LITERARY ELEMENTS & LANGUAGE TERMS – SET #2
NEW TERMS
CHARACTERIZATION
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT/CHARACTERIZATION: The process by which writers reveal their characters’ traits
(qualities)
a. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION: The author directly describes the character, taking away the reader’s option to
visualize the character in the reader’s own terms.
b. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION: The author allows the reader the freedom to create the character in the
reader’s mind. This can be accomplished with any of the following:
a. Appearance: What the character looks like; How s/he carries her/himself
b. Speech: What the character says and how s/he says it.
c. The Opinions of Others
d. The Character’s Thoughts
e. Actions: What the character does in certain situations.
CHARACTER MOTIVATION: The reasons behind a character’s actions; why a character does what he/she does.
REVIEW TERMS
DENOTATION: The dictionary or literal meaning of a word.
 Ex: Sad = Feeling or showing sorrow; unhappy
 Ex: Devastated = Feeling or showing severe and overwhelming sense of shock or grief.
CONNOTATION: All the meanings, associations, or feelings that a word suggests. The meaning derived from a word’s
context. Connotative meanings can be positive negative or neutral
 Ex: While devastated is similar in denotative meaning to sad, it has a much harsher connotation
***NOTE: D as in Denotation stands for DICTIONARY definition. C as in Connotation stands for the definition derived
from the word’s CONTEXT in the passage.
FLASHBACK: A transition in a story to an earlier time that interrupts the normal chronological order of events
SITUATIONAL IRONY: Occurs when the reader expects one thing, but the opposite occurs – the unexpected. A
discrepancy between the expected result and the actual result
SYMBOL/SYMBOLISM: The use of a person, place, object, or activity to represent something more than itself.
Example: A white dove is a bird that represents peace. The American flag represents our nation.
IMAGERY/SENSORY LANGUAGE: Words and phrases that appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and/or
taste. Sensory details create vivid descriptions that re-create sensory experiences for the reader, creating “word pictures.”
 Ex: Flashes of lightning illuminated the ink-black sky. Another cobweb stuck to her cold, clammy skin. The
foul smell of dead mice hung in the air. She could not get the metallic taste of fear out of her mouth. There
was an ominous scratching on the door.
MOOD: The feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader using imagery and setting details. This is
described by a single adjective (ex. a scary mood, an inviting mood, a suspenseful mood).
TONE: The writer’s/narrator’s/character’s attitude toward the subject or audience he or she is addressing. This is
described by a single adjective (ex. a sarcastic tone, a playful tone, a bitter tone).
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