1. Literary Terms Review English 1A

2. Allegory A text that acts as an extended metaphor to teach a lesson

3. Allusion When one text makes a reference to another well known text or piece of art to make a stronger point.

4. Alliteration When words that have the same beginning sounds are placed close together.

5. Connotation The underlying meaning/tone of a word Denotation The exact dictionary definition of a word

6. Foreshadowing An event or description towards the beginning of the text hints at something that will happen later in the text

7. Iambic Pentameter A ten syllable line with five iambs that follows a unstressed, stressed pattern u / u / u / u / u / Shall I compare thee to a summers day

8. Imagery Words that use the five senses to put a picture in the reader’s mind

9. Irony Situational: the outcome of a situation is not what was expected Dramatic: the audience knows more than the characters do as they take action

10. Juxtaposition Putting two images side by side to compare/contrast in order to see the irony

11. Metaphor Comparing two seemingly unlike things to show the similarities (with out using like or as) Something is something else

12. Oxymoron Contradictory terms that are placed next to each other

13. Personification Giving inanimate objects human like qualities

14. Pun A play on words that sound the same but have different meaning, usually intended as a joke.

15. Satire A text that is meant to expose the flaws of society or organization by using irony, humor, and typically with characters represented as animals

16. Simile Comparing two seemingly unalike things using the words “like” or “as” Epic simile- a simile that extends for multiple lines of a poem

17. Sonnet A 14 line poem that uses iamabic pentameter and follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

18. Soliloquy A speech that a character delivers on stage by him/herself whereby they express their inner thoughts and feelings

19. Symbolism An object or image is used to represent a larger, abstract idea

20. Tone The author’s attitude towards the subject that he or she is writing about