English 12 Prose Terms
Abstract: not physical, material, or a thing; ideas, thoughts and theories are abstractions.
Active Voice: a sentence in which the subject performs an action; whereas in a passive
voice the subject receives an action.
Allegory: a figurative mode or representation, either written or visual, in which there is
direct surface meaning and a second indirect meaning that is inferred from the direct
meaning; characters, actions, settings often represent abstract ideas or moral; qualities.
Allusion: indirect or passing reference to a person, place, or event, etc.; allusions are
often historical, literary, or artistic in nature.
Anachronism: a person, place, event, or thing that appears out of place/order; are often of
an earlier time or place, so they “feel” out of place; a flashback in a story is an example
of an anachronism.
Analogy: a comparison between two differing things to show a comparison between
them; e.g. comparing the human brain to a computer or a heart to a pump.
Anecdote: a brief story about an interesting incident; often with a moral or lesson.
Antecedent Action: evidence based on personal experience that has not been verified
independently.
Anticlimax: a disappointing conclusion; often ironic because of what is expected and
what actually happens
Antithesis: a contrast or opposition of widely held ideas or beliefs.
Apathy: a lack of interest.
Argumentative Essay: an essay that asserts a position or thesis and tries to prove the
thesis correct or true.
Autobiography: a person’s account of his/her own life; often found in journals, memoirs,
or diaries.
Bias: an inclination or prejudice toward or against a certain person, group, belief set,
ideology, idea, or worldview; a concentration on or interest in a single particular area or
subject.
Biography: a detailed account about a person’s life written by someone else.
Caricature: characterization that uses distortion or exaggeration to make a person seem
appear comical or ridiculous.
Case Study: a study of a single event, instance, person, or work.
Cause and Effect: an organizational pattern in writing in which a consequence (effect) is
directly related to an event that makes the effect occur; causes always come first.
Character: a representation of a person in literature; the qualities distinctive to such a
person.
Characterization: the means by which a writer reveals the qualities or nature of a
character; this is done by a character’s actions, speech and thoughts, through physical
description, the opinions that other characters have of the character, and by direct
statements made by the writer.
Character Foil: a character specifically designed to be a direct contrast of the main
character in some way in order to highlight aspects of the main character.
Chronological Order: the order of events of a literary work based on the passage of time;
first, second, third, etc.
Chronology: the passage or measurement of time or the sequential order of events.
Cliché: an overused, predictable, or banal phrase that shows a lack of thought and doesn’t
really say much.
Climatic Order: an order in a story or essay in which a series of events, thought, or
statements is arrange in order of increasing interest, intensity, or importance, with a
climax at the end.
Climax: the point of highest/greatest intensity or suspense in a story; it is the point at
which it is revealed if the protagonist will succeed or fail.
Colloquial: informal, casual speech; suitable for everyday use but not for formal writing.
Colloquial Language: the use of familiar or conversational language.
Comic Relief: humorous content in a story used of offset more serious episodes or events.
Compare and Contrast: to find similarities and differences.
Comparison: to find similarities between two or more things
Concrete: solid, physical, material form; not theoretical or abstract.
Conflict: a problem or struggle between two opposing forces, characters, ideas, events
etc. in a story. Conflict can take the following forms:
- Person vs. person
- Person vs. self
- Person vs. society
- Person vs. nature
Contrast: to find differences between two or more things.
Connotation: the implicit or implied meaning; not directly stated, but inferred.
Deduction: a formal argument in which the truth of the conclusion is guaranteed by the
truth of the premises.
Denotation: the explicit or direct meaning of a word, statement, or expression; opposite
of connotation.
Denouement: the plot outcome in which all the conflict and mystery is resolved or
explained.
Descriptive Essay: an essay that provides a depiction of people, places, thing, or ideas in
detail in order for readers to understand it.
Dialect: a form of a language that is particular to a specific group, region, or people.
Dialogue: the words in a conversation.
Diction: the writer’s choice of words, phrases, statements, or expressions; especially in
terms of clarity, precision, and voice.
Didactic: a form of writing, either prose or verse, intended to convey knowledge or to
teach a lesson or moral.
Dilemma: a difficult situation in which a person is caught between two equally
undesirable options, choices, alternatives.
Direct Presentation: when the reader is told information about a character or is told
exactly what a character is like directly by the author.
Discrepancy: a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts.
Dynamic Character: a character that undergoes change or development during the course
of a story; often because of the events in the story; change does not have to be positive.
Editorial: an article expressing the editor’s opinion.
Emotional Appeal: an attempt to persuade an audience or reader with a strong appeal to
the emotions or feelings of the audience.
Epigram: a short, witty, or pithy statement.
Epiphany: a moment of significant illumination or deep insight.
Epitaph: an inscription on a tombstone or a short poem written in memory of someone
who has died.
Euphemism: a substitution for an expression that may offend or suggest something
unpleasant to the receiver, using instead an agreeable or less offensive expression; e.g.
downsizing is a euphemism for layoffs.
Exposition: an explanation.
