LITERARY TERMS
Grade 7, 2013
ALLITERATION
 The repetition of the beginning sounds in groups of words,
usually at the beginning of words.
 Ex. Descending dew drops, luscious lemons.
ANTAGONI ST/PROTAGONI ST
 Antagonist: the major character in a narrative or drama that works
against the protagonist.
 Protagonist: the main character!
 Ex: Cinderella is the protagonist and her step-mother is the
antagonist.
ATMOSPHERE
 The overall emotional impression we get from the words, images,
setting, and pace of a story.
 Ex: The atmosphere in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is light and
even humerous at times, that is until the book nears the end and we
get an ominous feeling.
CLIMAX
 The highest point of interest in a piece of writing
 After the climax the piece of writing will resolve itself and come
to an end
CONFLICT
 Internal: emotional struggle inside a person, often involving a
choice/decision.
 External: a struggle with an outside force
• Interpersonal – between people
• Nature
• Society
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
 a form of language use in which writers and speakers convey
something other than the literal meaning of their words.
 Ex: “Shake a leg,” “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”
FOCAL POINT
 The main area of interest in a visual.
FLASHBACK
 an interruption of a work's chronology to describe or present an
incident that occurred prior to the main time frame of a work's action
 Ex: There were many flashbacks in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
For example, Bruno and his family were already in Out-With when he
thought back to the train ride that lead them to their new home.
FORESHADOWING
 A technique for providing clues about events that may happen
later in the story.
 In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Shmuel declares that he has never
seen a group return after a march. This leads the audience to think
that maybe the boys and their group will not return.
FREE VERSE
 Poems without any pattern of rhyme, rhythm, meter, or stanza.
 Ex:
Fog by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
HYPERBOLE
 A ridiculous exaggeration. Used for humorous or dramatic effect.
 Ex. It rained cats and dogs!
IMAGERY
 Language that creates pictures in a reader’s mind to bring life to
the experiences and feelings described in writing. Imagery appeals to
the five senses!
 Ex:
IRONY
 Created when the speaker/writer intends a meaning that is
opposite to the words that are said/written. It is a form of sarcasm.
 Ex: “Knows she can’t skate, by!”
LITERAL MEANING
 Language that means exactly what it says.
 Ex: Using this camera literally is a slice of cake!
METAPHOR
 A direct comparison, NOT using “like” or “as.”
 Ex: “The assignment was a breeze.”
MOOD
 The overall feeling created by the author’s choice of words.
 Ex: The mood is light througout most of The Boy in the Striped
Pajamas.
PERSONIFICATION
 Human qualities or actions are given to non-human beings or
objects.
 Ex: The car happily squeeled down the highway.
PLOT
 the unified structure of incidents in a literary work. (exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
POINT OF VIEW
 The perspective used to tell a story.
 First person – uses I.
 Second Person – uses you, but not I.
 Third Person – uses he/she. The narrator tells the story but isn’t
part of it (fly-on-the-wall).
 Third Person Omniscient – uses he/she to tell the thoughts and
feelings of more than one character (a god-like narrator).
SETTING
 Time
 Place
 Circumstance/situation
SIMILE
 A comparison using “like” or “as.”
 Ex:
SYMBOLISM
 Using something concrete (object, person, etc.) to represent
something abstract (like a feeling, idea, or concept).
 Ex: The Canadian Cancer Society has chosen the daffodil as a
symbol of hope in the fight against cancer.
THEME
 The main idea or message that the author wants to communicate.
It should be written as a sentence, not as a word.
 Ex: “Denial” cannot be a theme, but “Even the most horrific
events can disappear with denial” can be a theme.
TONE
 The Feelings and emotions that the author puts into his/her
writing.
 Eg: horror, happiness, sadness etc