English Grammar Terms

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Abstract

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Abstract is language that describes qualities not perceived by the five senses. For example, "pleasing" or "disturbing" as opposed to "sour" or "noisy". Abstract is the opposite of concrete.

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Alliteration

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Alliteration is the repetition of consonants, like initial sounds in poetry or prose. Example: She sells sea shells ...

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Allusion

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Allusion is a casual reference to a person, place, event or another piece of literature, it is used to create a tone or an associate. An author who uses an allusion assume the reader will be familiar with the allusion and understand the meaning.

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Audience

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Audience is the reader or listener.

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Cause and Effect

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The relationship between two things: because of the first thing, the second thing happens

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Characterization

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Characterization means the author's use of dialogue, description, dialect and action to make the character real or to create a reaction to the character in the reader.

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Compare

Back 7

Two show the similarities between two things or ideas.

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Concrete

Back 8

Fact based, tangible, of the five senses

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Connotation

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A Connotation is something implied by a word or phrase, the suggested meaning or the extra meaning.

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Contrast

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Two find the differences between two things or ideas.

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Denotation

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Denotation means the strict or literal meaning of a word.

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Dialogue

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in literature, characters speaking to each other. Indicated by " " Good dialogue advances characterization.

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Dialect

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Dialect is the language of a particular class, group or region. Example, Huck in Huck Finn.

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Diction

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Diction is the choice of one particular word over another. An author's diction creates tone and style.

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Dominant Effect

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The primary effect, the main effect

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Figurative language

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Language that uses imagery such as metaphor, allusion, simile to create images in the reader's mind.

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Flashback

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In a narrative, when the action goes back to an earlier time either in the character's mind or in the plot.

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Foreshadowing

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A literary device that gives you a clue or hint about what may happen later in the story.

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Hyperbole

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exaggeration

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Imagery

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Using words or literary devices to create images in the readers mind.

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Inference

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a conclusion that the reader draws from the material that is not spelled out, rather the reader must use the clues in the text to figure or infer the meaning.

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Irony

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Something that seems to be contradictory but actually is accurate. "saying one thing and meaning another". Many times the reader knows something that the character does not and this is dramatic irony.

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Literal language

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Means exactly what it says

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Metaphor

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A comparison of two unlike object not using "like" or "as" that creates a level of meaning or imagery for the reader.

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Meter

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the beat of the poem, the alternation between stressed and unstressed syllables.

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Motivation

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What is driving a character to act or speak in a certain way.

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Narrator

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Who is telling the story.

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Nuance

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a subtle, not obvious meaning to a word, phrase or action.

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Organization

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structure of a story or poem.

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Parallelism

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Similar patterns of grammatical structure and length. Can also begin developing two characters or ideas at the same time.

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Personification

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Giving human qualities to inanimate objects.

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Point of View

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How the story is being told.
First person: I am the narrator
Third person: he or she, main character or other person is the narrator
Omniscient: someone other than the people involved in the story is the narrator.

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Plot

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Action of the story

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Exposition

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background, setting the stage for the plot

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Inciting Action

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the part of the plot that leads towards the main action

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rising action

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actions that are part of the plot leading to the climax or the conflict

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complications

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actions in the plots that add complexity, make the plot line twist and turn

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conflict

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the problem facing the main character

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climax

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the big moment in the story, the incident towards which the story has been building

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falling action

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action after the climax

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resolution

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how the conflict is solved or handled.

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prediction

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what you think will happen in the story or to a character

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quotation

Back 43

what a character says

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rhyme

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words or sounds in a word that sound alike

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setting

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where the story or poem takes place

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simile

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a comparison using "like" or "as"

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speaker

Back 47

person talking

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stanza

Back 48

a unit of a poem, usually expressing an idea

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static character

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a character that does not change during the story

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subtext

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the implied meaning of a story.

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Summary

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short paragraph with the most important information

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Symbol

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one word or image that stands for something else

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Theme

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main idea

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Thesis statement

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idea or argument that the author develops

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tone

Back 55

the means of creating a relationship or conveying an idea.

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transitions

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words that move from one idea or concept to another, or from sentence to sentence

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understatement

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using language in a deliberately low key or calm way to make an important point. Opposite of hyperbole or exaggeration.

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verse

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poetry, opposite of prose.