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Definition
| One of the two “voices” of verbs (see also passive voice). When the verb of a sentence is in the active voice, the subject is doing the acting, as in the sentence “Kevin hit the ball.” Kevin (the subject of the sentence) acts in relation to the ball. |
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| Objects and characters in the story or poem represent a second level of meaning besides the surface story by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor. There are two levels: literal and symbolic. E.g. George Orwell's "Animal Farm". Intended to teach a moral or lesson. The literal level is simple and clear - Russian Revolution and Communism. The symbolic level contains the lesson to be learned. |
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| The repetition of sounds in nearby words, usually involving the first consonant sounds. It depends on sound, not spelling. E.g. Kat caught a cough. |
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| A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art (often from Bible, Greek or Roman myths, historical or political events). E.g. A Midsummer Night's Dream: "by Cupid's strongest bow..." |
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| Resemblance or comparison between two different things; where you explain a complex situation by relating it to a simpler idea. E.g. "that's like when..." |
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| The major character or force that opposes the protagonist. |
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| A sudden shift from a relatively serious or elevated mood to one more comic or trivial. |
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a. the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas, as in “Give me liberty or give me death.”
b. the second sentence or part thus set in opposition, as “or give me death.” |
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| A figure of speech consisting of words addressing an inanimate object, abstract idea, or deceased individual as thought that object, idea, or individual were alive. E.g. "Oh Canada..." or "Death, why is thy sting?" |
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Definition: non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts
Example: This chapter provides anecdotal evidence from personal interviews, public hearings, and surveys. |
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| (of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples: thou; wast; methinks; forsooth |
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| A part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience. |
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| Repetition of stressed vowel sounds. E.g. three/beach, say/played, flame/pain |
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| The prevailing feeling created by the story. Usually sets up expectations in the reader about the outcome of an episode or plot. It is created by descriptive diction, imagery, and sometimes dialogue. Some teachers or critics may distinguish between the two terms by referring to the "atmosphere of a story" and the "mood created in the reader". |
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| A history of a person's life written or told by that person |
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| A narrative poem, originally designed to be sung. Most ballads have the following characteristics: four line stanzas; rhyme scheme of abcb; simple language; dramatic action. |
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| An account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another: a film biography of Adlai Stevenson; an oral biography. |
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| Poetry written in UNRHYMED iambic pentameter. Great English writers of blank verse have included Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Browning. |
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| The use of harsh, discordant sounds for poetic effect. E.g. "All day cows mooed and shrieked/Hollered and bellowed and wept..." |
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| A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect. |
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| The concluding action of a drama, especially a classical tragedy, following the climax and containing a resolution of the plot |
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| The term refers to both a fictional person in a story, and the moral, dispositional, and behavioral qualities of that fictional person. The qualities of a character are generally revealed through dialogue, action, and description. Characters themselves may be classified as flat or round, stereotyped or realistic, static or dynamic. |
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| The process through which the author reveals to the reader the qualities of a character. In short stories, the author will either reveal character directly (through author comments) and/or indirectly (through the character's speech, though, or action). |
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| A character whose behavior, attitudes, and/or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist. The contrast of the foil helps the reader to understand better the character and motivation o the protagonist. |
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Definition
| a trite, stereotyped, overused expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox |
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| The highest point of emotional intensity in a story. It is the major crisis in the story and usually marks the turning point in the protagonist's fortunes. |
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| a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech - 口語說法 |
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| A dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict. |
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| An amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action. |
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| The considering of two things with regard to some characteristic that is common to both, as the likening of a hero to a lion in courage |
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| Refers to the struggle between opposing characters of forces (e.g., the protagonist and someone or something else). Additional conflicts, in which the protagonist is not involved, may also be found in a short story. |
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| The aura, the field of association, surrounding a particular word. E.g. Compare the connotations and denotations of the words, house and home. House is quite standard, while home can have many meanings. |
