Literary Terms (Intermediate)

Front

What is the term used to describe the narrator’s perspective from which the events are depicted?

Back

Point of View: The angle or perspective from which a story is told.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Front

What is the term used to describe the order or sequence in which the author arranges events in a story?

Back

Plot: The sequence of events that make up a story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

Front

What is the term used to describe a comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison is used?

Back

Simile: A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

What is the term used to describe an author giving human characteristics (emotions and behaviors) to inanimate objects?

Back

Personification: A literary device where human traits are attributed to non-human things.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

Front

What is the term used to describe a concrete object, person, or situation that represents something abstract?

Back

Symbol: An object or action that represents a deeper meaning or concept.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.L.7.5

CCSS.L.8.5

Front

What is the term for the main character in a story?

Back

Protagonist: The central character around whom the story revolves.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Front

What is the term used to describe the time and place in which a story occurs?

Back

Setting: The environment in which a story takes place, including time and location.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Front

What is the term used to describe a recurring theme or idea in a literary work?

Back

Motif: A repeated element that has symbolic significance in a story.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.7.6

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.5.2D

CCSS.W.6.2D

Front

What is the term used to describe the struggle between opposing forces in a story?

Back

Conflict: The main problem or struggle that drives the plot.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Front

What is the term used to describe the author's choice of words and style of expression?

Back

Diction: The specific word choice and phrasing used by an author.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3