All literary Terms

Periodic Sentence

Sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements.

Ellipsis

Three dots that indicate words have been left out of a quotation; they also can be used to create suspense.

Scan

To assign stress patterns to a poem. OR to read quickly for any particular attribute of the text.

Inversion

the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase.

Plot

the series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the storyline.

Diction

this refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

in medias res

A Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events but at some other critical point.

Nemesis

A bitter enemy, especially one who seems unbeatable; an opponent motivated by revenge.

Epilogue

A brief portion of text after the main body of a work.

Prologue

A brief portion of text before the main body of the work.

Foil

A character who is in most ways opposite to the main character (protagonist) or one who is nearly the same as the protagonist. The purpose of the foil character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast.

Antihero

A character who works with the protagonist, but often using means that are considered unethical or immoral.

Portmanteau

A combining of two words to make a new word that shares meaning of the previous two words. "smog" "spork"

Simile

A comparison using like or as; A critical figure of speech in an argument when what is unknown is compared to something that is known using the word "like," "as," or "than" in order to better perceive its importance.

Idiom

A figure of speech which is distinct to a specific language and carries a shared and known meaning. For example, saying that analyzing literary terms is the "bread and butter" of English class.

Dialect

A regional speech pattern; the way people talk in different parts if the world.

Conceit

an elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different. Often an extended metaphor.

Invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part hill of flesh.")

Poetic Justice

an outcome in a story where good is rewarded, and evil is punished

Litotes

(pronounced almost like "little tee") a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Litote is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: "Not a bad idea," "Not many," "It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain" (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye).

Archetype

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response.

Figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile synecdoche understatement

Allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion.

Soliloquy

A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener.

Fallacy

A failure of logical reasoning. fallacies appear to make an argument reasonable, but falsely so.The key, however, is for you to be able to spot when someone is not making sense or is failing to convince.

Onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you note examples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect.

Personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony. The opposite of hyperbole is understatement.

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful.

Inductive

A form of logical argumentation that requires the use of examples. Inductive arguments are most like science-You get example after example until you reach a conclusion. These types of argument are fairly easy to spot and very common to argumentative essays. When you encounter and inductive argument, ask yourself two questions-Are there enough examples, and are they relevant to the question being addressed.

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing.

Monologue

A long speech given by one character, generally in a drama, in the presence of other actors.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Zeugma

A minor device in which two or more elements in a sentence are tied together by the same verb or noun. Zeugmas are especially acute if the noun or verb does not have the exact same meaning in both parts of the sentence. She dashed His hopes and out of his life when she ran through the door.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight

Foreshadowing

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

Unreliable Narrator

A narrator who says things that might not be true to the story, such that we as an audience might be intentionally (or unintentionally) misled from properly understanding the characters, themes, or the plot.

Caesura

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line. There is a caesura right after the question mark in the first line of this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

Jargon

A pattern of speech and vocabulary associated with a particular group of people. Computer analysis have their own vocabulary, as do doctors, astronauts, and plumbers. That is their jargon. To some extent, this glossary and book are an effort to provide you with a new (though we hope not entirely new) jargon.

Elegy

A poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died.

Apostrophe

A prayer like figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour, England hath need of thee."

Tragic Hero

A privileged, exalted character of high repute or "high station", who, by virtue of a tragic flaw and fate, suffers a fall from glory into suffering.

Characterization

A process in which the author develops a fictional character.

Rhetorical Question

A question whose answer is assumed, a rhetorical question is designed to force the reader to respond in a predetermined manner and is a significant tool in the study of rhetoric.

Motif

A recurring image, phrase, word, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work to tie the situation to the theme.

Apophasis

A rhetorical device wherein the speaker or writer brings up a subject by either denying it, or denying that it should be brought up. Accordingly, it can be seen as a rhetorical relative of irony.

Subplot

A secondary story in a narrative. A subplot may serve as a motivating or complicating force for the main plot of the work, or it may provide emphasis for, or relief from, the main plot.

