1. Key Literary Terms and Definitions
English Language AP
NCVPS

2. What are Literary Terms?
Literary terms are essentially tools that writers use to make their writing more interesting, more creative and more poetic.
These tools can also make our writing more effective by helping us better convey the main idea of our poems or stories.

3. Here is your task
This power point will provide you with definitions and examples of many of the most commonly used literary elements.
You will then need to demonstrate your understanding of these key terms.
Lastly, you’ll be tested on them, so make sure you pay close attention!

4. Terms that affect the sound of the poem
Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sounds in word that are close together in the text. Example: Seven silly sisters sat in a circle and sang songs. Evan eats eggs every evening.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in word that are close together in the text
Example: BAM! said the man to Sam and Pam.
Consonance is the repetition of identical consonant sounds which can be found at the beginning or the end of words.
Example: Lazy Lizzy laughed loudly. His foul breath brought the scent of death.

5. Connotation is when the meaning of a word is implied rather than directly stated.
For Example: Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest (burial).
Denotation is the actual, literal meaning of a word; the dictionary definition.
For Example: Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest (sleep).
(poetic example found at:

6. Simile
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".
For example:
He’s as ugly as a toad.
The clean clothes smell as fresh as a spring day.
Her hair was like spun gold

7. Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison between two different things, sometimes using the verb "to be“. The comparison is implied rather than directly drawn or stated, as it is with the simile.
For Example:
He is a pig. Thou art sunshine. Here, the “to be” verb is used to show us that the speaker views one of these people as very rude while the other one is warm and kind, perhaps even joyful.
“Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines.” This line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 uses the metaphor the eye of Heaven to describe the sun, which can sometimes make us too hot. We know he’s not talking about the moon, which also shines, because the moon doesn’t give off heat.

8. Personification is giving human characteristics to non-human things.
For Example: Death brags that you are in his shadow. (paraphrased from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18) This means that you are close to dying, so close that you can practically see “Death’s shadow”.
Imagery is what creates the images or pictures in our minds. Metaphor, simile and personification are frequently used by writers to show us pictures of what they’re saying. Take another look at the previous examples.
Onomatopoeia is when we use words to imitate sounds. This helps to make the writing more vivid and interesting.
For example: honk, beep, vroom, roar, crash, squeak, howl, burr, quack!

9. A Symbol is an object that is used to represent something more than its literal meaning. Symbols are seen everywhere in our daily lives.
Examples: the bird of night (owl is a symbol of death)
a cross (symbol of faith, religion, Christianity, life)
heart (symbol of love)
raven (symbol of death)
river (symbol for life)
Colors are also very symbolic:
red (love, passion, hot, fire, danger)
yellow (warmth, friendship, joy)
purple (royalty, wealth, older age)
You get the idea! 

10. Stanza is a group of lines of poetry.
Meter is an arrangement of syllables in patterns, most often found in poetry
Iambic [_/_/_/_] The accent is placed on the second syllable
~ com pare’
Trochaic[-/-/-/] The accent is placed on the middle syllable ~ ex ter' ior
Hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement to get a point across or to emphasize an idea.
For Example:
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. (really? Who can eat a horse?!)
He’s as big as a house. (this one is also a simile!)
If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. (A thousand times is a lot of times!!)
Mood is the emotional attitude the author takes towards his or her subject. It is what helps to create the feeling in a piece of writing. Mood is similar to Tone.

11. Rhyme Scheme is rhymed words at the ends of lines.
For Example: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date (excerpt from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18)
In this stanza, the first and third lines rhyme with one another (day, May), as do the second and fourth lines (temperate; date).
Rhyme is a pattern of words that contain similar sounds.
For Example: he/she/me/thee/we/yippee!
go/show/toe/mow/row/gotta go!

12. Repetition of Stanzas:
Repetition is one of the most basic ideas in poetry, and it’s used to create unity within a poem. It also helps the poem to flow, and whether it’s a fluid or disjointed flowing depends on the type of repetition.
There are many different types of repetition, but here we’ll highlight the following:
Repetition of Sound: (the use of alliteration, assonance and consonance helps to further rhyme in poetry)
Repetition of Meter: (this forms the basis of the rhythm, or beat, of the poem)
Repetition of Key Words or Phrases: (this helps the poet to reinforce their point)
Repetition of Stanzas:
This can create a smooth-flowing unity ~ for example, consistently using four lines in every stanza
This can create a disjointed, choppy flow ~ for example, using 4 lines, then 2, then 5, etc.

13. WOW!!
There’s so much information here! Be sure that you’ve taken good notes because next you’re going to demonstrate that you understand all of these very important literary elements. Yeah!! 
Now go back to the course for further instructions.