TONE the writer's attitude toward the material and/or readers. Tone may be playful, formal, intimate, angry, serious, ironic, outraged, baffled, tender, serene, depressed, etc.
iMAGERY Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste).descriptivelanguage Sometimes imagery is also used to refer to figurative language, in particular metaphors and similes.figurative languagemetaphorssimiles
METAPHOR A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Compares two things without using the words like or as
SIMIle A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are comparedfigure of speech Simile uses the words like or as
Onomatopoeia The use of words (such as hiss or plop) that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
IDIOM An idiom is an expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. Example – “Kick the bucket”
Alliteration The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables Example – “on scrolls of silver snowy sentences"
Allusion A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional.
ANTAGONIST A character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character.
PROTAGONIST Considered to be the main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem
flashback A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.
FORESHADOWING To indicate that something is going to happen either good or bad later
hyperbole A figure of speech that uses exaggeration Example – “This book weighs a ton”
Irony The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning;literal
personification The attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects “The wind was yelling loudly!”
symbol A word or object that stands for another word or object
aside An actor’s speech directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage.
Literary Terms Poster Your board should include: Name of your literary element term Definition of your term Example of the term by pictures or words Be sure your poster is creative, neat and complete!