Anacoluthon

A sentence or construction that lacks grammatical sequence, such as "While in the garden, the door banged shut."

Telegraphic Sentence

A sentence shorter than five words in length.

Sarcasm

A sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance, sometimes with a humorous edge, sometimes designed to cut or give pain.

Anecdote

A short account of an interesting or humorous incident

Aphorism

A short statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author's point

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging.

Chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary."), A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.")

Paradox

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities-"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....")

Anaphora

A subtype of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. MLK used anaphora in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech (1963).

Euphony

A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony.

Deus Ex Machina

A technique referring to ancient Greek plays in which a god would descend onto the scene of the play and right all the wrongs that had happened. Generally an unexpected solution solving a seemingly impossible situation.

Metonymy

A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared" is using metonymy; Shakespeare uses it to signify the male and female sexes in As You Like It: "doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat." The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact.

Adage

A wise saying; proverb; short, memorable saying that expresses a truth

Archaism

A word, expression, spelling, or phrase that is out of date in the common speech of an era, but still deliberately used by a writer, poet, or playwright for artistic purposes

Cliché

A worn-out idea or overused expression

Epithet

An adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to describe a characteristic or quality. E.g. Erik the Red.

Pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words).

Pathos

An appeal to emotion. This is one of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. Typically, pathos arguments may use loaded words to make you feel guilty, lonely, worried, insecure, or confused.

Logos

An appeal to reason. Logos is one of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. It occurs when a writer tries to convince you of the logic of his argument. writers may use inductive argumentation or deductive argumentation, but they clearly have examples and generally rational tone to their language.

Red Herring

An argument that distracts the reader by raising issues irrelevant to the case. It is like being given too many suspects in a murder mystery.

Prelude

An introductory poem to a longer work of verse

Stock Character

Any character types that occur repeatedly in a particular literary genre so that it is recognizable as part of the conventions.

Convention

Any widely accepted literary device, style, or form.

Authorial Intrusion

Authorial Intrusion is an interesting literary device wherein the author penning the story, poem or prose steps away from the text and speaks out to the reader. (Google)

Hamartia

Character's often tragic flaw or error, often hubris

Balance

Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance. Sentences can be un[this word] to serve a special effect as well.

Comic Relief

Humor that eases tension

Tricolon

Sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses.

Epistrophe

Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences (it is the opposite of anaphora).

Oxymoron

Etymologically from the Greek for "pointedly foolish," an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory words to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." Look at the effect that the author achieves with the use of oxymoron.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence

Mise en Scène

In a stage play, the stage set (including the walls, furniture, etc.) and the arrangement of the actors; the process of arranging the set and the actors.

Euphemism

From the Greek for "good speech," euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept-Politically Correctness for example.

Rhetorical technique

From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

Symbol/symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete - such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract.

Pathetic Fallacy

Giving human responses or feelings to inanimate objects, including animals.

Point of view

In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view, and many subdivisions within those.

Bombast

Inflated, pretentious speech or writing that sounds important but is mostly not

Anastrophe

Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. It is a fancy word for inversion.

Literary Elements

Literary elements are the small pieces of fiction and storytelling that come up repeatedly and influence meaning.

Juxtaposition

Making on idea more dramatic by placing it next to its opposite. In art it is called chiaroscuro, where a bright white object is placed next to a black object and thus both are made more visible. My goodness is often chastened by my sense of sin, or The Gasoline savings from a hybrid car as compared to a standard car seem excellent until one compares the asking prices of the two vehicles. The juxtaposition of the asking prices shows that the savings are not as significant as they first appear.

Syntactic Permutation

Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Often difficult for a reader to follow.

Appositive

Noun Phrase which modifies the noun set next to it., A noun or noun substitute that is placed directly next to the noun it is describing--My student, Sidney, makes me want to retire.

