1. Literary Terms

2. 1.Abstract- expressing a quality apart from an object; the opposite of concrete. 2.Aesthetic- appreciative of things that are pleasing to the senses. 3.Allusion- a reference to another story or poem. 4.Analogy- comparison of two or more things that are similar in some ways. 5.Analysis- thorough and careful study and interpretation of a written work. 6.Annotation- critical or explanatory comments on a literary work. 7.Archetype- a character that appears in literature around the world. (e.g. the wicked stepmother) 8.Argument- writing or speaking to persuade. 9.Autobiography- a writer tells his/her life story. 10.Catalogue- a collection of literary works.

3. 11. Close Reading- reading carefully for in-depth meaning/analysis. 12. Colloquial- informal; conversational. 13. Connotation- the set of ideas associated with a word. 14.Context Clues- parts of a passage that explain the meaning of a word. 15.Definitional Essay- an essay that focuses on defining its main topic. 16.Descriptive- writing that uses sensory details; sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. 17.Denotation- the dictionary meaning of a word. 18. Diction – word choice. 19.Documentary- a written or film work that documents its subject matter. 20.Evaluative- involving evaluation, study, or analysis. 21.Evocative- causing an emotional response.

4. 22. Expository – a writing or speech that explains a process or presents information. 23. Figurative Language – writing or speech that should not be taken literally. 24. Free Verse – poetry that is not written in a regular pattern of meter or rhyme. 25. Graphic Organizer – a strategy to help you organize your thoughts or plan an essay. 26. Imagery – descriptive and/or figurative language used to create mental pictures for the reader. 27. Inference – the act of progressing from one true statement to the belief that another statement is true because it follows it. 28. Interpretive – explaining or telling the meaning of. 29. Kinetic – involving movement or motion.

5. 30. Literal – the actual meaning of words. 31. Literary Analysis – the examining and breaking down of a literary work. 32. Memoir – a story based on a personal experience. 33. Metacognitive – involving several different types of thought processes. 34. Metaphor – a direct comparison. 35. Motif – a dominant idea or central theme. 36. Myth –a fictional tale that describes the actions of gods and heroes. 37. Narrative – a story told in nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or drama.

6. 38. Novella – a work of fiction whose length is between a short story and a novel. 39. Olfactory – related to the sense of smell. 40. Oral History – history obtained through tape- recorded interviews. 41. Oxymoron – a combination of words that contradict each other. (e.g. a wise fool or a jumbo shrimp) 42. Paradox – a statement that seems contradictory but may actually express a deeper truth. 43. Parallel Structure – written structures that mirror each other. 44. Paraphrase – re-stating text in other words. 45. Personification –giving a non-human subject human characteristics.

7. 46. Poetry – writing in verse that creates a mental image for the reader or provokes an emotional response. 47. Reflection – a period of self-analysis and/or self evaluation. 48. Repetition – the act of repeating something. 49. Rhetoric –the art of speaking or writing effectively 50. Rhyme – the repetition of similar sounds in a poem. 51. Rhyme scheme – labeling the similar sounds in a poem with letters of the alphabet. 52. Rubric – a model for evaluating a spoken or written work.

8. 53. Satire – a written work that ridicules the foolishness of an individual or society in general. 54. Scholarly – characteristic of a learned person. 55. Simile – a comparison that uses “like” or “as”. 56. Simple Sentence – the main subject and verb of a sentence. 57. Stanza – a repeated grouping of two or more lines in a poem. 58. Summary – a brief covering of the main points. 59. Symbol – a character, place, or thing that stands for something else, often an abstract idea. 60. Tactile – involving the sense of touch. 61. Theme – a central message about life that is revealed through a literary work. 62. Tone – the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter and audience. (examples: bitter, ironic, humorous)