Literary Terms Grade 10 Pre IB
Alliteration: the repetition of sounds in nearby words, usually involving the first
consonant sounds
Example:
Assonance: the repetition of internal vowel sounds
Example:
Consonance: the repetition of the same internal consonant sound within
words close together
Example:
Allusion: the reference to a famous figure, place or event from history, literature,
mythology or the bible
Example:
Analogy: is the process of comparing two things or ideas
Example:
Anecdote: is a story or biographical incident that usually contains a small life lesson
or moral message
Apostrophe: a poetic device that allows the poet or narrator of a poem to directly
address something inanimate or someone dead or absent
Aside: a dramatic device where a character turns and speaks directly to the
audience, relating private thoughts that the other characters onstage cannot
hear.
Audience: the group of listeners or readers for whom a message is intended.
Ballad: A narrative poem, usually quite simple and short; meant to be sung; makes
use of refrains; it usually tells of a love story, historical event or heroic tale
Bias: the skewed presentation of an idea from a particular ideological presentation.
Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter (5 beats per line/ one stressed one
unstressed). Found in much of Shakespeare’s work
Catharsis: refers to how people can be purged of their emotions through reading or
watching works of fiction
Character:
Antagonist: the force opposing the protagonist; could be a person, thing,
nature etc.
Protagonist: the main character
Character Types:
Static Characters change very little or not at all during the course of a story;
things happen to such a character without things happening within
Dynamic characters undergo a change in their personality, character or
outlook as a result of events; these changes may be for the better or worse,
large or small, but it’s more than just a change of condition (alive or dead;
richer or poorer)
Round characters are complex individuals; we cannot capture them with a
single phrase or word
Flat characters are easily summed up, often with one sentence and are
constructed around a single idea or quality
Stereotypical/Stock characters are conventional character type (the
revenge seeking hero, the scheming murderer, the stupid crook, the witty
clown)
Characterization: How we learn about a character
Direct presentation: the writing tells you
Example:
Indirect presentation: shows by what the character does, or others say about
Example:
S Speech - What does the character say? How does the character speak?
T Thoughts – What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and
feelings?
E Effect on others – What is revealed through the character’s effect on other
people?
A Actions – What does the character do? How does the character behave?
L Looks – What does the character look like? How does the character dress?
Sample Character Traits:
Able
Active
Adventurous
Affectionate
Afraid
Alert
Ambitious
Angry
Annoyed
Anxious
Apologetic
Arrogant
Attentive
Average
Blue
Bold
Bored
Bossy
Brainy
Brave
Bright
Brilliant
Busy
Calm
Careful
Careless
Cautious
Charming
Cheerful
Childish
Clever
Clumsy
Coarse
Concerned
Confident
Confused
Considerate
Cooperative
Courageous
Cowardly
Cross
Cruel
Curious
Dangerous
Daring
Dark
Decisive
Demanding
Dependable
Depressed
Determined
Discouraged
Dishonest
Disrespectful
Doubtful
Dull
Dutiful
Eager
Easygoing
Efficient
Embarrassed
Encouraging
Energetic
Evil
Excited
Expert
Fair
Faithful
Fearless
Fierce
Foolish
Fortunate
Foul
Fresh
Friendly
Frustrated
Gentle
Giving
Glamorous
Gloomy
Good
Graceful
Grateful
Greedy
Grouchy
Grumpy
Guilty
Happy
Harsh
Hateful
Healthy
Helpful
Honest
Hopeful
Hopeless
Humorous
Ignorant
Imaginative
Impatient
Impolite
Inconsiderate
Independent
Industrious
Innocent
Intelligent
Jealous
Kindly
Lazy
Leader
Lively
Lonely
Loving
Loyal
Lucky
Mature
Mean
Messy
Miserable
Mysterious
Naughty
Nervous
Noisy
Obedient
Obnoxious
Old
Peaceful
Picky
Pleasant
Polite
Poor
Popular
Positive
Precise
Proper
Proud
Quick
Quiet
Rational
Reliable
Religious
Responsible
Restless
Rich
Rough
Rowdy
Rude
Sad
Safe
Satisfied
Scared
Secretive
Selfish
Serious
Sharp
Short
Shy
Silly
Skilful
Sly
Smart
Sneaky
Sorry
Spoiled
Stingy
Strange
Strict
Stubborn
Sweet
Talented
Thankful
Thoughtful
Thoughtless
Tired
Tolerant
Touchy
Trusting
Trustworthy
Unfriendly
Unhappy
Upset
Useful
Warm
Weak
Wicked
Wise
Worried
Wrong
Young
Chronological order: a record of events in the order in which they occur
Cliché: an overused, tired expression
Example:
Close Reading: the practice of analyzing and interpreting texts
Colloquial Language: informal conversation; can include the use of slang
Example:
Comedy: a humorous play, which usually ends happily for the main characters
Compare: Focus on the similarities between two things
Conflict: the struggle between two opposing forces or characters; it may be internal
or external
Types:
person vs. person
A person against another person; usually the antagonist
Example:
