Literary Terms Sergio Estrada & Perla Calderon
alliteration Def: the commencement of two or more stressed syllables Ex: poems
ballad Def: one of sentimental or romantic character Ex: The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
characterization Def: the act of characterizing. Ex: Scout is like a tomboy
Connotation and denotation Definition: Connotation is the feeling or association that a word or phrase evokes in addition to its literal meaning. Ex: Butterfly Beautiful
dialogue Def: A conversation between two or more people Ex: there arte short play
fable Def: a short tale to teach a moral lesson Ex: "A famished fox saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them.
Figurative language Def: speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning, Ex: in rap song of 2 Pac dear mama
flashback Def: a device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc. Ex: when you think of something in da pst
hyperbole Def: obvious and intentional exaggeration Ex: And fired the shot heard round the world. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, (The Concord Hymn)
imagery Def: the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things Ex: Look at the two examples of good imagery; they are excerpts from recent song lyrics
inference Def: the act or process of inferring Ex: People who have given us their complete confidence believe that they have a right to ours.
irony Def: the reverse what is expected Ex: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend
metaphor Def: figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally Ex: the short story was long
oxymoron Def: opposites of the meaning Ex: she is pretty ugly
personification Def: Giving a non- living thing it life Ex: the shoes walk away
simile Def: two unlike things are explicitly compared Ex: she like a rose