Mrs. Wehinger ELA 7th Grade
Name:
Literary Terms to Know
Types of Writing













Genre - how literature is categorized based on literary conventions
Short Story - a type of fictional narrative story usually written in prose; often shorter in length and
focuses on one event, character, or incident
Novel - a longer work of fictional prose
Poetry - a type of literary art form where writers use figurative language and other poetic devices to
get the point of their subject across
Drama - a type of fiction characterized by performance of actors
Fiction - a type of narrative literature that contains imaginary characters and events
Nonfiction - a type of narrative literature where the characters and events actually happened
Biography - a type of literature written about someone by another person
Autobiography - a type of literature written by someone about his or her own life
Fable - a type of fictional story where the main characters non-humans, such as animals or mythical
creatures, but have the qualities of humans
Science fiction - a type of genre where characters and events are often set in the future where
science and technology far surpasses the present
Tragedy - a type of narrative that often involves human suffering, including death, in the story
Comedy - a type of story designed for humor or irony
Parts of a Story











Setting - this is where a story takes place in time and location
Character - the people that move the plot along and the reason that many readers stay with a story
o Protagonist – the main character; the person we want to win (the good guy)
o Antagonist – the character that gets in the way of the protagonist; the “bad” guy
o Hero/heroine – the main character (protagonist)
o Dynamic characters – a dynamic, or round, character is a major character in a work of
fiction who encounter conflict and are changed by it. Dynamic characters tend to be more
fully developed and described than flat, or static, characters.
o Static characters – a static, or flat, characters are minor characters in a work of fiction
who do not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story. The play a
supporting role to the main character.
Point of view – who is telling the story:
o 1st person – the story is told by one of the characters in his/her own words.
o 2nd person limited – the narrator is telling from a single person perspective.
o 3rd person omniscient – the narrator sees into the minds of all the characters and includes
most character ideas/ feelings in the narration of the story.
Plot - these are the events in the story from the beginning until the end
Conflict - this important part of a story often prevents the characters from achieving their goals but
allows them to grow from the experiences and then continue onward in their journey
Climax - a very exciting section of the story where the main conflict is resolved
Resolution - this is how the story ends and happens after the climax
Theme - is the central idea of the story, which is often abstract (greed, love, coming of age)
Tone - words used to express how the author feels about the text
Mood - how the reader feels about the text while reading
Narrator - is the person who tells the story and can be limited or omniscient
Mrs. Wehinger ELA 7th Grade
Name:
 Prologue – a preference to the story, setting up the story, giving background information and other
miscellaneous information.
 Epilogue – a piece of writing at the end of a literary work – giving a finality or ending and bringing
closure to the work.
Literary Devices












Allusion - when an author intentionally makes a reference to another work, such as another piece
of literature, a piece of artwork, or a time, place or person
Imagery - words used to evoke pictures in the minds of the readers
Hyperbole - an exaggeration
Dialogue - the words that characters speak
Symbolism - a symbol is a physical object that represents an abstraction (Example: a flag is a
decorated piece of fabric, but is symbolizes the values of a country)
Characterization – the methods an author uses to acquaint a reader with the people, animals or
machines in the story (an author may do this by describing the appearance, speech, actions, or
reactions)
Irony - words used that often mean something different or the opposite of what they mean
Flashback - part of a story that happened before the current action which is brought out through
characters’ dreams or storytelling
Foreshadowing - is when the author alludes to upcoming events without directly stating that they
will happen
Suspense - happens when the storyteller or narrator builds excitement in a scene, often prior to the
climax
Repetition - when words, symbols, themes or other parts of the story are used more than once
Sensory language - descriptive language that attempts to invoke one or more of the five senses
Sound Devices







Rhyme - when words that sound alike are paired together or near each other
Rhyme scheme - a repetition of a rhyming pattern
Alliteration - repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Onomatopoeia - words that represent sounds
Assonance - repetition of vowel sounds at the beginning of words
Meter - combinations of accented and unaccented syllables which often form a pattern
Refrain - pattern of words or phrases that repeats throughout a literary work
Figurative Language




Metaphor - compares two things where one is the other
Simile - compares two things using like or as
Personification - this is where animals or inanimate objects are given human qualities
Idiom - type of phrase where the meanings cannot be inferred by the literal meaning of the words