Ninth Grade Literature EOCT Review

meter

A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.

theme

a universal message about life

almanac

almanac

Sonnet

14 line poem with fixed structure and rhyme scheme including three quatrains and a rhyming couplet; popularized by Shakespeare

anecdotes

A brief, entertaining account of an interesting incident

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

dynamic character

A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action

Aside

A comment made to the audience, not intended for the other characters to hear.

iambic pentameter

A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally.

dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters

hyperbole

A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effects. Ex: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

Irony

A form of speech intended to convey the opposite of the actual meaning of the words

Quatrain

A four line stanza

index

A list at the end of a book that shows where certain topics appear throughout the book.

Epic Poetry

A long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character such as The Odyssey

monologue

A long speech in a play or story, delivered by a single person (see soliloquy).

foreshadowing

A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

Exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary background information about the setting, characters, and their circumstances.

exposition

A narrative device; The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story.

Third Person Point of View

A narrator outside the action narrates the events using pronouns like "he", "his", "she", "her", and "they".

internal conflict

A person struggling with some kind of internal pressure. Internal conflicts are not always evident on the character's exterior.

symbolism

A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well.

primary source

A record of events by someone who participated in or witnessed the events directly. These sources are called primary because they would be the first recorded, and the most related to a topic or an incident in time.

thesaurus

A reference text that shows words that have just about the same or opposite meaning as the chosen word.

allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

plot

A series of related events in a story, each connected to the next.

Dramatic Irony

A situation where the audience knows more than a character on stage.

Pun

A term for a play on words that have a similar meaning. Ex. A "seafood" diet: I see food and I eat it."

allegory

A work of literature that has a second, usually moral or spiritual meaning

Connotation

All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

Pathos

Appeals to emotion

Logos

Appeals to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason.

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word.

rising action

Events leading up to the climax.

appendix

Extra information at the back of the book.

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

imagery

Language that an author uses that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste).

Climax

Most exciting moment of the story; turning point

external conflict

Person vs. person - physical fight between two characters Person vs. nature - person trying to survive against the elements Person vs. society - person trying to go against society's norms or rules Person vs. machine - usually person vs. technology

climax

That point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest; usually the point at which the conflict is resolved

Second Person Point of View

The narrator addresses the reader using the word "you". (You were about to make the wrong decision when a surge of pure instinct caused you to say the answer)

First Person Point of View

The narrator is a character in the story. pronouns such as "I" and "me" or "my(self)" are used as an indication. (The adrenaline in my body was pumping. There was 3 seconds on the clock and I needed a 3 pointer to win my team the tournament)

active voice

The subject of the sentence performs the action

passive voice

The subject of the sentence receives the action.

dictionary

Where you find definitions of words

modifiers

Words that describe a noun that can include adjectives, verbs and nouns themselves.

metaphor

a fig. of speech that says one thing IS another different thing, whether it's similar or not.

simile

a figure of speech that says one thing is LIKE another different thing. Uses like or as.

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any audience (Latin solo "to oneself" + talk "loquor")

personification

an inanimate object that is endowed with human qualities or abilities in writing. Ex: "The cupcakes in the basket were begging me to eat them, so I did."

Iamb

an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

fixed form

any form of poem in which there is a specific structure, pattern and/or rhyme

ethos

appeals to credibility / ethics

dramatic irony

facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or a piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work

Protagonist

main character

argumentative

nonfiction writing in which an author establishes a position on a debatable topic and supports the position with evidence and counterclaims.

informational / explanatory

nonfiction writing that informs the reader

semicolon

punctuation mark that can be used in place of a comma and conjunction (FANBOYS) to combine two closely related simple sentences and make a compound sentence.

Narrative

story; can be fiction or nonfiction

conflict

struggle between opposing forces. Man vs. Man, Man vs. society, Man vs. himself Man vs. supernatural and Man vs. nature.

alliteration

the repetition of initial sounds of words in a row. Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

irony

the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Often confused with coincidence. Subgenres: sarcasm, dramatic irony, situational irony, cosmic irony

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.

static character

A character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end

glossary

A list of definitions for difficult or specialized words used in a book.