ENGLISH
TERMINOLOGY
EXPLAINED
MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE
 Novel- a fictitious prose (sequence) narrative (account) of book
length, typically representing character and action with some
degree of realism.
 Poem-a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both
speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually
metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter,
rhyme, and “stanzaic” structure.
 Drama- a play for theater, radio, or television.
 Short story- a story with a fully developed theme but significantly
shorter and less elaborate than a novel.
 Novella- a short novel or long short story.
CLASSIC MAJOR GENRES OF LITERATURE
 Romance
 Tragedy
 Comedy
 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.
 Drama- stories composed in verse or prose where conflicts and
emotion are expressed through dialogue and action
COMMON FICTION GENRES
 Drama
 Fable
 Fairy Tale
 Fantasy
 Folklore
 Historical fiction
 Horror
 Humor
 Legend
 Mystery
COMMON FICTION GENRES CONT.
 Myth
 Poetry
 Realistic fiction
 Science fiction
 Short story
 Tall tale
COMMON NONFICTION GENRES
 Biography/ Autobiography- Narrative of a person's life. A true story
about a real person.
 Essay-A short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or
point.
 Narrative nonfiction- Factual information presented in a format which
tells a story.
 Speech- public address
EXPOSITORY VS. PERSUASION
Expository Writing- written to explain information
about something or someone. “You” and “I” should
not be used in them.
Persuasion Writing- written to persuade or
convince a person to take action to something,
such as buy an item or protest against or for
something.
POINT OF VIEW
 Point of view- the perspective from which the story is told.
 First-person point of view is in use when a character narrates the
story with I-me-my-mine in his or her speech.
 Second-person point of view, in which the author uses you and your, is
rare; authors seldom speak directly to the reader.
 Third-person point of view is that of an outsider looking at the action.
 third-person omniscient: when the thoughts of every character are
open to the reader,
 third-person limited: when the reader enters only one character's
mind, either throughout the entire work or in a specific section.
LITERARY ELEMENTS/ FIGURES OF SPEECH
 Personification- technique of giving a non-human thing human qualities
 Rhyme-correspondence of sound between words
 Simile- comparison between two unlike things, using a connector word
such as “like” or “as”
 Onomatopoeia- “sound” words
 Imagery- language that appeals to the senses
 Symbol- something that stands for itself and something beyond itself
 Metaphor- comparison between two unlike things that does not use a
connector word
 Alliteration- repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds
LITERARY ELEMENTS CONT.
 Oxymoron- A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in
conjunction

Examples: bitter sweet, fast turtle, only choice, etc.
 Hyperbole- the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be
used to evoke strong feelings, but is not meant to be taken literally
 Examples:
 The bag weighed a ton
 I died laughing
 Analogy- Comparison made between TWO things to show HOW they are related.
 Example: Doctors perform surgery just as singers perform music.
 Example: Dog is to puppy as cat is to kitten.
 Euphemism- a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is
unpleasant or offensive
 Example: correctional facility instead of jail
CONFLICT
 Conflict- a struggle between opposing forces or characters.
 Internal Conflict- a struggle that takes place entirely within a character’s
own mind.
 External Conflict- a struggle between a character and an outside force.
The outside force could be another character, or society as a whole, or
something in nature.
IRONY
 Irony- Contrast between expectation and reality
 Verbal irony- A writer of speaker says one thing but really means
something completely different.
 Situational irony- When there is a contrast between what would
seem appropriate and what really happens.
 Dramatic Irony- When the reader or audience knows something
important that the character does not.
PLOT