Lit Definitions Final

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symbol

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any person, place or experience that stands for something else because of a resemblance or association

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denotation

Back 2

expresses the literal, or dictionary meaning of a word

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metaphor

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a firgure of speech that compares seemingly unlike things (does not use like or as)

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ballad

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a short narrative song or poem

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legend

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a traditional story handed down orally and believed to be based on history

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mood

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the emotional quality or atmosphere of the story

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meter

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a regular pettern of stressed syllables that gives a line of poetry a predictable rhythm

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exaggeration

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a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or create humor

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foreshadowing

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the use of clues by the author to prepare readers for events that will happen in a narrative

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tall tale

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an imaginative tale of adventures or amazing feats of North American folk heroes. The tales take place in realistc local setting

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hero

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the central character in story, drama, or dramatic poem

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anatagonist

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a person or force that opposes the protagonist in fiction

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alliteration

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the repetition of consonant sounds, most often at the beginning of words and syllables

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imagery

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language that emphasizes sense impressions that help the reader see, hear, feel, small, and taste things described in the work

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sensory details

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___

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lyric poetry

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poems that express thoughts or emotions about a subject

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narrative poetry

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verse that tells a story

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irony

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a contrast between what is and what ought to be (situational and verbal)

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situational irony

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exists when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what someone has come to expect

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verbal irony

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exists when a person says one thing and means another (sarcasm)

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dialect

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a variation of language spoken by a particular group, or my many people within a geographic region

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point of view

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the relationship of the narraot to the story (first, second, and third)

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first person point of view

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told by one of the characters. The reader sees everything through the character's eyes

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second person point of view

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the narrator is outside the story and reveals the thoughts of only one character, but refers to that character as "he" or "she"

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third person point of view

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the narrator is also outside the story but can reveal any or all events, thoughts, and actions of the characters, as well as the background information important to the story

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oxymoron

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___

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context

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the other words and sentences surrounding a new word

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narration

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the telling of a sequence of events

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internal rhyme

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___

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tone

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the attitude of the narrator toward a subject

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fiction

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literature in which situations and characters are invented by the writer

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nonfiction

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writing based mainly on fact, not on imagination

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resolution

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the part of a plot that comes after the falling action

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style

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the author's choice and arrangement of words and sentences in a literary work

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plot

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the sequence of events in a story, novel, or play

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suspense

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a feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, or even dread about what is going to happen next

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setting

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the time and place in which the events of a short story, novel, or drama occur

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climax

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the point of greatest interest or suspense in a narrative

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theme

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the main idea of a story, poem, novel, or play

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exposition

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the author's introduction to the characters, setting, and situation of the story

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characters

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people or other creatures in a literary work

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connotation

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___

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dialogue

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conversation between charactes in a literary work

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allusion

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a reference in a work of literature to a well-known character, place, or situation from another work of literature, music, or art, or from history

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rising action

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the part of a plot that adds complications to the problems in the story and increases reader interest

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figurative language

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language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meanings of words

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memoir

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a narrative based on an event or person and emphasizing the narrator's personal experience of it

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scene

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a subdivision of an act in a play

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tragedy

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a play in which a main character suffers a downfall

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stage directions

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in a drama, instructions that describe the appearance and actions of characters, as well as sets costumes, and lighting

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dramatic monologue

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___

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act

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a major division of a play

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flashback

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an interruption in a chronological narrative

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simile

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a figure of speech using "like" or "as" to compare seemingly unlike things

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true rhyme

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__

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rhyme scheme

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the pattern formed by the end rhyme in a poem

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assonance

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the repetition of vowel sounds

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conosance

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the repetition of consonant sounds

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couplet

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___

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speaker

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the voice in a poem, like the narrator in a work of fiction