Literary Terms
Flashback - When the author goes back in time to fill in details about how situations or events came to be.
Flashforward - When the author jumps forward to the present or future.
Point of View (POV) - The point of view refers to WHO is telling or narrating the story. Who tells a story or explains events has a HUGE impact on that story . Can you think of a time when someone had a very different version of an event you experienced? There are three types of "Point of View" -
First Person Point of View - With first person point of view, the main character is telling the story. Readers will see the words "I," "me" or "we" in first person writing.
Second Person Point of View - When writing from a second person POV, the writer has the narrator speaking to the reader. The words "you," "your," and "yours" are used from this point of view. Often instructions and recipes are written in "Second Person."
Third Person Point of View - Third person point of view has an external narrator telling the story. This perspective can be singular or plural, as well as gender specific or gender neutral. Words like "he," "she," "it," or "they" are used in this point of view.
Foreshadowing - A technique that the author uses to provide a hint or idea about an event or events that are likely to happen later in the story.
Exposition - Background information about a fictional piece of writing. Authors are often creative in how they weave in information that help the reader understand a story.
Figurative Language -
Simile - Comparing two things using the terms "like" or "as." I was like a cat, and he was a mouse.
Metaphor - Comparing two thing directly without "like" or "as." He is a fierce tiger.
Alliteration - the repeating of consonant sounds. "Taco Tuesday,"" Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers."
Hyperbole - An exaggeration. "The shopping cost me a million dollars,"
Personification - Giving human qualities to an inanimate (non-living) object. "The fire danced in the moonlight."
Inference - a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
Author's Tone - Tone indicates the writer's attitude. Often an author's tone is described by adjectives, such as: cynical, depressed, sympathetic, cheerful, outraged, positive, angry, sarcastic, prayerful, ironic, solemn, vindictive, intense, excited.
Use the drop-down menu to view the "Literary Terms" we are reviewing in class.