Ethos

One of the fundamental strategies of argumentation identified by Aristotle. Ethos is basically an appeal to credibility. The writer is seeking to convince you that he or she has the background, history, skills, and/or expertise to speak on the issue. Whenever you encounter an ethos argument, always ask yourself is the credibility is substantiated and valid.

Apposition

Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first (often set off by a colon). Paine:"These are the times that try men's souls--The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

Pun

Play on words that sound the same but mean something different (son/sun)

Paraphrase

Restatement of content designing to make meaning as clear as possible.

Tone

Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author's tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, somber, etc.

Paratactic Sentence

Simply juxtaposes clauses or sentences. I am tired, it is hot.

Slang

Slang is especially informal language that is commonly known and understood. It is often made up of words that have been changed from their original sound but keep much of the meaning.

Active Voice

The active voice requires that the subject of the sentence is doing the action, as opposed to receiving the action. The boy threw the ball vs. The ball was thrown by the boy.

Theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

Irony/ironic

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. Irony is often used to create poignancy or humor. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language.

Asyndeton

The deliberate omission of conjunctions from series of related independent clauses. The effect id to create a tight, concise, and forceful sentence. All the orcs ate the food, broke the dishes, trashed the hall, beat the dogs to the shower.

Allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.

Voice

The dominating ethos or tone of a literary work. The voice existing in a literary work is not always identifiable with the actual views of the author.

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

Atmosphere

The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood.

Denouement

The final scene in a story, which generally leaves the reader with some form of satisfaction, or in cases of serial literature might prime for the next installment.

Protagonist

The hero or main character in a story.

Anagnorisis

The hero's sudden awareness/discovery of a real situation and therefore the realization of things as they stood. Also, a perception that results in an insight the hero has into his/her relationship with often antagonist character's within an Aristotelian tragedy.

Anthimeria

The process whereby a word is taken and used for another part of speech. For example if you were to verb a noun. In the previous sentence verb which is a noun is being used as a verb. Fun!

Exposition

The introduction of a story, where setting and character are focused on.

Moral

The lesson or teaching of a didactic work.

Setting

The location or context for the writing; can be geographical, temporal, social, historical, political, religious, literary/critical, etc.

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Connotation

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes.

Passive Voice

The opposite of active voice; in the passive voice something happens to someone: Mordred was bitten by the dog, rather than the active form The dog bit Mordred.

Mood

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. Mood is similar to tone and atmosphere.

Anthropomorphism

The process whereby humans give human characteristics to a non-human object, generally animals. For example, a person calling a family pet one of their "children".

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage.

Parallelism

The repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structure.

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection. An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. Be sure to pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of this imagery.

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (Example the denotation of knife-a utensil for cutting-Connotation-knife-such as knife in the back-anger fear violence betrayal.

Etymology

The study of the origin of words and their historical uses. The name for the sandwich came from the Earl of Sandwich, an altogether unremarkable peer of the English realm.

Persona/Speaker

The unidentified personage who "speaks" (see speaker) in a poem or prose work. The persona should not be identified with the author of the work.

Polysyndeton

The use of consecutive coordinating conjunctions even when they are not needed. The effect is to render the reader somewhat breathless. He was overwhelmed, as is by a tsunami, and by the fishes, and by the seaweed, and by the salt spray from the heavens.

Colloquial/Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialect.

Antagonist

The villain or primary opposing force to the hero or main character.

Syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words.

Thesis

The writer's statement of purpose. Every well-written essay will have one. It is how the reader identifies what the writer is arguing, the position the writer is taking, the action the writer is advocating. Essentially, it is the focal intent of the essay.

Double Entendre

When a word or phrase is intended to hold two possible meanings at once; with many times the second meaning being risque in nature.

Epigram

Wise or witty saying expressing a universal truth in a few words

Aside

Words an actor speaks to the audience which other actors on the stage cannot hear. An [this word] serves to reveal a character's thoughts or concerns to the audience without revealing them to other characters in a play.

