Term #10: AUTOBIOGRAPHY
 Definition: An account of the
writer’s own life.
 Example: Autobiographical
Narrative Essay
 Memorization Tip: You can
AUTOmatically talk about
yourself which is what you do
in this type of writing.
Term # 11: BALLAD
 Definition: a song that tells a story
 Example:
Taylor Swift – Love Story
 Memorization Tip: Think BALL – Cinderella
went to a ball…Cinderella is a story. A ballad
is a SONG that tells a story.
Term # 12: BIOGRAPHY
 Definition: An account of a person’s life
written or told by another person.
 Example: Oprah’s biography.
 Memorization Tip:
BIO = Life
Someone’s life story.
Language Activity #4
 Denotation: The
dictionary
definition of a
word.
1. disciplinarian
2. Infantile
Find the denotation 3. Carp
of the following
4. Assertive
words:
Term #13: BLANK VERSE
 Definition: An unrhymed verse.
 Example:
Sweet pet by day, hunter by night.
She sleeps, she eats, she plays. Better watch,
she’ll pounce!
My feet, caught in white paws.
 Memorization Tip: Blank = nothing required
14. CHARACTER
 PERSON IN A STORY, POEM, OR PLAY
 STATIC = doesn’t change, static on TV
 DYNAMIC = Dynamite! Explosion! Changes!
 FLAT = 1-2 traits, FLAT…NOT MUCH
 ROUND = Like a REAL PERSON, has many traits
15. CLIMAX
 CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!! (highest point in
the story)
16. COMEDY
 NOT NECESSARILY FUNNY.
 THINK about smiling after something funny,
think smiling because you’re happy…
HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
17. COMIC RELIEF
 FINDING NEMO = when things get serious, Dory makes a
joke to provide COMIC RELIEF 
18. CONFLICT
 Conflict rhymes with convict
 Imagine if a convict moved in with you…how would that
cause CONFLICT. He steals your toothbrush! And your
cereal?!?!?!? And dates your mom!?!?!? NOOOOOO!!!
19. CONNOTATION
 Connotation
 Think nation
 What do people think or feel about America?
20. COUPLET
 2 Lines that Rhyme = a Couple 
 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
21. DESCRIPTION
 Author DESCRIBES as if you, the reader, were there!!!
22. DIALECT
 DIAL the telephone = hear people talking = people talking
from different areas.
 Huntington Beach: Hey dude, what’s up bro.
 Southern: Ain’t your mama ever taught you nothin?
 Louisiana: New Orleans = Nawlins
23. DIALOGUE
 Conversation between 2 + people
 Ms. Tran: Will you guys please study for the CSTs?
 Class: Of course! Whatever you wish, Ms. Tran! I appreciate
all of your hard work and time put into helping us study so
hard! You’re the best ever!
 Ms. Tran: I love you, period __.
24.DICTION
 Think DICTIONary….what do you find? WORDS!!!!
 Writer’s choice of WORDS!!!
25. DRAMA
 Story meant to be acted for an audience.
 We are reading Romeo and Juliet, but it is supposed to be
seen as a play.
26. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE
 Poem “From Mother to Son”
 Mother speaks to son through the poem
 Poem is directed to the son
 The son = silent listener (never says anything)
27. EPIC
 EPIC!!! WOW!!! LONG STORY!!! (about great deeds of a
hero)
 ODYSSEY = GREEK HERO ODYSSEUS’ QUEST
28. EPITHET
 Think Epithet – het- HAT
 Abraham Lincoln wore a top HAT
 “Honest Abe” –descriptive phrase for him.
29. ESSAY
 YOU WRITE THESE IN CLASS!
 PERSONAL = free write, informal
*quick writes, casual responses, journals
 FORMAL = serious, academic language
*literary analysis, response to literature, etc.
30.EXPOSITION
 EXPO = EXPLAIN = Writing in which you explain
Example: a cook book recipe tells you how to cook something
 Exposition in plot = Basic Situation
31. FABLE
 A SHORT STORY THAT TEACHES A MORAL OR
PRACTICAL LESSON ABOUT LIFE
 The boy who cried wolf fibbed (lied).
 Think FIB – FAB. FABLE!!
32. FIGURE OF $PEECH
 Language that is not meant to be understood on a literal
level
 “Go figure!”  don’t literally go and figure out the issue
and solve problems.
 “It cost me an arm and a leg…” $$$$
 Worse comes to worst…
33. FLASHBACK
 A camera FLASHES.
 Its pictures bring us BACK to past memories.
34. FLASH-FORWARD
 Forward = FUTURE!
35. FOIL
 Foil shines.
 A foil character helps to make the main character SHINE.
