KEY TERMS Alliteration- A repetition of the initial

sounds of several words in a group.

Allusion- A reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another.

Ambiguity- A statement which can contain two or more meanings.

Analogy- A comparison between two similar things

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Antagonist- A person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work.

Climax- The decisive moment, the climax is the point to which the rising action leads.

Conflict- When the protagonist is opposed by some person or force.

Connotation- The connotation of a word is its emotional content.

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Denotation- The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition.

Foil- A character in a play who contrasts another character by comparison.

Foreshadowing- A method used to build suspense by providing hints of what is to come.

Hyperbole- A figure of speech in which an overstatement or exaggeration occurs

Imagery- A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses:

Irony- A literary technique by which the opposite of what is expected occurs.

Metaphor- A figure of speech wherein a comparison is made between two unlike things without the use of the words "like" or "as." 

Narrative- any fictional or non-fictional report of connected events.

Onomatopoeia- A literary device wherein the sound of a word echoes the sound it represents.

Paradox- A situation or a statement that seems to contradict itself.

Personification- A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human characteristics.

Plot- The structure of a story. Protagonist- The hero or central

character of a literary work. 

Setting- The time and place in which a story unfolds. 

Simile- A figure of speech where two unlike quantities are compared, and uses the words "like" or "as" in the comparison.

Soliloquy- A moment when a character is alone and speaks his or her thoughts aloud. 

Theme- An ingredient of a literary work which gives the work unity.

Tone- Tone expresses the author's attitude toward his or her subject.