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| The repetition of the same consonant sound within words close together. E.g. "such weight and thick, pink bulk..." |
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| Refers to a difference, especially a striking difference, between two things being compared. In this context, contrast may involve characters, situations, settings, moods, or points of view. Contrast is used to clarify meaning, purpose, or character, or to heighten certain moods (especially humour, horror, and suspense). |
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| Refers to a difference, especially a striking difference, between two things being compared. In this context, contrast may involve characters, situations, settings, moods, or points of view. Juxtapositions are contrasts in which positioning is important; for example, two contrasting characters may be placed side by side in a story. |
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Definition
| A pair of lines that rhyme, creates a bold effect, conveys a message or point of view and can be used for humor. |
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| The literal meaning of a word, such as it dictionary definition. |
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| French word for "unknotting" and refers the "unknotting" or resolution of the plot or conflict. The denouement follows the climax and constitutes part or all of the falling action. |
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| A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists: Cockney is a dialect of English |
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| A manner of speaking or variation on a language peculiar to an individual, a people, a social class, or a geographic region. A dialect differs from the standard language of a country. |
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Definition
| Any conversation between two or more characters in a story constitutes dialogue. |
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Definition
| Diction is the vocabulary used by a writer. For each story, the writer choose and arranges words appropriate to her or his purpose, subject, story type, characters, and style. |
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Definition
| A term for a poem that teaches, almost preaches. It often discusses the "proper" way to behave. The lesson being taught is more important to the writer than the artistic quality of the work. |
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| A situation in which a character must make a choice between two undesirable or equally destructive alternatives. Posing a dilemma is one method an author can use to generate conflict and suspense in a story. |
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Definition
| inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony |
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Definition
| Occurs when what a character says or believes contrasts with what the reader or other characters know to be true (for example, from information given to us by the author). |
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| A poem in which an imaginary character speaks to a silent listener. During the monologue, the speaker reveals his or her personality, usually at a moment of crisis. E.g. Hamlet's "to be or not to be" speech. |
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| Often the protagonist, is a character who undergoes a significant, lasting change, usually in her or his outlook on life, opposite of static character. |
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| Is one who does not change in the course of the story, opposite of dynamic character. |
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| A limited, usually minor character with only one apparent quality, opposite of round character. |
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Definition
| A realistic character with several dimensions. |
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Definition
| A multidimensional character and clearly has complex relationships and motivations, opposite of stereotyped character. |
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| Totally predictable, one-dimensional, and recognizable to the reader as "of a type" (e.g., "the jock", "the brain", "the yuppie") |
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Definition
1 An article in a publication expressing the opinion of its editors or publishers.
2 A commentary on television or radio expressing the opinion of the station or network |
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| Poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person. It may mourn a particular person or reflect on a serious or tragic theme, such as the passing of youth, beauty, or a way of life. |
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1 An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero.
2 A literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended narrative poem celebrating heroic feats. |
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| Refers to a moment of significant realization and insight experienced by the protagonist, often at the end of the story. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation |
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| A serious or humorous poem on a gravestone. "Here lies old Uncle Bill, We loved him then and always will." |
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Definition
| The use inoffensive or neutral words to describe those felt to be too blunt or painful. This reduces the risk that the listener will be upset or offended. E.g. "passed away" for died. |
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Term
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Definition
| The pleasant, musical quality produced by agreeable sounds in a line of poetry. The opposite is cacophony. E.g. "And the words hung hushed in their long while dream / By the ghostly glimmering, ice-blue stream." |
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Definition
| Background information provided by the author to further the development of plot, conflict, setting, and characterization. |
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Definition
| A comparison that is used through a poem or story to continue to show added similarities between two things. |
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Definition
Conflict between a character and her or his environment. The "environment" may be nature, society, or circumstance. E.g. the protagonist finds herself at odds with and rejected by the society she fancies herself to be a part of.
