Literary Terms

7th Grade Honors Part B

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ExpositionIntroduction or The part of the work that introduces the character, setting, and Basic situation

Exposition Writing

Writing that

explains or

informs

Extended MetaphorA subject

is spoken or

written

of as though

it were

something else

BatMy son is a bat.

His eyes blink when darkness comes.His body stirs with life.

His limbs gorge with blood as he sets out through the cave of

nighthis roof the stars

the moon a big white eye watching.Attracted by the false lights

he mingles with his batty friendsweaving in and out of nightclubs

endless partieseach other’s places

till sensing the sudden ebbof darkness

he flutters homea cloaked Dracula

to the hollow of his roomwhere he will sleep all day.

fableA brief story

or poem, Usually with

animal characters,

that teaches a lesson, or moral

FantasyHighly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life

Prose writing

that tells

about

imaginary

characters

and events

Figurative Language

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken

literally

I am hungry as a horse.

He is as sneaky as a

snake.

A scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate events that occurred in the past

Folk TaleA story composed orally and then passed from person to person by word of mouth

The author’s use of clues

to hint at what might

happen later in the story

Free VerseFree VersePoetry Poetry

not written not written

in a regular, in a regular,

rhythmical rhythmical pattern, pattern,

or meteror meter

I Dream'd in a Dreamby Walt Whitma

 I DREAM'D in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of thewhole of the rest of the earth, I dream'd that was the new city of Friends, Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it led the rest,  It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city, And in all their looks and words.

GenreA division or type of

literature1. Poetry: lyric poetry,

concrete poetry, dramatic poetry, narrative poetry, epic poetry

2. Prose: fiction (novels and short stories) and nonfiction (biography, autobiography, letters, essays, and reports)

3. Drama: serious drama and tragedy, melodrama, and farce

HaikuA

three-line

Japanese

verse

form

Hero or heroineA character

whose actions

are

inspiring or noble

Historical Fiction

In historical fiction,

real events, places,

or people are

incorporated into

a fictional,

or made-up story

humor

Writing intended to evoke laughter

imagesWords or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses

Irony

A contradiction between what

happens and what is expected.

1. Situational irony occurs when something happens that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters or the audience.

2. Verbal irony is something contradictory that is said.

3. Dramatic irony is when the audience is aware of something that the character or speaker is not.

Birds getting singing lessons

JournalA daily, or periodic, account of events and the writer’s thoughts and feelings about those events

LegendA widely told story about

the past – one

that may or may

not have a foundation in fact

LettersA written

communication

from

one person

to another

LimerickA humorous,

rhyming,

five-line poem

with a specific

meter and

rhyme scheme

There once was a fellow named Tim.

whose dad never taught him to swim.

He fell off a dock.and sunk like a rock.

And that was the end of him.

Lyric PoemA highly musical

verse that

expresses the

observations and

feelings

of a

single speaker

Reports, explanations,opinions, or descriptions written for television, radio,newspapers, and magazines

MetaphorA figure of speech in which something is described as though it

were something

else

I am a rainbow

The meter of a poem is its rhythmical

pattern