English 10
    Literary Terms
    (These terms will help you to be successful when writing ELA essays!)
     
     

    1.  plot – the action or events of the story
     
    2.  characterization -- the way an author portrays characters
     
      direct characterization – the author gives specific details about characters (He was a tall man with flowing blond hair.)
      indirect characterization -- the reader infers character details based on actions of a character and the opinions/dialogue of other characters
     
     
    3.  protagonist – the “good” guy, the central character in the story who is always involved in the central conflict
     
    4.  antagonist – the character or force working against the protagonist
     
    5.  point of view -- the vantage point from which the story is told (first person, third person – limited and omniscient)
     
    6.  theme – the point or message the author is giving through a story
     
    7.  tone -- the attitude a writer takes toward a subject
     
    8.  figurative language – language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meanings of the words (hyperbole, metaphor, personification, and simile are all examples of figurative language)
     
    9.  allegory – a story in which the characters and happenings have hidden meanings as well as ones that are easily seen (allegory is commonly used to teach or explain moral rules)
     
    10.  allusion – a reference to a historical, literary or mythological person, place, thing, or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar
     
    11.  euphemism – the use of indirect or polite language to express a concept generally considered unpleasant (“passed away” is a euphemism for “died”, “fell upon hard times” is a euphemism for “lost all his money”)
     
    12.  hyperbole – extreme exaggeration used to prove a point (I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!)
     
    13.  imagery – the use of descriptive language to appeal to one of the reader’s senses (sound, touch, taste, smell or sight)
     
    14.  irony – the expression of an idea by saying or showing the opposite
     
      dramatic irony – occurs when the audience knows more than the characters on stage
      situational irony – the opposite of what is expected takes place
      verbal irony – someone says one thing and means another
     
    15.  metaphor – a direct comparison made without using the words “like” or “as” (She’s a brick house.)
     
    16.  onomatopoeia -- the use of words that sound like what they mean (snap, crackle, pop)
     
    17.  paradox – combining ideas that seem to contradict each other (“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”)
     
    18.  personification – giving human characteristics or abilities to nonhuman things (“The morning sunlight danced across his pillow.”)
     
    19.  simile – a comparison using “like” or “as” (Writing is like breaking your arm.)
     
    20.   symbolism – the use of an object to represent an abstract idea (hearts often symbolize love, the color white is often symbolic of innocence)
     
    21.   oxymoron – a phrase made up of two seemingly opposite words (sincere lie, deafening silence, holy war)

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