Literary Terms By: Jesus Ramirez
Alliteration A repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group. Ex: She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
Ballad A sad love story usually in a poem. Ex: Romeo & Juliet
Characterization A way a writer uses to show the personality of a character. Ex: Scout- she like a tomboy.
Connotation and Denotation The way it makes you feel. Ex: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, brat, minor.
Dialogue A conversation between characters. Ex: The boy said, “Hi, how are you doing?” The girl answered, “I’m doing fine thanks”.
Fable A tale designed to illustrate. Ex: "Honesty is the best policy"
Figurative Language Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else. Ex: My love is a red, red rose.
Flashback A shift in a narrative to an earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological development of a story. Ex: I remembered, years ago, my father would stare mindlessly at the picture for minutes, sometimes hours, before a bird chirping would awaken him from his trance.
Hyperbole A figure of speech. Ex: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Imagery A group of words in a literary work. Ex: I took a walk around the world to Ease my troubled mind.
Inference Judgment based on reasoning. Ex: The baby was asleep upstairs in his bed. Suddenly, I heard a loud, "THUMP!" and he began crying hysterically. I ran upstairs because I inferred that he fell out of bed.
Irony An action is the reverse of what the actor expected. Ex: It is very ironic that you still brush your teeth while you are shaving.
Metaphor Two unlike quantities. Ex: She's the apple of my eye.
Oxymoron Combined terms that normally don’t go together. Ex: That sumo wrestler is small.
Personification Something that is not human is given human characteristics. Ex: Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.
Simile When things are compared. Ex: He is like a bull.