10

th
Grade Literary Terms
Plot: A series of related events selected by the author to present and bring about the resolution of a
conflict.
Theme: The message or meaning
Setting: Where and when a story takes place
Conflict: The problem in a story
1. man vs. man (ex: Spiderman vs. the green goblin)
2. man vs. nature (ex: a storm, the ocean, an animal)
3. man vs. technology (ex: computers, robots, cars)
4. man vs. himself (internal conflict)
5. man vs. unknown (ex: God, witches, ghosts, fate, death)
6. man vs. society (ex: religion, government, rules)
Point of View: the narrator
1st person point of view: character in the story, uses I
3rd person point of view: person outside the story, uses he or shemany times uses dialogue and
quotation marks
3rd person limited: narrator reveals the thought of only one character
Omniscient narrator: all knowingknows the thoughts and feelings of the characters even if they are
alone!
Rising Action: events leading up to the climax
Climax: high point/turning pointthe character makes a decision or does something that affects the
action in the story
Falling Action: events leading to the resolution
Resolution: how the problem is solved
Foreshadowing: hints of the future
Flashback: an interruption in events to show an earlier event
Mood: the climate of feeling (can change)
Tone: the authors attitude towards the subject or audience (does not change)
Irony: when something unexpected happens- contrast between what happens and what is expected
Verbal Irony: something unexpected is said. There is a contrast between what is said and what is meant.
Situational Irony: a happening or event that is the opposite of what is expected or intended
Dramatic Irony: occurs when the reader or audience knows more than the characters do
Protagonist: main character
Antagonist: main characters chief rival
Characterization: development of the characters personality
Symbol: a concrete object that represents an abstract idea
Allusion: A reference to a historical or literary figure or event. It may allude to a myth, religion, or to
any other aspect of ancient or modern culture.
POETRY TERMS
Alliteration: repeated beginning consonant sound (Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers)
Assonance: repeated vowel sounds without repeated consonants (HOLY MOLY!)
Imagery: descriptive words that create pictures in the readers mind...appeals to the five senses
Metaphor: comparison not using like or as (the snow was a fluffy marshmallow)
Simile: comparison using like or as (the snow looked like a fluffy marshmallow)
Rhyme: 2 or more words corresponding in sounds (My name is Sam I amI like green eggs and ham!)
label rhyme scheme using ABABetc
Rhythm: an ordered recurring sound (the beatcount the syllables)
Personification: representing a thing using human characteristics (the sea snarled and licked the beach,
chewing the sand with sharp teeth)
Onomatopoeia: words to describe a sound or action (buzz, splash, crash, crack!)
Literal: the actual meaning of the words
Figurative: language that goes beyond the meaning of wordsnot meant to be understood on a literal
level. (Im going to hang you out of the window by your toenails!)
Hyperbole: an exaggeration (Im so hungry I could eat a cow!)