Literary Terms 1
This term means repeating the same beginning consonant sound in nearby words (ex: “wild winds whistled”).
What is alliteration?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is a simile?
A comparison that DOES NOT use “like” or “as.”
What is a metaphor?
The “big problem” in a story that creates tension.
What is conflict?
A sensory detail that helps you picture, hear, smell, taste, or feel something
What is imagery?
A clue early in a story that hints at what will happen later.
What is foreshadowing?
A scene that interrupts the present story to show something from the past.
What is a flashback?
A pattern of end rhymes in a poem (example: ABAB).
What is rhyme scheme?
A word pair that seems contradictory (example: “jumbo shrimp”).
What is an oxymoron?
When an author uses something to represent a bigger idea (dove = peace).
What is symbolism?
When a writer refers to a well-known person, event, myth, book, or movie (ex: “He’s a real Romeo”).
What is an allusion?
The turning point of the story where tension is highest.
What is the climax?
When a character changes significantly across the story (beliefs, behavior, personality).
What is a character arc?
A statement that is an extreme exaggeration (ex: “I’ve told you a million times!”).
What is hyperbole?
When a writer repeats the same idea, structure, or phrase for emphasis.
What is repetition?
A character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight the other character’s traits.
What is a foil?
The perspective the narrator tells the story from (I, he/she, you).
What is point of view?
When a writer uses the same grammatical structure in multiple parts of a sentence (ex: “I came, I saw, I conquered”).
What is parallelism?
When a writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple sentences or lines.
What is anaphora?
When the audience knows something the character doesn’t, or when what happens is the opposite of what is expected.
What is irony?
A narrator says “I” and knows only their own thoughts, not everyone else’s.
What is first-person point of view?
A character insists they “don’t care,” but their actions show they care a lot.
What is irony?
This literary device uses two opposing ideas to emphasize a conflict or theme (ex: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”).
What is parallelism?
We will fight in the halls. We will fight in the streets. We will fight in the fields.”
What is anaphora?
An object that shows up repeatedly and grows in meaning as the story goes on
What is symbolism?