Person vs. self
A person struggling with themselves
Example:
Person vs. society
A person going against the accepted rules or norms of society
Example:
Person vs. environment
A person against nature (flood, snowstorm)
Example:
Connotation: The added meaning that suggests something positive or negative
Example: casual suggests informal or relaxed giving it a positive connotation;
Snickered suggests mocking giving it a negative connotation
Note that some words are neutral and do not suggest good or bad feelings
Context: the circumstances that surround the writing and reading of a text. Trying
to understand why a text was written and for whom it was written help to
understand context.
Contrast: Focus on the differences between two things
Couplet: two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Denotation: the dictionary meaning of a word
Description: a type of composition where its purpose is to picture the scene or
setting
Dialogue: spoken words exchanged between two or more characters; it is usually
recognizable by punctuation marks
Punctuating Dialogue:
Use “quotation marks” to show the exact words of the speaker. Use a comma
or another punctuation mark, such as a question mark or exclamation mark
to separate the quotation from the rest of the sentence
Example:
Dilemma: a choice between two equally undesirable courses of action
Double Entendre: a writing device that relies on the secondary meaning of a phrase
or word
Drama: actors tell the story through their actions and speech
Dystopian Literature: a genre of fiction that offers a picture of an imagined world to
which everything is bad and individuals are often oppressed by the
government.
Enjambment: in poetry is the style of continuing a sentence from one line to the next
without pause.
Euphemisms: words or phrases that are substituted for more direct words or
phrases in an attempt to make things easier to accept or less embarrassing.
Exposition/Expository: a type of composition where its purpose is to explain
something.
Figurative Language: language that is not intended to be understood literally but
references one thing to express ideas about something else.
Flashback: a scene that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier
Foil: a character whose behaviour, attitudes or opinions contrast with those of the
protagonist. It usually helps us to understand the protagonist better.
Foreshadowing: an indication of something that may happen later in the story
Free Verse: poetry, which has no regular patterns of rhyme, meter or line length
Genre: the type or category that is recognized by form and/or style
Example: Science Fiction: writing that is based upon real or imagined
scientific developments, which presents an imaginary view of the future or
distant past
Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration
Example: A million mosquitoes bit me when I was camping last summer.
Iambic Pentameter: a line of five metrical feet (one stressed syllable followed by one
unstressed syllable); each stressed syllable is one meter; pentameter means
five meters
Idiom: an expression that has a meaning different from the usual meanings of the
individual words within it
Example:
Imagery: choosing words to create a strong picture or image in the reader’s mind; is
most often a visual picture but can relate to the other senses
Example:
Irony:
Situational irony: a difference between what happens and what be expected
to happen
Example:
Dramatic irony: the difference between what the audience knows and what a
character knows to be true
Example:
Verbal irony: the difference between what is said and what is actually meant
Example:
Jargon: the language of a trade or profession
Juxtaposition: to place together side by side two contrasting ideas or things
Example:
Lyric: a poem of limited length expressing the thoughts and especially the feelings of
a single speaker
Metaphor: a comparison of two things without using like or as; usually of two unlike
things
Example:
Metonymy: References to things or concepts not by name; but by something closely
associated with them
Monologue: the speaker is alone onstage and addresses an unidentified audience
that the reader should be able to figure out; the speaker reveals their
innermost thoughts and key information about themselves.
Mood: the dominant attitude or tone through an entire piece of literature
Examples:
Apprehensive
Ashamed
Desolate
Empowered
Engaged
Fascinated
Frustrated
Guilty
Intrigued
Mournful
Optimistic
Sentimental
Solemn
Sorrowful
Suspicious
Uplifted
Narrative poem: a poem that tells a story
Onomatopoeia: the use of words to imitate sounds
Oxymoron: a phrase consisting of contradictory terms
Example: jumbo shrimp, tough love
Paraphrase: to restate the meaning of a passage in your own words
Personification: giving human qualities to something that is not human
Example:
Persuasive Essay: an essay written to convince the reader of a particular opinion
Plot: the events in a story
Plot Structure
Description
Introduction / Initial
Incident