 Batman = dark, mysterious, silent, strong
 Robin = small, obnoxious, funny
36. FOLK TALE
 Tale = told
 Stories that are passed down through word-of-mouth
37. FORESHADOWING
 CLUES
 HINTS
38. FREE VERSE
 You’re FREE to do what you want. WRITE what you want.
You still have natural rhythm, but no rules are applied.
39. GENRE
 A category of literature
 Just remember this…
40. HAIKU
 Japanese verse consisting of 3 lines.
 HAIKU has 5 letters. It starts with 5 syllables.
 KU rhymes with two. Add two, the next line has 7
syllables.
 End back at 5 syllables.
41.. HYPERBOLE
 He was as HYPER as the Tasmanian Devil.
 This bowl is SO hyper!!!!
 Think exaggeration for comic effect.
42. IAMBIC PENTAMETER
 A line of poetry that contains 5 iambs.
 An iamb is a unit of measure for specific poetry.
 When you read a line of this poetry, the syllables are
UNSTRESSED then STRESSED.
but SOFT! what LIGHT through YON der WIN dow BREAKS.
U
/
U
/
U
/
U
/
U
/
Unstressed STRESSED pattern 5 times in a line = iambic
pentameter
43. IDIOM
 Think IDIOM = IDIOT
 “That idiot was as dumb as a door knob.”
 Expressions that are peculiar…
44. IMAGERY
 Language that appeals to the 5 senses.
 CREATES IMAGES IN YOUR MIND.
45. INVERSION
 A VERSION of the writer’s word order.
 They write however they want for THEIR purpose or to
create a certain effect.
 THINK YODA!
 Hungry I am.
 Wonderful Ms. Tran is.
 Scholars you are. 
46. IRONY
 Contrast between expectations and reality. There are 3
kinds.
 VERBAL IRONY: VERBAL = SPOKEN WORDS
 SITUATIONAL IRONY: You’re in situations that you
wouldn’t expect would happen.
 DRAMATIC IRONY: You’re sitting in a theater watching a
dramatic movie and you know what happens when the
characters don’t.
47. LYRIC POETRY
 Think lyrics from a song. This poetry is musical and emotional.
 The writer of a lyric poem uses words that express his state of
mind, his perceptions, or his feelings.
 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely
and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of
May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date.Sometime
too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold
complexion dimmed,And every fair from fair sometime
declines,By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.
48. METAPHOR
 A comparison FOR 2 unlike things without the words like,
than, as, or resembles.
 THINK ABOUT THIS MATH EQUATION:
METAPHOR (4)
TWO (2)
= 2 unlike things being compared
49. METER
 Patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
 Ways people read poetry –they emphasize certain
syllables
 Think meter …measure…way to measure syllables.
50. MOOD
 Think moody = Feeling something?
 The feeling a story evokes!
51. MYTH
 Story based in a particular culture.
 Think mythical creatures.
 Think Lochness monster!
 Think Big Foot!
 Think werewolves!
52. NARRATION
 A type of writing where the speaker tells what happens.
 Think narrator who tells a story.
53. NARRATOR
 Voice telling a story/ Point of view.
 1st person
 Omniscient
 Third person limited
54. Non-Fiction
 Writing that deals with real people, real things, real
events, and real places.
 Think
NON-FICTION
NOT-FAKE
55. NOVEL
 Fictional prose narrative usually consisting of more than
50,000 words.
 WHAT A NOVELTY! HOW GRAND! WHAT A LONG STORY!
56. ONOMATOPOEIA
 ONO = AWW NO!!!
 SOUNDS. SOUNDS. SOUNDS!!!
57. PARADOX
 PARA= not normal, strange, wondering
 “The Gift of the Magi” – Della and Jim are the richest couple on
earth. (rich in love but not in money)
 Nobody goes to that restaurant, it's too crowded.
 Don't go near the water until you've learned to swim.
 The man who wrote such a stupid sentence cannot write at all.
 If you get this message, call me; if you don't, then don't worry
about it.
58. PARALLELISM
 Repetition of words or phrases or sentences that have the
same GRAMMATICAL structure
“I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar
59. PERSONA
 Mask or voice assumed by the writer
 The author takes on another PERSON’s view point
60. Personification
 A kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality
is talked about as if it were human.
 PERSON = HUMAN
 You are making something nonhuman HUMAN.
 The wind whispers.
61. Plot
 Series of related events that make up a story or drama.
 Plot = think of a chain. All of these events link together.
62. Poetry
 KEY WORDS: rhythmic, uses figurative language and
imagery to appeal to a reader’s emotions and imagination.
 Ex. Legal Alien
 “A handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes
of both worlds.”
63. POINT OF VIEW
 Omniscient = all-knowing (OMMMM = sounds like a
prayer…God-Like…knows everything!)
