DIRECTIONS:
Place glue all over the back of this paper. Fold the paper in half “hot-dog” style (on
the line that goes down the center of the page). Cut the vocabulary words apart.
Direct Characterization
a type of characterization where the
writer reveals a character’s personality
through a character’s words or actions
Suspense
The uncertainty or anxiety that a reader
feels about what will happen next in a
story
Indirect Characterization
a type of characterization where the
writer simply states the character’s
personality
Internal Conflict
A type of conflict where a character
struggles within their own mind. They
have a choice or decision to make.
Genre
A category, or type, of literature
Verbal Irony
a type of irony that is a contrast between
what is said or written and what is meant
Conflict
The problem or struggle between
opposing characters or opposing forces
Motif
An element such as a character, an
image, or a story line that is repeated in a
work or in several works
Situational Irony
a type of irony that occurs when what
happens is very different from what we
expected would happen
Resolution
The final part of a story, in which the
conflict, or main problem, is resolved
and the story is brought to a close
Mystery
Fiction dealing with the solution of a
crime or the unraveling of secrets
Dramatic Irony
a type of irony that occurs when the
audience or the reader knows something
a character does not know
External Conflict
a type of conflict where a character
struggles with another character or
between a character and a larger force,
such as nature or society
Irony
A contrast between expectations and
reality
Horror
Fiction in which events evoke a feeling
of dread in both the characters and the
reader
Cliffhanger
A suspenseful situation occurring at the
end of a chapter, scene, or episode.
Ballad
A song or songlike poem that tells a
story
Imagery
Language that appeals to the senses
Diction
A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginnings of words that are close
together
Hyperbole
A deliberate exaggeration or
overstatement made for effect
Narrator
The person telling the story
Point of view
The vantage point from which a story is
told
Symbolism
A person, place, thing, or event that has
meaning in itself and stands for
something beyond itself as well
Mood
The overall emotion created by a work
of literature
Foreshadow
The use of clues or hints to suggest
events that will occur later in the plot
Tone
The attitude that a writer takes toward
his or her subject, characters, and
audience
Inference
Using clues that author gives to figure
out information that is not directly stated
in the text
Setting
The time and place of a story, play, or
narrative poem
Theme
The general idea or insight about life
(the truth) that a work of literature
reveals
Simile
A comparison between two unlike
things, using a word such as like, as,
than, or resembles
Metaphor
An imaginative comparison between two
unlike things in which one thing is said
to be another thing
Personification
A figure of speech in which an object or
animal is spoken of as if it had human
feelings, thoughts, traits, or attitudes