#1-15 Literacy Terms Flashcards
Allegory
A narrative either in verse or prose, in which characters, action, and sometimes setting represent abstract concepts apart from literal meaning of the story
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
Analogy
A comparison made between two items, situations, or ideas that are somewhat alike but unlike in most respects
Allusion
A brief reference to a person, event or place in history, or to a work of art/literature
Anaphora
Figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases
Antagonist
A character in a story or play who opposes the protagonist
Apostrophere
A figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality, object, or idea
Archetype
A character, an action, or situation that seems to represent common patterns of human life
Aside
In drama, a few words or a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker’s words
Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in stressed syllables or words
Asyndeton
The omission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used
Atmosphere (mood)
The mood/feeling of the literary work created for the reader by the writer
Ballad
A narrative poem that usually includes a repeated refrain
Blank verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter, a line of five feet
Cacophony
The use of words in poetry that combine sharp, harsh, hissing, or unmelodious sounds
