Literary Terms

Front

What is a flashback?

Back

A flashback is a literary device where the author interrupts the plot to recreate an event from an earlier time.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Front

What is suspense in literature?

Back

Suspense is the anxiety a reader feels about what may happen next in a story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Front

What is the theme of a story?

Back

The theme is the truth about life that is revealed in a story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Front

What is rising action?

Back

Rising action is the main part of the story where the complications arise.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things that does not use 'like' or 'as'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

What is foreshadowing?

Back

Foreshadowing is a literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the 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 climax of a story?

Back

The climax is the most intense, exciting, or important point of the story, often the turning point.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

Front

What is exposition in literature?

Back

Exposition is the introduction of background information within a story, such as setting, events that occurred before the main plot, and the characters.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Front

What is personification?

Back

Personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4