a comparison of two or more unlike things often using a form of the word "be" to achieve the comparison. Forms of "be" -- is, was, were, am, & are.

in a piece of writing or speech, it is the attitude the reader or listener infers from the words that are written or spoken.

When you read or hear something, it is the visual pictures that help you imagine a sensory (sight, sound, touch, tatste, smell) description of the scene being described.

two or more words that are different but contain similar sounds.

an extreme exaggeration that cannot happen.

a reference to someone, something, or some place that the majority of knowledgeable people would recognize.

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

the language or way of talk & expression of people from certain regions.

words that imitate sounds.

giving human qualities to inanimate objects or things that are not human.

words that are often created to fit the "times" but usually cannot be interpreted literally.

the musical "feel" or "bounce" of words often created by stressed and unstressed syllables or rhyming sounds; it is most often found in music & poetry.

a group of lines that are repeated throughout a poem, speech, song, etc. . . . the following group of lines would be repeated throughout the song.

this term is basically self-explanatory; it is the process of repeating certain words or short phrases at different times throughout a literary piece.

the person or thing that is telling the poem or story. The author is not always the person telling the poem or story.

created when someone takes another person's piece of work and makes a fun or silly imitation or interpretation of it.

the series of events in a story that usually go from exposition, to rising action to climax, to falling action, to resolution.

the most exciting or suspense-filled part of a story.

the inferred life lesson that the author seemingly wants you to take away from his or her piece of literature.

the way in which a play/drama is divided.

the conversation between two or more characters in a piece of literature often indicated by the use of "quotation marks" surrounding the conversations.

to tell about a person, place, or thing using sensory details such as appearance, sound, taste, feel, smell, etc.

the beginning of a story OR to explain or tell something.

the act of convincing someone through the use of ethos, pathos, or logos to believe as you do.

when someone uses their credibility or trustworthiness to convince you to believe as they do.

when someone uses emotionally powerful words to convince you to believe as they do.

when someone uses logical reasons to convince you to believe as they do.

the telling of a story by a speaker.

the speaker who tells the story.

when a character figuratively "leaves" the present and "goes back" (in an author-chosen way) to an earlier time in their life.

the main character of a work of literature, does not have to be the hero, just the MAIN character around which the story usually revolves.

any person, place, thing, or idea that is in conflict in some way with the main character.

a clever or creative play on words that have multiple-meanings or ways to present them or interpret them. This play on words is often used by people attempting to make a joke.

occurs when at least "2" words seem to contradict themselves according to the dictionary definition of the individual words that make-up the contradiction.

a problem or adversity within a literary piece, can result from people problems, place problems, "thing" problems, or characters having problems with an idea or concept.

a time, place, or social condition where a literary piece takes place.

to put something in your own words, not necessarily summarizing, but getting to the point in a more concise/brief manner.

pieces of writing or speech that are TRUE because they are based on something that actually happened.

pieces of writing or speech that are NOT TRUE or fake because "it" did not happen.

a worn out phrase or saying that has been used so much that it has become "played-out". When you are writing, avoid such too overused phrases or sayings.

when a writer or speaker through description or implied statements HINTS at what is to come in the future of the story of speech.

poetry that tells a specific story.

poetry that presents life in a general manner and does not focus on a specific story.

the dictionary definition of a word or phrase.

the emotional meaning that individuals associate with a word or phrase on a more profound or personal level.

when you say one thing, but mean something else.

when a situation or event contradicts expectations.

when the audience of a play, movie, or other piece of art is aware of something that the characters are not.

a form of verbal irony that is directed at a person, with the intent to criticize, insult, or be humorous/facetious, at least in the "insulter's" mind.

a question asked to make a point. The "question asker" is not looking for an answer. The question is meant to get the audience to think deeper.

a story, poem, or other written work that can be interpreted to have a secondary or deeper, more profound meaning about life.