Literary Terms
Anecdote:
• a short entertaining story or report about
one event.
• Example:
Cause and Effect:
• relationship which one event brings
about another
Example: Because Bethany went surfing,
she was attacked by a shark.
Character:
• a literary role taken by a human being, a
real or personified animal, or a personified
object.
• Example: Harry Potter is a character in the
series by J.K. Rowling
Conflict:
• the struggle between the protagonist and an
opposing force.
Conflict can be: internal- struggle with one’s
self
OR
external- struggle with another
character or outside force: weather
Example: Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort
Genre
• Genre- A type or category of literature is called a genre.
There are four main literary genres: fiction, nonfiction,
poetry, and drama.
• Fiction: A narrative story that uses made-up characters or
events.
• Nonfiction: Writing that tells about real people, places and
events.
• Poetry: is a type of literature in which ideas, images and
feelings are expressed in few words.
• Drama: a drama or a play is a form of literature meant to be
performed for an audience.
Humor
the quality that makes something funny is called
humor. Writers create humor using exaggeration,
word play, sarcasm, witty dialogue, unlikely
comparisons, and other devices.
Example: Two men walked into a bar…you think one
of them would have seen it!
Exaggeration (Hyperbole)
an overstating of ideas is called exaggeration.
Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
Idiom
An idiom is an expression that has meaning different
from the meaning of its individual words.
Example: “cat’s got your tongue,” means that you are
having difficulty figuring out what to say.
Foreshadowing
a hint about an event that will occur later in the story.
Example: In Little Red Riding Hood, when the little
girl is commenting on her “grandmother’s” big ears,
teeth, and eyes, it foreshadows the fact that the
grandmother is really the wolf.
Imagery
Words that appeal to readers’ senses.
Example: When John entered the kitchen, the aroma of
chili filled the air. He smelled chili beans and felt
the warmth of the cooking.
Irony
is the contrast between what is expected to happen and
what actually exists.
Example: Someone steps into a puddle, then while
you are making fun of them for stepping into the
puddle, you fall into one.
Literal
• is when a phrase or group of words are
interpreted exactly as written.
• For example “…go jump in the lake...
means to go to the lake and jump into the
water.
Figurative
figurative language is used
to imply meaning. It does
not reflect exactly what the
words state.
Example: “Go jump in the
lake!”… means to get lost or
I don’t care to continue a
conversation with you
Metaphor
is a comparison of two things that have some
quality in common. Unlike a “simile” a
metaphor does not contain a word such as
like, as, resembles or than.
Example: Life IS a highway.
Moral
a lesson taught in a literary work such as a fable.
Example: The moral of Little Red Riding
Hood is “don’t talk to strangers.”
Myth
a traditional story about the origins and workings of the world.
The events may be unlikely or realistic.
Example: Zeus as God of Lightning
Onomatopoeia
a word that sounds like it is pronounced.
Examples: “Pow”, “Boom”, Swish”, “Moo”, etc.
Personification
giving human characteristics to an animal or an object.
Examples: -The writing came to life.
-The dog spoke to me.
Palindrome
a word, phrase, number or sentence that reads the same way
forwards and backwards
Examples: : Anna, kayak, mom, dad
Perspective
refers to the author’s beliefs and attitudes. These beliefs may be
influenced by author’s political views, religion, upbringing, and
education.
Audience
is the particular group of readers that the writer is
addressing. A writer considers his or her audience
when deciding on a subject, purpose, style and
tone in which to write.
Problem
a situation or event that causes
trouble and must be dealt with by
the protagonist.
Example: Bethany getting
attacked by a shark is her
problem.
Sarcasm
Humor that uses words to
express something opposite
to their literal meaning.
Example:"Oh, a sarcasm detector. That ís a really
useful invention!” (The Simpsons)
Setting
the time and place in which action occurs.
Example:The setting of Soul Surfer is in the 2000s and
in Hawaii.
Solution
the results of attempt(s) to resolve a problem.
Example: When Bethany gets attacked by the shark (problem), she
is faced with only having one arm. She solves her problem by
continuing to surf and trying her best.
Simile
is a comparison of two things that have some quality in
common. A simile contains a word such as like, as,
resembles or than.
Example: Life is LIKE a box of chocolates.
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is that sentence or two in your text that
contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what
the essay is going to be about.
Example: Although Bethany and Alana are similar in many ways,
they also differ.
Tone
the tone of the work shows the writer’s
attitude toward his or her subject. It may be
humorous, serious, or impatient.
Theme
theme is the meaning or the moral of
a story.
Example: Don’t rush into love.
Word Choice
also called diction, is the process by
which writers carefully select words to
give precision and impact to
their writing.
Mood
A mood is the feeling that a
literary work conveys to
readers. A mood is an
emotion such as sadness,
excitement, or anger.
F.Y.I.
At the end of this week, you will take a literary
terms test. On this test, you will have to match the
terms with their definition. Also, you will have to
be able to recognize examples of the terms.
Therefore, you need to do more than memorize the
definitions. You must be able to apply your
knowledge.