Literary Terms
Literary Term
Definition
Figurative
The meaning differs from the
actual,literal meaning of the
words themselves
language
Personification
Giving non-human things
human qualities
Simile
Comparing things using “like”
or “as”
_____ is like a ______
Metaphor
Comparing things without using
“like” or “as”
Saying something IS something
else
______ is ______
Strong words to create sensory
experience to make the reader
see, hear, taste, or feel the
experience
Imagery
Symbolism
An object, person, place, or
action that stands for something
bigger than itself
Onomatopoeia
Use of words that imitate sounds
Hyperbole
An exaggeration
Denotation
Connotation
The dictionary definition of a
word
The feelings/associations a
word brings out
Example
Literary Terms
Literary Term
Literal language
Definition
Factual meaning of a word or
words
Motif
A character, event, image, or
theme that appears in the
literature of many cultures
Allusion
A reference to another literary
work or situation
Theme
A message about life or human
nature that the writer shares
with the reader.
The overall feeling of a work of
literature
Mood
Dialect
A representation of speech
patterns of a particular region
Flashback
Interruption in the present
action of a plot to show events
that happened at an earlier time
Setting
The time and place of the action
of a story
Suspense
A feeling of growing tension
and excitement felt by the
reader
Expresses the writer’s attitude
toward his or her subject
Tone
Irony
A contrast between appearance
and reality
Foreshadowing
Providing the reader with hints
or clues about the future action
of the story or play
Dialogue
Conversation between two or
more characters
Example
Literary Terms
Literary Term
Definition
Alliteration
Usually, the repetition of
beginning
consonant sounds in
neighboring words
Stanza/verse
A paragraph in a poem
Rhyme
The repetition of accented
vowel sounds and all sounds
following them in words close
together in a poem
A rhyme within a line
Internal rhyme
Slant rhyme or
Near rhyme
Rhymes involving sounds that
are similar but not exactly the
same
Rhythm
A pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a line of
poetry
Musical quality of poetry
A pattern of end rhymes in a
poem
abab, aabb
A regular pattern of stressed
and unstressed syllables in a
poem
A three line poem in which the
first and third lines contain five
syllables and the second line
contains seven
A five line humorous poem with
aabba rhyme scheme and a
defined rhythm
A kind or type of literature
Rhyme scheme
Meter
Haiku
Limerick
Genre
Biography
The story of a person's life
written by someone other than
the subject of the work
Example
Literary Terms
Literary Term
Definition
Narrative
A story or account of events,
experiences, or the like,
which can be fiction or nonfiction
The type of literature that
consists of novels, short stories,
and other prose writings that
tell about imaginary people and
happenings
Writing that is not fiction;
Prose literature that deals
With real people and events
rather than imaginary ones
A composition in prose or
verse written to be acted on
a stage or before motionpicture or television
cameras in which a story is told
by means of dialogue and
action; a play
The narrator uses “I” and is in
the story
Fiction
Non-fiction
Drama
First person
Third person
(limited or
objective)
Third person
omniscient
Audience
A “nonparticipant” serves as
the narrator and uses the
pronouns he, it, and they
Narrator knows one character’s
thoughts
A narrator who knows
everything about all the
characters is all knowing or
omniscient. Narrator is a
“nonparticipant”
The person or group for whom a
piece of literature is written
Narrator/speaker
The voice that tells the story
Voice
A writer’s unique style of
language
Example
Literary Terms
Literary Term
Definition
Dynamic
A character whose personality
changes
Character
Static character
A character whose personality
stays the same
Protagonist
The main character in a work of
literature
Antagonist
The character in a work of
literature opposing the
protagonist
Hero/heroine
A character admired for
bravery, great deeds, or noble
qualities
Conflict
A struggle between two
opposing forces
Internal
Person vs. self—a conflict within
a person (like a decision)
External
Person vs. person—a conflict
with one or more people
Person vs. society—a conflict
with the norms/ideals of society
Person vs. nature—a conflict
with something in nature
Example
Literary Terms
Literary Term
Definition
Exposition
The beginning of a story which
introduces important background
information
Rising Action
The stage of the plot that
develops the conflict
Climax
The stage of the plot which is of
greatest interest and can be the
turning point of the story
Falling Action
The stage of the plot in which the
story begins to draw to a close
Resolution
The end of the story
Plotline
Label the parts of the plot on the diagram.
Example