Conflict between two characters. This struggle may be physical, emotion, or psychological. |
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Definition
| Conflict within a character. In this case, the character experiences conflict(s) in emotion and/or thought. E.g. the protagonist later regrets not telling her partner immediately about her success at the audition. |
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Definition
| A short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters; apologue: the fable of the tortoise and the hare; Aesop's fables |
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Definition
| The section immediately following the climax and lasting until the end of the story. |
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Definition
| A highly exaggerated or improbable story. As a rule, fantasy has fantastic events, characters, and/or settings not found in real life. |
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Term
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Definition
| A light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character |
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Term
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Definition
| speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning, speech or writing employing figures of speech |
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Definition
| A sudden switch in the plot from the present to the past. This device may be used to illustrate an important point or to aid in characterization. |
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Term
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Definition
| A character whose behavior, attitudes, and/or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist. The contrast of the foil helps the reader to understand better the character and motivation of the protagonist. |
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Term
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Definition
| A device that hints at or warns of events to happen later in the story. Foreshadowing prepares that reader for the climax, the denouement, or any changes in the protagonist. |
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Term
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Definition
| In literature, form generally means "type". It can refer to the more fundamental genres of the literary work (poem, short story, novel, essay) or to the way those stories are told (myth, fairy tale, parable). In poetry especially, the term is used to describe even smaller divisions within the poetic form (elegy, epic poem, sonnet), but this is true of fiction as well (science fiction, mystery). |
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Term
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Definition
| Any language that is ceremonial or using a "high" register or hard words, such as a sermon, lecture, or poetry |
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Term
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Definition
| Poetry which has no regular patterns of rhyme, meter, or length! |
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Term
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Definition
| The kind or type of a work of art, from the French, meaning “kind” or “genus.” Literary genres include the novel and the sonnet. Musical genres include the concerto and the symphony. Film genres include Westerns and horror movies |
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Definition
| Protagonist of a story who possesses heroic qualities, such as courage, or virtues, such as honesty. The terms "hero" and "heroine" are not interchangeable with the more general term "protagonist". |
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Definition
| Refers to writing that is intended to amuse the reader or provoke laughter. |
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Definition
| An exaggeration not intended to deceive, either for comic or serious effect. |
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Definition
| There are 5 feet, each foot contains a short syllable followed by a long one (iambic) or unstressed, stressed. Its rhyming scheme: abab cdcd effe gg |
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Definition
| A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on. |
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Definition
| Concrete details and figures of speech that help the reader form vivid impressions of the subject of the writing. |
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Definition
| Refers to the pattern of images in a single piece of writing. Choosing words to create a strong picture or image in the reader's mind. Although most often a visual picture, it can also relate a any of the four senses (taste, touch, hearing, smell). |
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Definition
| A story ending in which there is no clear outcome, result, or resolved conflict is called an indeterminate ending. |
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Definition
| Passage of writing presenting a character's inner thoughts and emotions in a direct, sometimes disjointed or fragmentary manner |
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Term
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Definition
1. a rhyme created by two or more words in the same line of verse.
2. a rhyme created by words within two or more lines of a verse. |
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Definition
| Involve contrast between two elements and, as a literary device, provides depth of meaning and impact. When irony is used, meanings tend to become unconcealed or contradictory, an effect that we call "ironic". |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs when what a character says contrasts with what the character also or actually means. |
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Definition
| Occurs when what finally takes place is different from what was expected or seemed appropriate. |
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Term
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Definition
1. the language, esp. the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: medical jargon.
2. unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.
3. any talk or writing that one does not understand.
4. pidgin.
5. language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning |
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Definition
| A poem (usually a short one) that expresses a speaker's personal thoughts or feelings. |
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Term
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Definition
| A dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization |
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Definition
| The comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as" |
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Term
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Definition
a. poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.
b. a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination): pentameter; dactylic meter; iambic trimeter |
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Definition
| Naming something associated with what is really being talked about rather than naming the subject directly. E.g. For the saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword," we are really referring to the words being more powerful than fighting |
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Definition
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Definition
| The dominant attitude or tone which runs through an entire piece of literature. |
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Definition
| A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society: the myth of Eros and Psyche; a creation myth. |
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Definition
| A nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical |
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Definition
| Another word for "story." Narratives contain the following elements: plot, conflict, characters setting, and point of view. Narratives may be fictional or non-fictional, and include novels, autobiographies, biographies, short stories, and anecdotes. |
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Definition
| The narrator is the storyteller. In the case of a story told from the first-person perspective, the narrator is one of the characters; in the case of a story told from the objective, omniscient, or limited omniscient points of view, the author assumes the role of narrator. |
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Definition
| Eight lines of rhyme and can be quatrains put together or one eight-line rhyme patterned poem. |
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Definition
| A lyric poem written in praise of someone or something. |
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Term
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Definition
| A word whose sound suggests its meaning. E.g. ouch, buzz, snarl, groan, bang. |
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Definition
| A phrase consisting of contradictory terms. |
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Definition
| A statement that at first seems contradictory but proves to contain truth. E.g. I must be cruel only to be kind. |
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Definition
| A poem making fun of a serious poem while copying its style. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the two “voices” of verbs (see also active voice). A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb. For example, in “The ball was thrown by the pitcher,” the ball (the subject) receives the action of the verb, and was thrown is in the passive voice. The same sentence cast in the active voice would be, “The pitcher threw the ball.” |