 1st person = 1st person pronoun “I” (Think 1 looks like I)
 3rd person = Third person pronouns He, she, they, it
(Number 3 rhymes with HE, SHE)
 Vantage POINT = POINT of VIEW
64.PROTAGONIST
 Main character
 PRO = YES the character you are rooting for.
65. PUN
 Play on multiple meanings of words.
 Pun rhymes with FUN. Think funny jokes.
 How do you make a tissue dance?
You put a BOOGIE in it.
Boogie – Booger
Boogie – Dance
66. REFRAIN
 Repeated words.
 “Hey, hey, HEY.”
 This phrase is repeated throughout
his song.
Think REfrain = REpeat
67. RHYME
 Repetition of sounds that are similar.
 End rhyme = rhyme at the END of the line
Ms. Tran’s scholars will score 858,
This will make our school so great.
 Internal rhyme = rhyme INSIDE the line
Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered
weak and weary
68. RYTHYM
 Think rhythm, think music. MUSICAL QUALITY in
language.
69. SATIRE
 SATIRE – PUT SOMETHING UNDER FIRE (“put on blast”)
 Making fun of something 
70. SCENE DESIGN
 SCENE in a PLAY.
 What sets, lights, costumes, and props do they use?
71. Setting
 Where a story is SET.
 The real HOMS 
 “windows that can’t breathe”
 “swollen door”
72. SHORT STORY
 LOOK FOR THE WORD SHORT in the answer choices, and
you’ve got the right answer. You’re welcome.
73. SIMILE
 A comparison between 2 unlike things USING the words
like, as, than, or resembles.
 My scholars are as bright as the sun.
74. SOLILOQUY
 LONG speech given by a character alone by themselves.
 SOLO = alone
 SOLOlilquy…
75. SONNET
 Think of a woman who had 14 sons.
 She wrote a 14 line poem about how she had a net of sons.
76. SPEAKER
 Voice talking to us in a poem.
 You hear a voice over the SPEAKER.
 “Legal Alien” = voice of a Mexican American who is lost in
her culture.
77. STANZA
 GROUP OF CONSECUTIVE LINES IN A POEM THAT FORM
A SINGLE UNIT.
 Think STANZA, STANDS ALONE
 The chunks of a poem.
78. STYLE
 PARTICULAR WAY AN AUTHOR USES LANGUAGE.
 Just like YOU have a fashion style to wear clothes your
way, authors use language in different ways to create
style.
 Edgar Allan Poe = scary, moody, emotional, twisted =
represented through his repetition and varies short and
long sentences.
79. SUSPENSE
 ANXIETY the reader feels about the reading.
 SUSPENSE…what events will COMMENCE?!
 Someone thinks you’re a suspect for a murder..you get
NERVOUS...you get ANXIETY!!
80. SYMBOL
 SYMBOL is SOMETHING that STANDS for SOMETHING
81. TALL TALE
 That mountain is SO tall and SO far.
 A tale that is exaggerated and far-fetched (unbelievable).
 Paul Bunyan : giant, tall lumberjack
82. THEME
 CENTRAL IDEA OF A WORK.
 Usually a phrase
*Love conquers all.
*War tears people apart.
83. TONE
 Attitude a writer has towards a subject.
 Think of your mother saying, “WATCH THAT TONE OF
VOICE YOUNG LADY…”
84. TRAGEDY
 UNHAPPY ENDING
 OPPOSITE OF COMEDY.
85. VOICE
 Distinctive use of language in a text.
 The speaker may be a mother and her voice is motherly,
nurturing, caring, and loving.
 The author uses specific words (language) to create the
character of the mother.
 “Honey…” “M’am”
Term # 86. ARGUMENT
 Definition: a series of statements in a text
designed to convince us of something
 Example:
Persuasive Essay – you argue your opinion
 Memorization Tip: You get into an
arGUMent with your teacher on why you
should be able to chew GUM in class.
87. CAUSE and EFFECT
 HOW and WHY one thing leads to another.
 Do not study for the test  Poor score on the test
 Bad attitude in class  Parent conference
 Be rude and disrespectful in class  Receive a referral
 Drop out of high school  Earn minimum wage
88.CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
 TIME ORDER.
 CHRO
 CHROME…
 CHROME watches
 Watches tell time..
89. CLAIM
 CLAIM = OPINION
 CLAIM rhymes with LAME
 My opinion is that dogs are lame.
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)
ALLEGORY
 SYMBOLIC STORY (characters/events/actions STAND for
something)
 ALLEGORY RHYMES WITH STORY!!!
 “The Golden Kite, Silver Wind” (2 towns building walls
represent 2 countries in an arms race)