English 7
Literary Terms for the Year
Name: _______________
Some definitions taken from Warriner, Characters in Conflict
1. willing suspension of disbelief - when the reader accepts aspects of a work that seem
unbelievable in order to enjoy the story.
2. literal vs. figurative meanings of words:
literal - words mean exactly what they say using common dictionary definitions. (I’m
starving = I am dying from lack of food.)
figurative – words mean something beyond the literal definitions.
Ex. I’m starving = I am very hungry.
Ex. Microsoft is a monolithic software company. Monolith = huge stone, but here,
it means a huge, strong business.
3. plot – what happens in a story; the events. (About the characters)
4. theme – the main idea or insight about human nature and life that is expressed in a
story or poem. Usually not a moral. (Not about the characters.)
5. prose – ordinary writing organized in sentences and paragraphs; not poetry. also on
toolbox)
6. setting – the time and place in which a story takes place
7. diction – word choice
8. imagery – using descriptive, vivid words to create mental pictures or other sensory
details: smell, touch, taste, sound. (may use fig. language to create imagery)
9. figures of speech – use of language to describe or emphasize by saying something
that is not literal. Examples: simile, metaphor, personification.
10. simile - comparison between two unlike things using like or as.
11. metaphor - comparison between two unlike things NOT using like or as.
12. personification - giving human qualities to inhuman things.
13. foreshadowing -when author gives hints about what happens later in story.
14. conflict — the struggle a main character faces. Four types:
external conflict:
human vs. human
human vs. nature
human vs. society (Giver, “Harrison Bergeron”)
internal conflict:
human vs. self
15. climax – the turning point of a story; usu. when suspense and interest are highest
16. resolution the unraveling or explanation of a story’s plot; how the conflict(s) are
resolved.
17. satire — a type of writing that ridicules the weaknesses or wrongdoings of people
and social institutions (government, religion, etc.). Humorous, yet with a
serious purpose. (“Harrison Bergeron”)
18. symbol – an action, object, person, or situation that has meaning in itself but also
stands for a larger concept, such as an emotion or idea.
19. irony – three types
dramatic irony - occurs when the reader knows something at least one character doesn’t
know
irony of situation -- occurs when events turn out differently from what would be expected;
when what appears to be real or true turns out not to be real or true.
verbal irony – occurs when the author or character’s words mean something different
from what they say. (sarcasm is one example)
20. stanza – a group of lines in a poem (two or more lines)
21. allusion - a reference to a person, place, historical event or other literary character.
22. assonance – repetition of vowel sounds
23. alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds
24. iambic pentameter – a line of verse containing five iambic feet:
10 syllables alternating stresses: unaccented-accented
25. protagonist – the main character in a story
26. onomatopoeia – When the sound of a word reflects its meaning: Buzz! Bang! squish
27. point of view: the viewpoint from which an author tells a story (who narrates)
1st person p. of view: a character tell story (usu. protagonist)
uses 1st person pronouns: I, me, we, etc. Ex. Rules of Game
rd
3 person omniscient: a narrator tells story (not a character in the story)
all-knowing: know all characters’ thoughts
3rd person limited: told by a narrator through eyes of ONE character.
LIMITED: knows only that character’s thoughts. GBLUE
28. motif a repeated idea or pattern that unifies a literary work; may or may not be
related to theme
29. soliloquy a speech given by actor alone on stage; usu. reveals his or her thoughts.
30. couplet : two successive lines of poetry that rhyme
31. blank verse: unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter