Narration
Define “first-person narration.”
A narrative perspective where the narrator uses “I” or “we” and reports events from their own experience and viewpoint.
What is a simple sentence?
1 independent clause. Example: “He waited.”
What are abstract nouns?
✅ Answer: Ideas/feelings. Examples: “fear,” “freedom.”
Identify the device: “To stay or to leave — there was no safe path.”
Antithesis
Define strophic poetry
The technical term where lines are arranged in groups
What is an omniscient narrator?
A narrator who knows the thoughts, feelings and unseen events of all characters — can provide comprehensive knowledge beyond any single character.
What is a compound sentence?
2 independent clauses joined by conjunction. Example: “She called, but he didn’t answer.”
What are dynamic verbs?
Action verbs. Examples: “run, shout.”
Identify the device: “Why hope? Why try? Why believe?”
Anaphora
Define enjambment
Sentence continues across lines. Speeds pace.
Explain the difference between intrusive and unintrusive narration
Intrusive narration interjects the narrator’s opinion or commentary (e.g., “It is foolish to think otherwise, he believed.”); unintrusive narration reports events without narrator commentary (e.g., “She left the house at dawn.”).
What is a complex sentence? Give 1 effect.
1 main + subordinate clause; adds nuance. Example: “Although it rained, she left.”
What is register?
Formality level. Example: “Greetings” = formal.
Formality level. Example: “Greetings” = formal.
Identify the device: “The suits stormed the train while the laborers waited in silence.”
Juxtaposition (or synechdoche)
What is iambic pentameter?
10 syllables, unstressed-stressed pattern. Example: “To walk alone beneath the fading sky.”
What is restricted narration?
Limited knowledge of events/characters → creates suspense.
Define imperative function.
Commanding tone. Example: “Stay calm.”
Commanding tone. Example: “Stay calm.”
What are modifiers?
Words adding detail. Example: “The cold wind.”
Identify the device: “O city, your towers mock the sky!”
Apostrophe
What is a caesura?
Pause inside a line. Example: “The world paused — breathless.”
What is third-person internal narration?
Third person + character’s thoughts. Example: “She wondered if he would return.”
How can syntax create tension?
Short sentences speed pace. Long delays resolution. Example: “Run. Now.
What are stative verbs?
Describe states. Examples: “believe, love.”
Identify the device: “The crown decreed new laws and reshaped the streets.”
Metonymy / Synecdoche
What is a Shakespearean sonnet structure?
14 lines, abab cdcd efef gg.