Literary Terms and Concepts Review– Language Arts 6

Alliteration Repetitive sounds

Author's Purpose The author's reason for creating a particular work

Autobiography A form of nonfiction in which a person tells the story of his or her own life

Biography The story of a person's life written by someone else

Characterization The techniques writers use to create and develop characters

Cliffhanger A device in which an episode or chapter ends at a moment of suspense

Conflict A struggle between opposing forces

Dialogue Words that characters speak out loud

Drama A literary form involving parts written for actors to perform

Fable A brief story that teaches a lesson

Fantasy Literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element

Fiction A prose writing that tells an imaginary story

Figurative Language Fresh and original descriptions that, while not literally true, help the reader picture ordinary things in new ways.

Folktale A story passed from one generation to the next

Foreshadowing When a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story

Genre A type or category of literature

Historical Fiction A story that is written to portray a time period or convey information about a specific time period

Hyperbole Extreme exaggeration not meant to be taken literally

Informational Text Text that is written by authors to inform, to explain, to describe, to present information, or to persuade

Imagery Words or phrases that appeal to a reader's senses

Legend A story, usually based on historical fact, handed down from the past about a specific person

Metaphor A comparison of two things that have some quality in common not containing the word like or as, it says one thing is

another thing.

Mystery A story in which the reader is challenged to solve a puzzle

Myth A traditional story, usually of unknown authorship, that deals with the basic questions of the universe.

Non-fiction Writing that tells about real people, places, and events

Onomatopoeia Use of words whose sound suggests their meaning ex. Buzz

Personification The giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

Plot The sequence of related events that make up a story

Poetry A type of literature in which ideas, images, and feelings are expressed in few words

Point of View The perspective from which a story is told, usually first or third person

Realistic Fiction A story that has events that did not really happen but could have happened

Science Fiction A story that is based on real or possible scientific developments

Setting The time and place where a story happens

Simile A comparison of two things that have some quality in common containing the word like or as

Symbolism Using a person, a place, an object, or an action to stand for something beyond itself

Theme The message about life or human nature that is conveyed by a literary work