Literary Terms and Rhetorical Devices

What is the definition of 'Allegory'?

• A story in which the characters or events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation.

• A poem that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.

• A humorous play or film intended to make an audience laugh.

• A brief statement or account of the main points of something.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

What is an 'Anecdote'?

• A brief story or tale.

• A scientific theory.

• A mathematical equation.

• A type of poem.

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

What is 'Characterization'?

• The process by which the author reveals the personality of a character (how the character feels, acts, thinks, what others think about the character, and what the character says).

• The sequence of events that make up a story.

• The time and place in which a story takes place.

• The struggle between opposing forces in a story.

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

What is 'Diction (word choice)'?

• Specific word choice used to create an effect.

• A type of figurative language involving exaggeration.

• The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

• A comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.L.8.6

What is 'Figurative language'?

• Language that differs from the literal meaning of words and phrases.

• Language that only uses literal meanings.

• Language that is always formal and technical.

• Language that avoids any kind of comparison.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.5A

CCSS.RL.3.4

What is 'Alliteration'?

• Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of closely connected words.

• Use of words that imitate sounds.

• A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

• Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

What is 'Allusion'?

• An implied or indirect reference; an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly.

• A direct statement or declaration.

• A type of irony where the opposite of what is meant is said.

• A detailed description of a character's physical appearance.

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What is a 'Metaphor'?

• A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance; comparison that does not use like or as.

• A word that imitates the sound it represents.

• A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion.

• A comparison using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

What is 'Hyperbole'?

• An extreme exaggeration.

• A type of metaphor.

• A form of understatement.

• A direct comparison.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.5A

What is a 'Simile'?

• Comparison using like or as.

• A type of metaphor.

• A form of exaggeration.

• A statement that contradicts itself.

Tags

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4