ELA 30-1: Literary terms

• Syntax


  the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
• Didactic


  -intended to teach

  -intentional teaching
• Simile


  comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
• Metaphor


  Comparison between two unrelated items using 'is' or 'are'

  ex. The exam was a piece of cake
• Analogy


  Comparison of two things to show their similarities

  ex. finding my car keys is like finding a needle in a haystack.
• Paradox 


  -A contradictory statement.

  -opposite facts or characteristics

  ex. less is more
• Oxymoron 


  -Two words that are opposite.

  ex. The food was awfully good.
• Juxtaposition


  -placing two ideas together to display contrast.

  ex. good and evil.
• Symbol


  A thing that stands for or represents something else.

  ex. water representing rebirth
• Motif


  An element or idea that reoccurs throughput a work of literature.

  ex. roses, feeding.
• Archetype


  -recurring element that can be considered a universal concept or situation.

  ex. The hero
• Parallelism (parallel structure)


  Form of representation.

  ex. like father, like son.
• Anaphora


  Repetition at the beginning.

  ex. go big or go home!
• Personification


  giving objects human qualities.

  ex. The cloud is crying
• Anthropomorphism 


  -when you animate something.

  -giving human like traits to an inanimate object or animal

  ex. Wizard Of Oz, Dog from family guy
• Pathetic Fallacy


  -Giving human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals.

  ex. the raindrops wept around her
• Denotation 


  Dictionary definition of a word.

  ex. The boy was pushy
• Connotation 


  something that is implied, added layer of meaning.

  ex. home-warmth & security
• Dramatic Irony


  Audience knows something character does not.
• Verbal Irony


  When what is said is the opposite of the literal meaning.

  ex. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what lovely weather we're having,"
• Situational Irony


  When a situation that is unexpected happens.

  ex. fire at a fire station
• Satire


  making someone or something look ridiculous.
• Metonymy 


  name of an object or concept is replaced with a word closely related to or suggested by the original.

  ex. crown representing loyalty
• Synecdoche


  when one part represents a whole.

  ex. lots of mouths to feed
• Proverb


  a short deep and meaningful phrase that offers advice.
• Pithy


  Full of meaning
• Maxim


  A compact expression of general truth or rule of conduct.
• Parable


  A short story that teaches a lesson or moral.

  ex. prodigal son
• Foreshadowing


  suggestions or warnings about events to come are planted or dropped.

  ex. character mentions offhandedly that bad things always happen to them in fall.
• Atonement


  Person taking action to correct previous wrong doing on their part.

  ex. apologize for doing wrong
• Apostrophe


  A speech to a person or personified object who is not present.

  ex. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo.
• Consonance


  Repeating sound throughout written work.

  ex. Hickory dickory dock.
• Assonance


  A repetition of vowel sounds in any part of a word.

  ex. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
• Alliteration


  A repetition of constant sounds at the beginning of words.

  ex. Daring dogs dash.
• Sibilance


  A hissing sound is created in a group of words through the repetition of 's' sounds.

  ex. Sarah's silly sister swallowed her sweet.
• Enjambment


  The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next.
• Hyperbole


  A purposeful exaggeration not meant to be taken literally.

  ex. I'm freezing.
• Abstract


  a concise summary of a research paper or entire thesis.
• Allegory


  a story or poem with characters and events that stand for ideas about life or for a political situation.

  ex. The lion and the mouse
• Allusion


  a reference to a well-known person, character, place, or event that a writer makes to deepen the reader's understanding of their work.