Mrs. Coon’s terms to know
1. simile – a comparison that uses like or as
2. metaphor – a comparison that does not use like or as
3. personification – giving human qualities to non-human things
4. hyperbole – wild exaggeration
5. plot – the order of events in a story
6. setting – where and when a story takes place
7. theme – the main idea or message
8. genre – the type of literature (poetry, prose, drama)
9. onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meanings
10. characterization – the way the author creates and develops the characters
11. mood – the way the reader is supposed to feel
12. conflict – the struggle between forces
types of conflict
man vs. self – protagonist struggles within himself/herself (internal)
man vs. man – protagonist struggles against someone else
man vs. nature – protagonist struggles with an element of nature
man vs. society – protagonist struggles with the values of his/her society
man vs. the supernatural or fate – protagonist must struggle against a fact of life
or death over which people have little control
13. symbol – an object that represents something else
14. imagery – the use of description to create a picture in the reader’s mind
15. irony – when something unexpected happens, usually the opposite
16. protagonist – the main character that solves the problem
17. antagonist – the character or force that causes the problem
18. flashback – a glimpse into the past
19. alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds
20. stanza – a paragraph in poetry
21. rhyme- the repetition of sounds at the ends of words (words that sound the same)
internal rhyme- rhyme within a line
22. free verse – a poem with no set pattern or rhyme (no rules)
23. blank verse – a poem with a set rhythm (beat) but no rhyme
24. ballad – a songlike poem that tells a story (usually has a refrain)
25. sonnet – a poem with fourteen lines (usually rhymes)
26. haiku – a three-line poem; the first and third lines have five syllables and the
second line has seven syllables
27. couplet – a pair of rhyming lines
28. repetition – the repeating of a word, phrase, or idea
29. foreshadowing – hints or clues about what will happen later in the story
30. narrator – the speaker or character who tells the story
31. point of view – the view of the narrator
first person – a character in the story is telling the story; refers to himself/herself
as “I”
second person – narrator speaks directly to the reader and refers to the reader as
“you” (seldom used)
third person – a voice outside the story is telling the story; refers to the
characters as “he,” “she,” “they”
Three types of third person narration:
1. omniscient – all-knowing - narrator provides information about
everything in the story (can tell characters’ feelings and thoughts)
2. limited omniscient – narrator knows thoughts and feelings of only one
character
3. objective – reader is told only what happens and what is said (no thoughts
or feelings)
32. tone – the author’s attitude toward his/her subject
33. allegory – when people and events in the story represent meanings outside the
story
34. paradox – a contradictory (clashing) statement that has valid meaning
*The sound of silence helps me fall asleep.
oxymoron – a combination of words that contradict each other
*bittersweet, freezer burn
35. organizational pattern– how information is arranged
chronological order – time order
order of importance – arranged from most important to least important OR least
important to most important
compare and contrast – how things are alike and different
cause and effect – who/what starts the problem/situation and the results
use of examples – the authors gives examples to help the reader understand
question and answer – the author asks a question and gives an answer
spatial – parts are described by their location in space (back to front, top to
bottom, left to right)
classification – items are grouped in categories
sensory details – details that appeal to sight, sound, smell, taste, and/or touch
rhetorical questions – questions with obvious answers
*How dumb do you think I am? (no response is expected)
36. anecdote – a story
37. literal – directly stating what is happening
*It is raining.
38. figurative – using the literary terms to say something in a more creative manner
*It is raining cats and dogs.
39. dialect – language that is used in a region
*In Northern New York, we call submarine sandwiches subs.
versus
*On Long Island, New York, they call submarine sandwiches grinders