Grade 9 Literary Terms
Analogy - a comparison between two things, typically on the basis
of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
Denotation - the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to
the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.
Connotation - an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to
its literal or primary meaning.
Mood - evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words
and descriptions.
Repetition - the action of repeating something that has already
been said or written.
Symbolism - the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Grade 10 Literary Terms
Character Development - The process of creating a character's
background, physicality, appearance, and personality.
Irony - the expression of one's meaning by using language that
normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic
effect.
Satire - the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose
and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of
contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Sarcasm - the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Syntax - the arrangement of words and phrases to create wellformed sentences in a language.
Voice - the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or
narrator.
Poetry Terms
Rhyme - The occurrence of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words.
Meter/rhythm - The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of
accented (or stressed) syllables.
Alliteration - The repetition of initial sounds. I.e. Seven steaks sizzled
Stanza - Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem. The stanzas
of a poem are usually of the same length and follow the same pattern of meter and rhyme.
Poet vs. Speaker - The speaker of a poem is not always the poet. A poem is a crafted performance,
a portrayal, or a dramatization similar to a play. The speaker is a created character.
Free verse - Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter
Form - The structural components of a poem e.g. stanza pattern, metre, syllable count etc
Lyric - A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. A
lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style.
Assonance - the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables
near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence, reticence ).
Consonance - the recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity
Rhyme Scheme - the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.
Ballad - a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas.
Sonnet - a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English
typically having ten syllables per line.
Metonymy - a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that
of another to which it is related
The given lines are from Shakespeare’s “Julies Caesar” Act I.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”
Soliloquy - an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers,
especially by a character in a play.