UNIT TWO: Literary Devices ENGLISH IV
1. Conflict A problem or struggle the main character must face Man vs. Man A divorcing couple trying to determine custody rights Man vs. Nature A guard dog attacking a thief Man vs. Self A stutterer preparing for a public speech
2. Protagonist A story’s main character or hero Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Hamlet
3. Antagonist The adversary or enemy of the hero or protagonist in a story
4. Foreshadowing A prediction or hint in a story about what is to happen in the future
5. Simile A comparison using like or as
6. Flashback When the author takes the reader back in time to a memory or past event
7. Dialect A form of language spoken by people in a particular region
8. Genre A type of literature Fiction/Non-fiction Fantasy/Sci-Fi Biography/Autobiography Suspense/Thriller Tragedy Comedy Drama Historical
9. Meter The rhythmic pattern of a poem; includes stressed and unstressed syllables
10. Onomatopoeia Words that actually look like the sounds they make
11. Dialogue A written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more characters
12. Figurative Language Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation
13. Setting When, where, and the time period in which the story takes place
14. Resolution When the climax or conflict of the story is solved
15. Plot The sequence of events in a story