Alliteration

 When an author or poet chooses to have a few words
in a row start with the same consonant sound for
effect.
 EX: when the Same Sound Starts Several words in a
row.
 EX: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.
Antagonist

 The person or force that works against the purposes
of the main character in a narrative.
 E.G: If Batman is the main character, then Joker is his
antagonist.
 Note that the main character and the antagonist can
be the same person, if one part of his personality is
working against other parts.
Assonance

 Repeated use of the same vowel sound within a line
of poetry or a sentence to create internal rhyme
 EX: Windows tinted on my ride when I drive in it, so
when I rob a bank run out and just dive in it, so i'll
be disguised in it. And if anybody identifies the guy
in it, i hide for five minutes. Come back, shoot the
eye witness. Fire at the private eye hired to pry in
my business… --Eminem, Criminal
Atmosphere

 The dominant feeling that comes across in a poem.
 Ex: sad, gloomy, terrifying, mysterious, joyful,
cheery, serene, etc.
 (See also: MOOD)
Autobiography

 The life story of someone, written by that person.
Ballad

 A ballad is a poem that tells a fairly simple story
(narrative). It usually has an easily identified,
powerful metre and strong rhymes in an ABAB or
AABB pattern. Some ballads are also set to music.
Biography

 The life story of a person, written by someone else.
Character

 A person, defined by their personality traits.
 It is not enough to say, « a person in a story », you
must also define what KIND of person they are.
 For example, Katniss, the main character in The Hunger
Games is an intelligent, resourceful character.
Chronological order

 In order by time (first to last, or last to first).
Cliché

 A descriptive phrase that is extremely overused.
When they were original, they were new and very
useful, but now they are overdone (and to be
avoided).
 Salvador Dali once said, « The first man to compare a
girl’s cheeks to a rose was a poet. The second was an
idiot. »
Climax

 The point of maximum tension in a narrative.
Comedy

 In literature, a comedy is any work that does not end
in tragedy
 In other words, anything with a happy ending.
 In common use, it is something designed to make the
audience laugh…but in literature, « happy ending »
is the best answer.
Comparison

 To « compare » is to show how things are similar.
 If you are asked to COMPARE the characters of
Hermia and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
you will show what these two characters have in
common.
 (E.G. They are female, they are assertive, they are
having men problems, etc)
Conflict

 What gets a narrative moving. It is the action of one
force against another.
 The general forms of conflict are:




Person vs. Person
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Fate
Person vs. Self
 There is no good story without conflict!!
Consonance

 Repetition of the same consonant sound several
times in quick succession (note that alliteration is at
the BEGINNING of words; otherwise, they are the
same!)
 Ex: All MaMMals naMed saM are claMMy
Contrast

 To contrast is to show how two things are different.
 (The opposite of compare)
Couplet

 Two lines of poetry that form a stanza together.
Often, these lines rhyme.
 Ex:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
Dénouement

 A French term, literally meaning « unknotting »
 The part of a narrative after the conflict is resolved,
where any loose ends are tied up.
 Not all narratives have a dénouement.
Dialogue

 Writing that literally shows characters speaking.
 In drama, plays are written mostly as dialogue, with
a few directions in between.
 Most other forms of writing show dialogue with
quotation marks.
Diary

 A personal, private journal. People who keep diaries
often write in them daily.
 Sometimes, these are published as a literary work
(The Diary of Anne Frank)
 Sometimes, stories are written in diary form, from
the point of view of one character or several
characters.
Drama

 Any literary work intended to be performed in front
of an audience.
 Plays, skits, TV episodes, films and commercials are
all examples of drama.
Dynamic character

 « Dynamic » means changing.
 A dynamic character is one who undergoes an
important change from the start to the end of a text.
 For example, a character may start out tough and
self-centered and then learn how to be more caring
and compassionate over the course of a story.
Exposition

 The exposition at the start of a narrative tells us:
 WHO is involved in the story (characters)
 WHERE and WHEN the story takes place (setting)
 WHAT the conflict will be
 It is the « set-up » part of a story.
Expository Essay

 Expository is from the word « expose ».
 This is an essay which EXPLAINS something.
External conflict

 This is conflict which happens between a character
(or characters) and someone or something else.
 EXTERNAL means outside.
 Person vs. Nature would be an example of an
external conflict.
Falling Action

 The portion of a narrative where the tension becomes
less and less.
Figurative language

 Figurative language is anything not meant to be
taken literally. It is using words for more than just
their connotation.
 Some examples of figurative langauge are similes,
metaphors, oxymorons, etc.
First person POV

 When a narrative is in FIRST PERSON, one of the
characters (the point of view character) tells the story
using « I »
 Example: I went to the store and bought a grapefruit.
The grocer looked at me oddly.
 If this were NOT in first person, what would it
sound like?
Flat character