Expository Essay: an essay that comprehensively explains an idea, person, or event.
External Conflict: a conflict that occurs outside of the internal subjective experiences of
a character; this includes conflicts between people, social groups and values, and
elements of nature.
Fable: a brief story told to present a moral or practical lesson.
Falling Action: the action/events that occur after the climax.
Fantasy: a literary genre; as a rule includes characters, places, and actions that would not
be possible or are not based in reality.
Figurative Language: language that is not intended to be interpreted in a literal sense,
but may suggest multiple meanings and interpretations; e.g. metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
oxymoron, personification, etc.
First Person Point of View: a story told from the perspective of a character involved in
the events of the story in his or her own words; uses the pronoun “I”.
Flashback: a scene or episode in a story that interrupts the action in order to show an
event that happened earlier.
Flat Character: a character lacking in depth or the nuances of real people; not much
detail, usually one dimensional, and can often be described in a single phrase or sentence.
Foil: a foil is when a person, thing, or idea is used to directly contrast someone or
something else in order to highlight or make obvious the qualities of what it is being
contrasted with.
Foreshadow: a literary technique whereby future events are indicated beforehand when
the writer includes hints or clues in the main events of the story.
Form: the literary shape of a piece of literature; e.g. drama, essay, verse, prose, etc.
Formal Essay: an essay that employs technical and serious language and organization, in
contrast to colloquial or conversational language.
Genre: a style or category within a literary form; poetry is the form while haiku is a genre
of poetry.
Graphic Text: text and text inserts that use visual art or specialized lettering.
Hero: a character admired for his or her bravery, outstanding achievements, and/or noble
qualities.
Historical Reference: a reference or mention of an event or person from the past.
Idiom: phrases or expressions in a language but the meaning of those phrases or
expressions cannot be understood from literally interpreting the words; e.g. keeping tabs
on someone to represent close supervision.
Indeterminate Ending: an uncertain, ambiguous, or unresolved conclusion to a story.
Indirect Presentation: when the reader is not directly told about the character; instead the
reader must infer the character’s qualities from their behavior and actions.
Informal Language: unofficial, casual, relaxed, or colloquial words, phrases, or
expressions.
Interior Monologue: conversation or thoughts that occur in a characters mind.
Internal Conflict: a conflict a character experiences within him/herself.
Irony: when the actual meaning is the opposite of the stated meaning; can be serious or
humorous; often a technique used in narratives that indicates the writer's attitude to some
element of the story.
Jargon: a specialized vocabulary of a particular group or activity.
Juxtaposition: the deliberate contrast of elements in a story done for effect.
Legend: a traditional story often popularized as historical but not authenticated.
Limited Omniscient: a story told from a third person point of view but the access to the
internal mental experiences is restricted to the thoughts of a single character; instead of
knowing about the internal mental life of all the characters as in a an omniscient narrator.
Literal Language: the use of words for their direct meaning only and without any
additional meaning, references, or subtext.
Metamorphosis: an alteration in the appearance of a character; usually meant to refer to
physical change but can also refer to character development or emotional growth.
Monologue: an oral or written composition in which only one person speaks; a speech or
story presented by one person.
Mood: the atmosphere of a story; the way the writer orders the elements of the story to
create a dominant emotion or pattern of emotions.
Motif: a recurring theme, idea, incident, image, symbol etc. found in stories.
Mystery: a secret; something unknown or kept concealed in order to excite curiosity or
wonder; something that is not or cannot be explained.
Myth: a story often about immortals or supernatural creatures, is often concerned about
religious issues, and is intended to give meaning/explanation to the mysteries of the
world.
Narration: the act of telling a story in writing or verbally.
Narrative: literature that tells a story.
Narrator: the person or character who tells a story.
Objective Language: language that attempts to report events as independent facts without
the influence or interpretation from personal feelings, thoughts, or opinions of the person
doing the reporting.
Objective Point of View: the story is told from a third person point of view but not
interpreted or influenced by the personal thoughts, feelings, or opinions of the person
telling the story
Omniscient Point of View: the story is written from a third person point of view and the
thoughts and feelings of all the characters are accessible and revealed by the narrator?
Parable: a short, often simple story that teaches or explains a lesson; often a moral or
religious lesson.
Paradox: a statement that is true only if it is false or a statement that is false only if it is
true; e.g. “I always tell the truth – everyone is a lair.”
Parallelism: the arrangement of similar statements, sentences, or parts or sentences
suggesting some correspondence between them.
Parenthetical: a word, phrase, or message, often written in parentheses that explains or
modifies a thought.
Passive Voice: a sentence in which the subject is acted upon instead of being the agent of
an action; the opposite of active voice.
Pathos: the quality of works that arouse the reader’s/listeners feelings of pity, sorrow, or
compassion for a character.
Personal Essay: a piece of writing in which the writer relates biographical details and
personal information as a means of illuminating an issue.
Persuasive Essay: an essay in which the writer tries to convince the reader of the truth,
correctness, or validity of a position.
