse (e.g., plot, theme, symbol).
Elements of Fiction