Terms Library

80 terms available (80 default + 0 yours)

Showing 80 terms

Active Voice

Grammar

The subject performs the action of the verb

Allegory

Literary Devices

A story with a hidden symbolic meaning

Alliteration

Poetry

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

Literary Devices

An indirect reference to another text, person, or event

Analysis

Writing/Essay

Explanation of how evidence supports the claim

Anaphora

Rhetoric

Repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses

Antagonist

Vocabulary

A character or force that opposes the protagonist

Antithesis

Rhetoric

Contrasting ideas in parallel structure

Archetype

Literary Devices

A universal symbol, character type, or story pattern

Assonance

Poetry

Repetition of vowel sounds within words

Bildungsroman

Literary Devices

A coming-of-age story focused on character's moral and psychological growth

Body Paragraph

Writing/Essay

Paragraphs between introduction and conclusion that develop the argument

Call to Action

Rhetoric

A direct request for the audience to take specific action

Characterization

Vocabulary

The methods used to develop characters

Citation

Writing/Essay

Acknowledgment of sources used in writing

Climax

Vocabulary

The turning point or moment of highest tension in a story

Conclusion

Writing/Essay

The final paragraph that wraps up the essay

Conflict

Vocabulary

The central problem or struggle in a story

Connotation

Vocabulary

The emotional or cultural associations of a word

Consonance

Poetry

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words

Context Clues

Vocabulary

Hints in surrounding text that help determine word meaning

Counterclaim

Writing/Essay

An opposing argument to your thesis

Denotation

Vocabulary

The literal, dictionary definition of a word

Dependent Clause

Grammar

A clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence

Dialogue

Vocabulary

Conversation between characters

Diction

Vocabulary

The author's word choice

Dramatic Irony

Literary Devices

When the audience knows something characters don't

Enjambment

Poetry

When a sentence or phrase continues beyond the end of a line

Ethos

Rhetoric

Appeal to credibility and character

Euphemism

Literary Devices

A mild or indirect expression substituted for harsh reality

Evidence

Writing/Essay

Facts, examples, or quotations that support a claim

Foreshadowing

Literary Devices

Hints or clues about future events in the story

Fragment

Grammar

An incomplete sentence missing subject or verb

Hook

Writing/Essay

An attention-grabbing opening sentence or paragraph

Hyperbole

Literary Devices

Extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect

Imagery

Literary Devices

Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses

In Medias Res

Literary Devices

Beginning a story in the middle of action

Independent Clause

Grammar

A complete sentence that can stand alone

Inference

Vocabulary

A conclusion based on evidence and reasoning

Irony

Literary Devices

A contrast between expectation and reality

Juxtaposition

Literary Devices

Placing two elements side by side to highlight contrast

Logos

Rhetoric

Appeal to logic and reason

Metaphor

Literary Devices

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"

Meter

Poetry

The rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Modifier

Grammar

A word or phrase that describes or limits another word

Mood

Vocabulary

The emotional atmosphere or feeling created for the reader

Motif

Literary Devices

A recurring element that has symbolic significance

Onomatopoeia

Literary Devices

Words that imitate sounds

Oxymoron

Literary Devices

A figure of speech combining contradictory terms

Paradox

Literary Devices

A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals truth

Parallel Structure

Grammar

Using the same grammatical form for similar elements

Passive Voice

Grammar

The subject receives the action of the verb

Pathos

Rhetoric

Appeal to emotion

Personification

Literary Devices

Giving human characteristics to non-human things

Plagiarism

Writing/Essay

Using someone else's work or ideas without proper credit

Point of View

Vocabulary

The perspective from which a story is told

Predicate

Grammar

The part of a sentence that tells what the subject does

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Grammar

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender

Protagonist

Vocabulary

The main character in a literary work

Rebuttal

Writing/Essay

A response that refutes a counterclaim

Repetition

Rhetoric

Repeated use of words or phrases for emphasis

Resolution

Vocabulary

The conclusion where conflicts are resolved

Rhetorical Question

Rhetoric

A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer

Rhyme Scheme

Poetry

The pattern of rhymes at the end of lines

Run-on Sentence

Grammar

Two or more independent clauses incorrectly joined

Satire

Literary Devices

Use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize

Setting

Vocabulary

The time and place where a story occurs

Simile

Literary Devices

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Stanza

Poetry

A grouped set of lines in a poem

Stream of Consciousness

Literary Devices

Narrative technique that depicts character's continuous flow of thoughts

Subject-Verb Agreement

Grammar

Subjects and verbs must agree in number

Symbolism

Literary Devices

Using an object, person, or situation to represent something else

Syntax

Grammar

The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences

Theme

Vocabulary

The central idea or underlying meaning of a literary work

Thesis Statement

Writing/Essay

The main argument or claim of an essay

Tone

Vocabulary

The author's attitude toward the subject or audience

Topic Sentence

Writing/Essay

The main idea of a paragraph

Transition

Writing/Essay

Words or phrases that connect ideas between sentences or paragraphs

Understatement

Literary Devices

Deliberately representing something as less important than it is

Unreliable Narrator

Literary Devices

A narrator whose credibility is compromised