Persuasive Technique: techniques used to persuade someone of the truth, correctness, or
validity of a position; techniques include an appeal to morality something is right or
wrong), rationality (something makes sense or does not make sense), emotional appeals,
the use of facts, quotes, from experts, and/or scientific data or statistical information.
Plot: the sequence of events in a story.
Point of View: the perspective or vantage point from which a story is told; usually first
person or third person.
Precedent: something that serves as an example or justification for subsequent situations.
Pro and Con Argument: an essay or piece of writing that is structured around evidence
in favour (pro) or against (con) a thesis.
Propaganda: information of a biased or misleading nature used to further a political or
moral agenda, make opposite points of view look invalid, and conceal perceived
problems of the dominant position.
Protagonist: the central or main character in a story.
Proverb: a short, well-known saying that states a general truth or a commonly believed
piece of advice.
Pun: a humorous expression that depends on a double meaning; either between two
meanings of the same word or between two similar sounding words; e.g. “Santa’s helpers
are subordinate clauses.”
Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created; the writer’s intention for a
piece of literature.
Question and Answer: an essay or a piece of writing structured around questions and
answers in support of a thesis and designed to advance details of that thesis.
Research: the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to
establish facts and/or reach new conclusions.
Rhetoric: the art of speaking and writing.
Rhetorical Question: a question for which a reply is not required or wanted; the question
is asked for effect, often to highlight what is already the case; e.g. “is there anyone who
does not believe in freedom? really means everyone already believes in freedom.
Ridicule: contemptuous laughter or derision (contempt or mocker); may be a part of
satire.
Rising Action: the events of a story precede the climax and build the intensity, interest, or
suspense of a story to the climax.
Round Character: a character that is complex and fully realized; a character with many
sides and facets to his/her personality.
Sarcasm: the use of irony to make or convey contempt.
Satire: a form of writing that exposes the vices or follies of a person, idea, or group to
ridicule and criticism in order to correct a perceived problem, evil, or wrongdoing.
Setting: the time and place in which of a story.
Slang: highly informal words or phrases used in everyday speech; often involving
different meanings of words; saying something is “sick” to mean that it is really good.
Speaker: separate from the writer; it is the person or whose voice or identity dictates the
story.
Static Character: a character that does not develop or change in the course of a story.
Statistical Evidence: numerical information acquired through research and equations that
substantiates or advances an argument based on scientific or mathematical methods.
Stereotype: a commonplace type or character that appears so often in literature that his or
her nature is immediately known to readers.
Stock Character: a commonplace character that is based on a type of person and is
immediately familiar to reader’s; they are often based on a few personality traits; e.g. the
absent minded professor or the mad scientist.
Stream of Consciousness: a style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a
character’s thoughts, feelings, memories, and mental images; often this type of writing
will be abrupt, difficult to follow (not connect ideas together), and abandon the
conventions of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure in order to simulate the flow
of the mind.
Style: a writer’s unique way of writing determined by the choice of words, the
arrangement of words into sentences, and the relationships between sentences.
Stylistic Technique: the techniques or methods a writer uses; particularly as they define
his or her style.
Subjective: a written perspective based only on the personal feelings, emotions, thought,
and opinions of the writer; opposite of independent or objective perspective.
Surprise Ending: an ending that is unexpected or unforeseen.
Suspense: the quality of a story that makes readers uncertain or tense about the outcome
of the plot; suspense makes the reader anxious about what will happen next.
Syllogism: a form of logical argument that derives a conclusion from two premises; e.g.
All men mortal, Mr. Hambly is a man, therefore Mr. Hambly is mortal.
Symbol: anything that stands for or represents something else; in literature a symbol is a
word or phrase referring to an object, scene, or action that has some further significance
associated with it; e.g. a rose is a common symbol of love.
Symbolism: the use of symbols to present ideas.
Syntax: the way the words in a sentence are organized or arranged; a sentence with good
syntax has been so arranged by using the laws of grammar.
Theme: the general message or insight about life expressed in a literary work.
Thesis: the statement in an essay the writer wants to prove correct or true.
Thesis Statement: the statement at the beginning of an essay in which the writer states
the thesis.
Third Person Point of View: a story told from the perspective of a character not involved
in the events of the story; the storyteller is a third person observer who relates the events
of the story in third person, using third person pronouns such as he/she, they/them, us/we,
or it; a third person narrator does not use the pronoun “I”.
Tone: a particular way of speaking or writing, but can also describes the general feeling
of a piece of work, or the attitude the poet takes to the subject of the story; tone can
include thoughtful, formal, morose, tragic, or silly; tone can also be a complex mixture of
attitudes; different tones can leave readers with such varying emotions as pity, fear,
horror, or humour.
Understatement: the presentation of something as being smaller, less good, or of less
importance than it really is; opposite of hyperbole.
Voice: the tone, syntax, style, and characteristics of the speaker within a work of
literature.
Wit: the capacity for inventive thought and quick, keen understanding – often with the
intent of producing humorous responses; cleverness.