Elements Of Literature

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allusion

Back 1

a reference to a well known person place thing or event

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antithesis

Back 2

a contrasting of ideas, like the opposite of

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exaggeration

Back 3

a stretching of the truth

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figurative language

Back 4

a language used in a special way to create a special effect. made up of words and phrases which dont mean what they first appear to mean

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flashback

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when the author goes back to an earlier time in the story and explains something that will help the reader understand the whole story better

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foreshadowing

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the writers hints and clues about what is going to happen in the story

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hyperbole

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an exaggeration or overstatement used for emphasis

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irony

Back 8

this is when you use a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its normal meaning

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metaphor

Back 9

this is something that compares two different things eithout using like or as

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oxymoron

Back 10

a literary technique in which two contradictory words come together for a special effect

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paradox

Back 11

a statement that seems to go against common sense but is actually true

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personification

Back 12

form of figurative language in which an idea, object or animal is given the characteristics of a person

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pun

Back 13

word or phrase used in a way that gives it a funny twist

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sarcasm

Back 14

use of praise to ridicule or put down someone or something

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satire

Back 15

writing that ridicules or makes fun of peoples mistakes and weaknesses, often used to raise questions about a current trend or political decision

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simile

Back 16

compares two different things with like or as

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soliloquy

Back 17

speech given in a play by a character who is alone on stage

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understatement

Back 18

opposite of exaggeration

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analogy

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comparison of two or more similar objects

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cliche

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familiar word or phrase which has been used so much that it is no longer a good effective way of saying something

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idiom

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phrase or expression which means something different from what the words actually say

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theme

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central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work

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antagonist

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character or force in conflict with the main character

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protagonist

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main character in a literary work

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suspense

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feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work

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assonance

Back 26

repitition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants in two or more stressed syllables

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tone

Back 27

writers attitude toward his or her audience and subject

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onomatopoeia

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use of words that imitate sounds

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alliteration

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repitition of intial consonant sounds

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idiom

Back 30

expression that is characteristic of a language, region, community, or classs of people