Literary Terms
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell)
What is imagery?
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
What is hyperbole?
A reference to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is familiar.
What is an allusion?
The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
What is onomatopoeia?
Time to hit the sack.
What is an idiom?
A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
What is an anecdote?
A literary device that is used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain a character in a story. It can explain physical attributes, behaviors, emotions, etc.
What is characterization?
An active disagreement or problem between people with opposing principles.
What is a conflict?
Warning or indication of a future event; to give a slight indication that something is going to happen in literature.
What is foreshadow?
The thunder yelled angrily in the distance.
What is personification?
An expression or phrase whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words; the phrase means something different than the literal words.
What is an idiom?
A literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that is different from what appears to be true. The three types of dramatic, situational, and verbal. In other words, the opposite of what is expected happens.
What is irony?
The atmosphere created by the text; the emotional response that the writer wants to evoke in the reader through a story.
What is mood?
The speaker’s attitude toward the subject matter or audience of a literary work.
What is tone?
That boy in your physics class is a real Einstein.
What is an allusion?
Determines who tells the story, as well as the relationship that the narrator has with the characters in the story. There is first, second, and third person.
What is point of view?
A person’s thoughts and conscious reactions to events; the continuous flow of thoughts and feelings that are an individual’s conscious experience.
What is stream of consciousness?
The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities; something that stands for something else.
What is symbolism?
An important idea that runs through a literary work; an idea or concept that a literary work explores.
What is theme?
The kids fought like cats and dogs.
What is a simile?
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning; a conclusion or opinion that is reached because of known facts or evidence.
What is an inference?
A figure of speech that describes an object or an action that isn’t literally true; a comparison of two unlike items or two items that are unrelated, but share some common characteristics.
What is a metaphor?
A figure of speech comparing two unlike things often using like or as.
What is a simile?
A figure of speech in which an idea or inanimate object is given human attributes or qualities.
What is personification?
The detective listened to her story with a wooden face.
What is a metaphor?