Common Literacy Terms

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Allegory

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A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one.

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Alliteration

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The repetition at close intervals of initial identical sounds. Or, vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.

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Allusion

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An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar.

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Anecdote

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A brief recounting of a relevant episode.

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Characterization

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The method an author uses to develop characters in a work.

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Connotation

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The associations associated by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning or denotation.

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Diction

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Word choice, particularly as an element of style.

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Emotional Appeal

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When a writer appeals to an audience's emotions (often through "pathos") to excite and involve them in the argument.

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Euphemism

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The use of a word or phrase that is less direct, but is also considered less distasteful or less offensive than another.

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Figurative Language

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A word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes.

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Hyperbole

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Conscious exaggeration used to heighten effect.

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Imagery

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The use of images, especially in a pattern of related images, often figurative, to create a strong unified sensory impression.

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Irony

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When a reader is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality (dramatic irony).

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Metaphor

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A comparison of two things, often unrelated.

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Mood

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An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice (diction) and the details selected.

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Moral

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The lesson drawn from a fictional or nonfictional story. A heavily didactic story.

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Motif

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A frequently recurrent character, incident, or concept in literature.

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Onomatopoeia

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The use of a word whose pronunciation suggests its meaning

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Oxymoron

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A rhetorical antithesis.

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Parable

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A short story from which a lesson may be drawn.

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Paradox

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A seemingly contradictory statement or situation which is actually true.

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Parallelism

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Sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions.

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Personification

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Figurative Language in which inanimate objects, animals, ideas, or abstractions are endowed with human traits or human form.

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Plot

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System of actions represented in a dramatic or narrative work.

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Point of View

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The perspective from which a fictional or nonfictional story is told.

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Protagonist

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Chief character in a dramatic or narrative work, usually trying to accomplish some objective or working toward some goal.

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Repetition

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Word or phrase used two or more times in proximity

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Sarcasm

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A type of verbal irony in which, under the guise of praise, a caustic and bitter expression of strong and personal disapproval is given.

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Setting

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Locale and period in which the action takes place.

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Simile

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A figurative comparison of two things, often dissimilar, using the connecting words: "like," "as," or "then."

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Theme

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A central idea of a work of fiction or nonfiction, revealed and developed in the course of a story or explored through argument.

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Tone

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A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization of the sentence and global levels.