 A flat character is one that has very few personality
traits.
 Think in terms of a paper doll—2-dimensional.
 This sort of character could also be a stereotyped or
stock character.
Foreshadowing

 A literary technique used by a writer to give hints
about what is going to happen later in the narrative.
 Obvious foreshadowing could include phrases like,
« Little did I know what a bad idea that was » (which
tells us that whatever the character did would turn
out badly)
 There are other, more subtle forms of
foreshadowing.
Hyperbole

 The use of extreme exaggeration for effect.
 EX: I have told you a million times what hyperbole
means!
Image

 A part of a poem which gives the reader a picture in
his or her head.
 Some images are sound-, smell-, taste-, or touchbased
 Ex: (from T. S. Eliot’s « The Lovesong of J. Alfred
Prufrock)
Let us go then, you and I
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table,
Imagery

 The use of images to make poetry more interesting
and impactful.
 Note that imagery can be visual (like in the previous
example), or they can be auditory, olfactory, or
appeal to other senses.
Internal conflict

 Conflict that happens within one character.
The only type of INTERNAL CONFLICT is a Person vs.
Self conflict.
Irony

 Irony happens when there is a conflict between what
is expected and what happens.
There are three kinds of irony:
1. DRAMATIC IRONY: the audience knows what’s
going on, but the character(s) don’t
 Ex: We know who the murderer is, but the police in
the movie are still trying to figure it out.
Irony continued

 2. VERBAL IRONY: When what is said and the
meaning are conflicting.
 Ex: The teacher says, « You got 2/20. Good job! »
 3. SITUATIONAL IRONY: When what happens is
completely unexpected, and conflicts with normal
expectations.
 Ex: Man bites dog.
Limited Omniscient
POV

 The story is written from a point of view that lets the
reader know what some characters are thinking, but
not others.
 The story is written in the third person.
 E.G. « He went to the grocery store and looked
carefully at all the fruit. Only the grapefruit looked
fresh. While he hated grapefruit, he rememberedthat
it was his cousin’s favourite. The grocer looked at
him oddly as he checked out. »
Metaphor

 Comparing TWO things that are not normally alike
WITHOUT using « like » or « as ».
EX: My brother’s a pig.
EX:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players
(William Shakespeare, As You Like It, II, 7)
Mood

 The main feeling of a poem (see atmosphere)
Myth

 A story passed down orally which explains a natural
phenomenon.
 E.G. « How the Elephant Got His Trunk »
Narrative

 «Narrative » is another word for story.
A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story. It has a
beginning, a plot, characters, etc.
Narrator

 The person from whose point of view a story (poem,
etc) is written.
 I (Mrs. Cousar) can write a story from the point of
view of a five-year –old:
 Today is my first day in kindergarten. My teacher is
Mister Henderson. He is very tall and not as round as
my Daddy…
The narrator in the story is the five-year-old. The author
is Mrs. Cousar. They are different!!
Objective POV

 A story written from this point of view is written in
the third person, as though a camera were recording
the scene. No thoughts of any characters are
included. Readers have to guess what characters are
thinking and feeling:
 « He walked slowly to the grocery story, his brow
furrowed. Pausing in the fruit aisle, he took his time
examining the apples and citrus fruit. Nodding
slightly, he chose a large yellow grapefruit. As he
reached the checkout counter, the clerk squinted at
him. »
Omniscient POV

 Omniscient means « all knowing ».
 This sort of story is written in third person. In this
case, the reader knows what ALL characters are
thinking and feeling:
 He enjoyedhis short walk to the grocery store. When
he arrived, the smell of fresh fruit caught his full
attention. His cousin was coming to visit, but she
hated most fruit. What type was the only one she
liked? Grapefruit! That was it! He chose a large one .
As he went to pay for it, the grocer was puzzled. Joe
hated all citrus fruit, she remembered. Why was he
buying a grapefruit? »
Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they are. Usually, these are
words that represent sounds.
EX: creak, sproing, eek, bark, crash, etc.
Oxymoron

 Two words that are opposites that are used together
for effect.
Ex: sweet sorrow
Plastic glass
Act naturally
Found missing
Preliminary results
Personification

 When an author gives a non-human thing human
characteristics
EX: The sun smiled down on us on the first day of
spring.
The leaves danced in the wind
Persuasive essay

 An essay (an organized omposition with a thesis)
designed to PERSUADE, or convince, the reader to
agree with an opinion, or to take a certain action.
Plot

 The series of events making up a narrative.
 « First this happened, then this happened, then
this… »
Point of View

 The narrator’s position in relation to the story being
told.
 First person: The narrator is a participant in the
story, often the main character. Clues: « I », « me »
 Second person: The story is told TO the reader, as if
the reader were part of the story. Clues : « you open
the door… » (This is rarely used in literature)
 Third person: The narrator is outside the story,
describing what happens Clues: « She went… » « He
said » etc. (There are several kinds of 3rd person
POV)
Pro and Con argument

