ENGLISH 10B LITERARY TERMS AND USAGE REVIEW SHEET
Imagery: Words or phrases that create images in the readers’ minds and appeals to their senses.
Satire: Writing the comment humorously on human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions in order to change them.
STYLE: This refers to the distinctive way that a writer uses language including such facts as word choice, sentence length, arrangement, and complexity, and the use of figurative language and imagery.
historical FICTION: A made-up story that is based on a real time and place in history, so fact is mixed with fiction.
Myth: A traditional story intended to explain some mystery of nature, religious doctrine, or cultural belief. The gods and goddess of mythology have supernatural powers, but the human characters usually do not.
Novel: A book length, fictional prose story Novel: A book length, fictional prose story. Because of its length, a novel’s characters and plot are usually more developed than those of a short story.
Poetry: A literature work that uses concise, colorful, often rhythmic language to express ideas or emotions. Examples include: ballad, blank verse, free verse, elegy, limerick, and sonnet.
Prose: A literary work that uses familiar spoken form of language, sentence after sentence... this is the opposite of poetry.
Realistic fiction:Writing that attempts to show life as it really is.
Science Fiction: Writing based on real or imaginary scientific developments and often set in the future.
Paradox: It is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. A paradox is often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way.
Than: used for comparisons then: refers to time
Their: ownership there: refers to a place they’re: contraction of they are
To: used with infinitive verbs and location too: also or in addition to two: the number
Weather: refers to sunshine and temperature WHETHER: REFERS TO ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS WHETHER OR NOT.
Who: refers to the subject of the sentence whom: refers to the one who receives the action of the sentence
Who’s: the contraction of who is whose: is the possessive case of who
Your: is the possessive pronoun you’re: the contraction of you are