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.

ANTAGONIST/PROTAGONIST

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