 A line of reasoning which talks about the points in
favour of (pro) and against (con) an idea or action.
Protagonist

 The main character of a narrative.
 Generally, the one introduced in the exposition, who
undergoes the conflict.
 EG: In The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen is the
protagonist. In the Harry Potter series, Harry is the
protagonist.
Refrain

 The stanza of a poem that is repeated. In a poem set
to music (a song), we sometimes call this a chorus.
Repetition

 Authors use the same word(s) or phrase(s) over and
over for emphasis.
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
Edgar Allan Poe— ’The Bells’
Resolution

 The point in a narrative where the conflict is settled
and over. Usually near the end, and before the
dénouement (if any).
Rhyme

 Usually at the end of lines of poetry, rhyme is when
two words are the same from their stressed vowel
until the end of the words.
Ex: cat/flat/scat/mat/pat/that
Ex: pride/hide/subside/deride
Ex: extremely/unseemly/seemly
Rhyme Scheme

 A way of showing the rhymes in a poem.
 Generally we replace the rhyme sound at the end of
a line with A. Whenever that sound appears, put an
A. The next sound is B, and so on.
EX: Now on land and sea descending (A)
Brings the night its peace profound
(B)
Let our vesper hymn be blending
(A)
With the holy calm around.
(B)
The rhyme scheme here is ABAB.
Rising Action

 The part of a story between the exposition and the
climax.
 In this part of the story, the tension gets stronger and
stronger, and the conflict is developed.
Round character

 Round characters have many personality traits. They
seem almost like real people.
Setting

 The seting of a poem or a story has TWO parts:
 The TIME (date, or era… »the 60s » or « in medieval
times »)
 The PLACE (England, a small town in the USA, New
York City, the Okanagan Valley)
Simile

 A comparison of two unlike things which uses
« like » or « as ».
 Her smile was as bright as the sun
 Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know
what you’re going to get.
Speaker

 The speaker in a poem functions like the narrator in
a story. It is the person who is « telling » the story,
even if he or she is a fictional character.
 It is very important to know the difference between
narrator/speaker and the AUTHOR.
Stanza

 A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza.
 The « paragraph » of poetry!
Static character

 Static characters are the opposite of dynamic ones.
They do not undergo any significant changes in a
story.
 For example, Homer Simpson never learns anything
from all his silly mistakes. He is a static character.
Stock/Stereotyped
Character

 A stock or stereotyped character is one who can be
summed up in a couple of words, or a short phrase.
 Mad scientist.
 Protective dad
 Soccer mom
You often don’t learn much more about the character
than these few words. Can you picture each one of these?
Style

 In writing, a combination of diction (word choice),
and sentence structure.
 For different purposes, authors might choose short
sentences, and simple words, or complex sentences
and more precise language.
Suspense

 When you are uncertain what will happen next in a
story, and you are anxious to find out what it
is…you are in suspense
Symbol

 A symbol is a THING in a story or poem which
stands for or replaces another thing.
 EG: The stars and stripes represents the United
States
 EG: the moon might represent mystery or magic in a
story
Theme

 The « point » of a story or poem; the lesson about life or
about people in general that it teaches.
 « Love » is not a theme—it is a topic.
 « True love is hard to find » could be a theme.
 « Winning » is not a theme.
 « In order to win, one must sacrifice » could be a theme.
 NOTE: When stating a theme, students MUST NOT
sound like they are giving their teacher advice!
« You have to sacrifice to win » No, I don’t! 
Third person POV

 Any story written in third person POV uses mostly
the pronouns « he », « she » and « they ». The
narrating character is not actively involved in the
story.
 There are several kinds of 3rd person POV: objective,
limited omniscient, and omniscient.
Tone

 The author’s attitude toward the subject of a story or
poem.
 If a poem is about dogs, the author might be praising
dogs’ loyalty, she might be making fun of dogs, or
she might be thinking back fondly on her pet dog.
 These would be a supportive tone, a mocking tone,
or a reminiscent tone.
Verse

 Poetry is sometimes called « verse » (e.g. He wrote
his whole essay in verse! Wow!)
 A line of poetry is called a verse.
 Eg: In Act 1, Scene 2, Verses 4-7, Polonius says…
Register

There are five registers
 Intimate –language of lovers, sexual harrassment (not for
public use!
 Casual (informal) –talking to family, friends, slang
 Consultative – talking to teachers/lawyers/bosses (asking
for help)
 Formal/Academic – public speaking, job interviews,
writing for class
 Frozen – fixed: National Anthem, Lord’s Prayer, etc.
(doesn’t change)
 ALL WORK HANDED IN TO YOUR TEACHER SHOULD BE IN THE
CONSULTATIVE OR FORMAL REGISTERS!
 Rough copies may be in a casual register, but this will not
be accepted for portfolios!