First Semester Literary Terms 2025

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Flashback

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A narrative technique that presents material that occurred prior to the opening scene of the work.

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Climax

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The turning point in a story, where the main conflict reaches its highest intensity.

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Biography

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A true story written by someone about someone else’s life.

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Nonfiction

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A story that is true, based on real events and facts.

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Symbolism

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The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, where something stands or represents something else.

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Fiction

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A narrative that is created from the imagination, not based on real events.

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Autobiography

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A true story written by a person about their own life.

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Alliteration

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The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

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Verbal Irony

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A figure of speech in which the speaker says one thing but means another.

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Connotation

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The implied or associative meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.