Rising Action

The opening of the story
Provides background information or basic details of
the story
The first event that introduces the conflict
Climax




The action has risen to it’s highest point
“What will happen?” “Will the hero win?”
A cliff hanger usually ends here
The events that come after the climax



Loose ends are tied up
Conflict is resolved
The ending of the story
Falling Action
Resolution /
Denouement
Plot Diagram:
Point of View: The standpoint from which a story is told; different point of view
allow the reader to see the story in different ways
First Person Point of View:




The author becomes the character
This character may be a minor or a major character
Usually see the word “I”
Gain in reality and immediacy because the story is told directly by the participant
Omniscient Point of View:




The narrator is all seeing and all knowing
Written in third person (he, she)
Permits the widest points of view
May frequently shift viewpoints
Limited Omniscient Point of View:



The author limits reader’s perspective to only one character about whom all is
known
The reader learns what only one character is thinking
Written in third person (he, she)
Objective Narrator Point of View


The author tells the story s through a video camera and only tells what is seen and
heard and does not try to interpret or go into the feelings of the characters
Written in third person (he, she)
Prologue: An introduction most frequently associated with dramas. Usually
includes facts that reader needs to know in order to understand the story.
Propaganda: organized transmission of a belief by use of publicity, selected
information etc.
Prose: the type of language used in novels, short stories, essays etc. It does not use
rhyme or meter. (i.e. sentences)
Pun: playing with the sound or meaning of words for humorous effect
a) a word for which two meanings can be suggested
b) the use of two words with similar sound
Example:
Refrain: A line or lines repeated in a poem, usually at the end of each stanza
Repetition: repeating words or phrases to emphasize ideas or build rhythm
Rhyme: The repetition of similar or duplicate sounds at regular intervals, usually the
repetition of the sound of the last word in a line of verse.
Rhythm: the sense of movement attributable to the stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of prose or poetry
Rhyme Scheme: The arrangement of lines in a poem; a rhyme scheme of abab means
that the first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme
Sarcasm: a bitter expression of strong disapproval
Satire: the ridicule of any subject
Setting: the background against which action takes place.
Setting is made up of:
1. Place/Geography: place, the land, scenery, and physical arrangements in
a room
For example: a grade 9 English classroom, the seat by the window, it is raining
outside
2. Time: the time or period in which the story takes place
For example: 2010, last class of the day, the middle ages
3. Atmosphere: the tone or mood which helps to establish the reader’s
expectations and attitudes. It can include religious, mental, moral, social and
emotional conditions.
For example: anxious, serene, relaxed, humorous, and suspenseful
Simile: a comparison using like or as
Example:
Slang: highly informal language
Soliloquy: An extended speech in which a character alone onstage expresses his
thoughts; it may reveal the private emotions of the speaker and give
information about the speaker’s character
Sonnet: 14 lines of iambic pentameter; a set pattern of rhyme
There are three four-line stanzas (quatrains) and one concluding two line
stanza (couplet).
The concluding couplet expresses the central theme of the sonnet.
Speaker: narrator; the one who is telling the story
Stanza: a grouping of lines, which form a division in a poem (like a paragraph in a
story or essay)
Stereotype: a conventional mental image, especially a biased generalized image of
the characteristics of an ethnic or social group
Style: the features of a work that reflect its author’s distinctive way of
communicating. It refers to the way in which something is expressed which
could include the use of literary devices, voice, word choice and sentence
structure
Subtext: Unspoken thoughts and motives; it is the true meaning simmering
beneath the words that are spoken
Suspense: the quality of a story that makes the reader uncertain about the outcome
Symbol/Symbolism: a symbol is something that stands for something else and has
meaning beyond itself
Synecdoche: referring to an entire thing or concept by referring to one of its parts.
Text: any written work or piece
Theme: the main idea of a story, often expressed as an insight about life in general
or about human behaviour. It may be expressed directly or may be implied.
Note that not all literary works have a theme; the purpose of a ghost story
may be simply to frighten the reader
Thesis Statement: The position or opinion the writer is trying to defend. It is usually
stated in one or two sentences and everything else in the piece relates to it
Tone: the attitude that runs throughout the text; this may include the writer’s
attitude toward the subject and/or the audience. Tome may be serious,
angry, lighthearted, dark etc.
Topic Sentence: states the main idea of a paragraph, and is usually situated near or
at the beginning of the paragraph. In an essay, each topic sentence should
relate directly to the thesis of the essay.
Tragedy: portrays the fall of a “good” individual who inevitably goes to his doom
(dies); usually his fate is bound up with that of the entire community and his
demise has wide repercussions. The reader is left with a sense of loss and
waste.
Transition words: words or phrases that connect ideas; transitions help the reader
clearly understand relationships such as time, space, emphasis, contrast, or
comparison.
Examples:
Listing
First, second, third
First, furthermore,
Finally, next
To begin, to conclude
Reinforcement
Also
Furthermore
Moreover
What is more
In addition
Besides
Above all
As well as
In the same way
Highlights
In particular
Especially
Mainly
Similarity
Equally
Likewise
Similarly
Correspondingly
In the same way
Giving Examples
For example
For instance
As follows
That is
In this case
Namely
In other words
Result/Consequence
So
Therefore
As a result/
consequence
Accordingly
Consequently
Because of this/that
Generalizing
In general
Generally
On the whole
As a rule
For the most part
In most cases
Usually
Reformulation
In other words
Not only… but also
Transition to a new
point
Now
As far as _____ is
concerned
With regard
With reference to
As for…
It follows that
Turning to
Summary
In conclusion
To conclude
In brief
To summarize
Overall
Therefore
Thus
Hence
For this/that reason
So that
In that case
Under these
circumstances
Contrast
Instead
Conversely
On the contrary
In contrast
In comparison
Expressing an
alternative
Alternatively
Rather
On the other hand
The alternative is
Another possibility
would be
Deduction
Then
In other words
In that case
Otherwise
This implies that…
If so/if not
Stating the Obvious
Obviously
Clearly
Naturally
Of course
As can be expected
Surely
After all
Rather
To put it more
simply
Understatement: the literal sense of what is said falls short of (or under) the
magnitude of what is being talked about.
Verse: another name for poetry (also sometimes used to mean a stanza of a poem).