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Definition
| A literary or other artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way - 鄉村生活的 |
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Definition
| A quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow |
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Term
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Definition
| Giving non-human things human characteristics. |
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Term
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Definition
| The story line or organization of events or episodes within a story. The conventional plot has rising action, a climax, and falling action. |
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Term
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Definition
| The perspective from which a story is seem or told. It establishes the relationships among author, reader, and characters. |
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Term
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Definition
| Features a character telling the story directly to the reader in the first person (i.e., using "I"). This point of view tells us what the character thinks and feels from a vantage point "inside" the story, from one character's perspective. |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs when a story is told from "outside" the characters, but from the perspective of one character. In this point of view, the characters are referred to in the third person (as "he" or "she"), and the narrator is limited to knowing the thoughts and feelings of only that one character. |
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Term
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Definition
| "All-knowing narrative", tells the story with knowledge of thoughts and feelings of more than one or all of the characters. |
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Term
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Definition
| Narrator has no special knowledge, and the story is factually presented in an unemotional way. |
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Term
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Definition
| An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play |
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Term
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Definition
| The main character of a story from whose viewpoint the story is presented. While some protagonists may be heroes or heroines (or antiheroes and antiheroines), the term protagonist is broader and does not depend on moral judgments of the characters' actions. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to the main effect the author hopes to achieve: entertainment, thoughtfulness, enlightenment, action, or a demonstration of something about life or human nature. rarely does a story have only one purpose. Purpose may include them, but should not simply be equated with te story's main idea. |
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Term
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Definition
| "Playing" with the sound or meaning of words for humorous effect |
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Term
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Definition
| Four lines of rhyme (abab or abcb or abba) and creates the effect of regularity or order. |
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Term
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Definition
| In a story consists of the incidents that precede the climax. During this stage of the story, background information is given, characters and conflicts are introduced, and suspense is built up. There may even be moments of crisis. Typically, the rising action is often longer than the falling action of a story. |
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Term
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Definition
| The placing of words with similar end sounds reasonably close together to emphasize the similarity of their sounds. |
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Term
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Definition
| The pattern of rhyme within a stanza or poem, usually shown by marking each similar sound with the same letter of the alphabet. E.g. steeple (a), people (a), town (b), down (b) |
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Term
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Definition
| A rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language. |
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Definition
| witty language used to convey insults or scorn; "he used sarcasm to upset his opponent"; "irony is wasted on the stupid"; "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own"--Jonathan Swift 諷刺 |
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Definition
| The use of irony to ridicule an idea, a person, or a thing often with the aim of provoking change. Satire usually targets human foibles or vices or expose the silliness of human behavior (with the hope of improving human conduct). |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of six lines of poetry, especially the last six lines of a Italian sonnet |
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Term
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Definition
| The time and place of a story. While in some stories setting may only minimally affect the plot, conflict, characters, and theme, in others it can be of great significant and be the main fictional element. |
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Term
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Definition
| Comparison of two unlike object using "like" or "as". |
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Term
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Definition
| Very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language |
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Term
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Definition
| 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| A lyrical poem consisting of 14 lines in iambic pentameter. |
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Term
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Definition
| A grouping of several lines of a poem (like a paragraph in a prose), usually separated from the next stanza by a space. Or a group of lines in a poem considered as a unit. Often function like paragraphs in prose. Each states and develops a single main idea. |
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Term
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Definition
| The individual manner in which an author expresses herself or himself. In fiction, style is basically determined by such grammatical and sensory aspects as diction, grammar, and images. |
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Term
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Definition
| The presentation of the natural flow of thoughts and feelings as they pass through the mind of a character, without apparent logic or order. |
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Term
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Definition
| A generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group |
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Term
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Definition
| existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought - : 主觀的 |
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Term
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Definition
| The sudden twist in the direction of a story, producing a resolution that surprises the reader and often the story's characters as well. |
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Term
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Definition
| The feeling of anxiety and uncertainty experienced by the reader (and possibly characters) about the outcome of events or the protagonist's fate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Something that stands for or represents something else. Characters, objects event, conflicts and settings can all be symbolic. |
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Term
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Definition
| A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole. E.g. "All hands on deck" means "all workers on deck" |
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Term
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Definition
| The imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem. |
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Definition
| The central idea of the story, usually implied rather than directly stated. It is a story's observation about life or human nature, and should never be confused with the moral. |
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Term
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Definition
| One-sentence, general statement about life or human nature that can be derived by interpreting a story's overall message. It does not mention specifics from the story (e.g. specific names, settings, or events), but instead generalizes, accurately and comprehensively, the story's main meaning. |
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Term
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Definition
| The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience. |
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Term
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Definition
| a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said [ant: exaggeration] 陳述 |
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Term
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Definition
| The keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure - 幽默妙語 |
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