Figurative Language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Gerund

a verb ending in 'ing' to serve as a noun -'Stabbing (used as a noun) is what i do said the thief.'

Motivation

a character's reason for doing what he/she does

Internal Conflict

a conflict can be internal, involving opposing forces within a person's mind.

Suspense

a feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story.

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part. Examples-To refer to a boat as a "sail"; to refer to a car as "wheels"; to refer to the violins, violas, etc. in an orchestra as "the strings." **Different than metonymy, in which one thing is represented by another thing that is commonly physically associated with it (but is not necessarily a part of it), i.e., referring to a monarch as "the crown" or the President as "The White House."

Caricature

a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. Example: The pupils of her eyes are small; like a pebble of sand floating atop a can of blue paint.

Event

an action in a story that moves the story forward; usually something happens to the main character, or the main character takes action against someone or something else.

Objective point of view

a narrator who is totally impersonal and objective tells the story, with no comment on any characters or events.

Epigraph

a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.

Episode

a small event that is part of a larger story; it can stand alone as almost a "mini-story" (events which repeat are typically called episodes)

Stream of consciousness

a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind.

Flash-Forward

a sudden jump forward in time, usually used to eliminate unnecessary events between the more interesting events of a story.

Local Color

a term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape.

Rising Action

complications in conflict and situations (may introduce new ones as well)

Epanalepsis

device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or sentence. Voltaire-"Common sense is not so common."

Implied Metaphor

does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison:"I like to see it lap the miles" is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between "it" and some animal that "laps" up water.

Poignant

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

Third person limited omniscient

in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters.

Third person omniscient

in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters

Evidence

information from the text that supports, or proves, an inference or fact.

Cacophony

harsh-sounding mixture of words, voices, or sounds.

Round

has more dimensions to their personalities---they are complex, just as real people are.

Flat

has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase.

Flashback

interruption of the present action to insert an episode that took place earlier; this gives the reader needed information to understand a current event, or a character's motivation

Dead Metaphor

is a metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid:"The head of the house", "the seat of the government", "a knotty problem" are all dead metaphors.

Mixed Metaphor

is a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. "The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas."

Dynamic

is one who changes in some important way as a result of the story's action.

Static

is one who does not change much in the course of a story.

Conflict

the problem, or challenge, that the main character faces.

Loose Sentence

one in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units. See periodic sentence. Hawthorne-"Hester gazed after him a little while, looking with a half-fantastic curiosity to see whether the tender grass of early spring would not be blighted beneath him, and show the wavering track of this footsteps, sere and brown, across its cheerful verdure."

Third person narrator

relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two main subdivisions to be aware of.

Climax

the most exciting moment of the story, where the main character faces his/her ultimate challenge

Antithesis

the opposition or contrast of ideas; generally placed within a single sentence. (e.g. respectful and resentful).

Hypotactic

sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them. (Use of such syntactic subordination of just one clause to another is known as hypotaxis). I am tired because it is hot.

Anachronism

something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

Dialogue

spoken lines between characters, set with quotation marks; each new speaker's lines appear in a new paragraph; when one person speaks for an extended time (to himself or the audience) it is called a monologue.

First person narrator

tells the story with the first person pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. This narrator can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character.

Indirect

the author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character's private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people (showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature

Direct

the author tells us directly what the character is like:sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on. Romantic style literature relied more heavily on this form.

Resolution/Falling Action

the conclusion of a story, when all or most of the conflicts have been settled; often called the denouement.

Style

the distinctive way in which a writer uses language:a writer's distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax.

Understatement

the ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. Example: Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub- "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse."

Vernacular

the language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality.

Reverse Stereotype

when a person is portrayed exactly opposite to a fixed generalization (the usual way we would consider them)

Stereotype

when a person is portrayed is a fixed way or generalization

Situational irony

when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen

Dramatic irony

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

Verbal irony

when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning