Literary Terms

a type of personification that gives human characteristics to non-humans or objects, especially animals.

• metaphor

• anthropomorphism

• hyperbole

• simile

a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect

• irony

• ethos

• logos

• antithesis

a very short story that is usually interesting or amusing and concerns real people and real incidents

• anecdote

• novel

• novella

• poem

when an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it; can use similes or metaphors

• synonym

• analogy

• contrast

• explanation

a brief reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance

• alliteration

• symbolism

• allusion

• metaphor

when a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series

• rhyme

• consonance

• onomatopoeia

• alliteration

a story in which every single character, image, and event is symbolic for a bigger story

• allegory

• anecdote

• personal narrative

• informational text

when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds

• alliteration

• assonance

• rhyme scheme

• repetition

a literary device that is used in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story

• protagonist

• plot diagram

• characterization

• rhetoric

involves a struggle between two opposing forces to create a plot, usually between the protagonist and the antagonist

• conflict

• resolution

• exposition

• rising action