Reading

• Anecdote


  A brief story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature
• Chronology


  The arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence
• Character Perspective


  A character's view of the situation or events in the story
• Contradiction


  A direct opposition between things compared; inconsistency
• Oxymoron


  A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence."
• Euphemism


  A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
• Allusion


  A figure of speech which makes brief, even casual reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists
• Foil


  A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast
• Irony


  A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant
• Verbal Irony


  The speaker says one thing, but they really mean another, resulting in an ironic clash between their intended meaning and their literal words
• Situational Irony


  An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected
• Dramatic Irony


  When a reader is aware of something that a character isn't
• Simile


  A comparison of two unlike things using like or as
• Metaphor


  A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
• Idiom


  A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally
• Genre


  A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content
• Tone


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


  The feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator's attitude and point of view
• Imagery


  Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object
• Theme


  Central idea of a work of literature that provides the reader with the universal message the author is trying to imply
• Central Idea


  The most important point the author makes in the story
• Foreshadow


  A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader
• Coming of Age


  A tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood
• Extended Metaphor


  A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem
• Personification


  A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
• Point of View


  The perspective from which a story is told
• Setting


  The context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs
• Conflict


  A struggle between opposing forces within the story
• Climax


  Most exciting moment of the story; turning point
• Rising Action


  A series of events that builds from the conflict
• Falling Action


  Events after the climax, leading to the resolution
• Resolution


  End of a literary work when loose ends are tied up and questions are answered
• Alliteration


  Repetition of initial consonant sounds
• Protagonist


  The main character in a literary work
• Antagonist


  A character or force in conflict with the main character
• Juxtaposition


  Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose
• Parallelism or Parallel Structure


  Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other
• Author's Purpose


  The reason the author has for writing
• Contrast


  In literature, an author uses contrast when they describe the difference(s) between two or more entities
• Antithesis


  The direct opposite, a sharp contrast