English Literary Terms

Front 1

Idiom

Back 1

A figurative expression that means something different than what is said; culturaloxymoro

Front 2

Oxymoron

Back 2

2 opposite words that come together for special effect

Front 3

Onomatopoeia

Back 3

A word which its sounds makes you think of the meaning

Hint 3

Bang, Buzz, Zap

Front 4

Hyperbole

Back 4

Unrealistic exaggeration

Hint 4

So hungry I could eat a cow

Front 5

Personification

Back 5

An object idea or animal is given a human-like quality

Hint 5

Rock was stubborn

Front 6

Simile

Back 6

A comparison using like or as

Hint 6

Ice was as smooth as glass

Front 7

Metaphor

Back 7

Comparison not using like or as

Hint 7

Ice was glass

Front 8

Figurative Language

Back 8

A way of using words to make an imaginative connection

Front 9

Direct Characterization

Back 9

The writer makes a direct statement about a characters personality

Front 10

Indirect Characterization

Back 10

Th writer reveals information about a character through thoughts, words, and actions

Front 11

Major Characters

Back 11

They appear throughout the novel; are involved in the important actions

Front 12

Protagonist

Back 12

Main character, lead figure, hero

Front 13

Antagonist

Back 13

Something that works against the main character, not necessarily a person

Front 14

Minor Characters

Back 14

They are in the novel for a specific reason; may be essential to the plot; is in the shadows

Front 15

Setting

Back 15

Time and place of a story

Front 16

Plot

Back 16

The main events in the story

Front 17

Tone

Back 17

The author's lesson; the overall created feeling

Front 18

Theme

Back 18

The author's message

Front 19

Dialogue

Back 19

A discussion between 2 or more characters

Front 20

Monologue

Back 20

1 character talking to the reader/himself

Front 21

Character Traits

Back 21

The type of person is revealed through actions, dialogue, and directly through the author

Front 22

Motive

Back 22

Why a character does what they do

Front 23

Conflict

Back 23

The problem in the story which triggers action

Front 24

Person vs........

Back 24

Person

Society

Nature

Self

Fate or God

Front 25

Exaggeration

Back 25

Stretching the truth

Front 26

Verbal Irony

Back 26

Involves a contrast between what is said or written and what is meant

Front 27

Situational Irony

Back 27

When what happens is the opposite from what is expected to happen

Front 28

Dramatic Irony

Back 28

When the reader knows something that a character doesn't

Front 29

Symbol

Back 29

A real object used to represent an idea

Front 30

Foreshadowing

Back 30

A writer hints what's about to happen

Front 31

1st Person P.O.V.

Back 31

"I"/one character tells the story

Front 32

3rd Person P.O.V.

Back 32

The story is told by someone outside the story

Hint 32

Narrator

Front 33

Flashback

Back 33

The story goes back to an earlier time and explains something to better understand the story

Front 34

Alliteration

Back 34

Repeats the beginning consonant sound

Hint 34

Creamy and crunchy

Front 35

Cliffhanger

Back 35

The author leads the reader "hanging" and eager to see what will happen next

Front 36

Resolution

Back 36

Where everything ends and the problems are solved

Front 37

Allusion

Back 37

A reference to something

Front 38

Introduction or Exposition

Back 38

Setting, characters, and main conflicts are introduced

Front 39

Rising Action

Back 39

When conflict begins

Front 40

Climax

Back 40

The high point; major conflict erupts

Front 41

Falling action

Back 41

Events that immediately follow the climax; leads to solving the conflicts