Literary Terms

Perspective: A certain attitude or manner in which an individual regards something (such as his or her opinion on a topic). A synonym for perspective is Point of View (POV), but that is usually used to tell how the story is being told in literature, so it's best to use POV when just referring to 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person point of view.

Example- "Hercules' perspective is that mistakes must be atoned for, even if the mistake was an accident."

"The story of Hercules is told in third person, omniscient point of view."

Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect.

Example- "I died of embarrassment" or "My callouses are the size of boulders"

Dialogue: A break in narration where multiple characters speak to each other.

Example-

"I found out the dragon was stealing my kimche," I said.

"That's ridiculous and impossible," she replied. "Dragons hate kimche."

Imagery: Using multiple senses (sensory detail) and descriptive details to create an image in the reader's mind. Showing, not just telling, with the writing.

Simile: Comparing two things using Like or As.

Metaphor: Comparing two things without using like or as... using is or are.

(Are you sad like a simile, or are you a melancholy metaphor?)

Alliteration: A string of words that start with the same letter/sound.

Example-

" The Kraken cried, carelessly concerned with how he looked"

Idiom: A common phrase, not meant to be taken literally.

Example- "Break a leg" before a performance, or "It's raining cats and dogs." Advice works too, like "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Cliche: A common phrase or story-telling element that has been overused and is considered annoying and no longer relevant, original, or meaningful.

Example- "Hot enough for you?" (on a hot day). "And then she woke up, and it was all a dream." (to end a story).

Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Example: "The wind whistled" or "The rock stubbornly refused to budge."

Mood: The suggestion of a particular feeling, emotion, or state of mind. In literature, the feelings of the audience created by the story.

(Receiving ideas)

Tone: The attitude of the author towards the story/ text/ content. This relates more to the feelings of the author.

(A transfer of ideas)

Diction: Word choice. This is to achieve an intended mood or tone.

" She ran to the bus-stop briskly." vs. "She dashed to the bus-stop frantically."

Allusion: A reference to a popular character/ work/ piece of literature.

Example: My uncle is super rich, but he won't buy me a boat; he's such a scrooge!

(This is in reference to Ebeneezer Scrooge, from "A Christmas Carol"... a rich but stingy old man)

Foreshadowing: When an author gives hints about what will happen in the future of the story.

Example: "According to the prophecy, one could not live while the other existed."

"Our hero left his small little town in the early morn. It was the last time he would ever see his childhood home."

Onomatopoeia: A word that mimics or intimidates the sound it describes.

Example: The door slammed. He sighed heavily. Crash, Boom, Pow (and other various Batman sound effects).

Oxymoron: A pair of words that contradict one another, linguistically.

Example: Jumbo shrimp, a cold burn, he was a civilized savage.

Analogy: To compare two different things, usually for the purpose of explaining.

Example: "All Central Ideas are Claims, but not all Claims are Central Ideas" is like saying "All walruses are mammals, but not all mammals are walruses"

...or... "Not using the class time your teacher gives you to work on your project is like being given a ten dollar bill and then burning it."