Literary Terms and Concepts

Idiom

• A phrase or expression whose meaning isn't predictable from the literal meanings of its words (e.g., "It's raining cats and dogs")

• A type of metaphor that uses exaggerated language

• A common saying that has a straightforward meaning

• A grammatical structure that is universally understood

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5B

CCSS.L.5.5B

Main Idea

• The primary point or concept that an author wants to convey in a text.

• A summary of the entire text.

• A detailed analysis of the characters in the text.

• The conclusion drawn from the text.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.6

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.4.2D

CCSS.W.5.2D

Synonym

• A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.

• A word that has the opposite meaning of another word.

• A word that describes an action or state.

• A word that is used to express a feeling or emotion.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

Inference

• A logical guess or conclusion based on evidence and reasoning.

• A statement that can be proven true or false.

• An assumption made without evidence.

• A type of reasoning that relies solely on personal opinion.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.4.2D

CCSS.W.5.2D

Compare and Contrast

• To identify similarities and differences between two or more subjects.

• To analyze the historical context of a subject.

• To summarize the main points of a text.

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a solution.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.6

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.4.2D

CCSS.W.5.2D

Theme

• The central message or lesson of a story.

• A character's emotional journey throughout the narrative.

• The setting where the story takes place.

• The sequence of events in a plot.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.6

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.4.2D

Antonym

• A word that means the opposite of another word.

• A word that has the same meaning as another word.

• A word that describes a person or thing.

• A word that is used to express a strong emotion.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

Setting

• The main character's journey in the story.

• The time and place where a story occurs.

• The conflict that drives the plot forward.

• The moral lesson learned by the characters.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.3

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

Character

• A person, animal, or being in a story.

• A type of plot twist in literature.

• The main theme of a narrative.

• A literary device used to create suspense.

Tags

CCSS.L.2.4E

CCSS.L.3.4D

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

Cause and Effect

• A relationship where one event (the cause) makes another event happen (the effect).

• A situation where two events occur simultaneously without any connection.

• A scenario where an event is caused by random chance.

• A process where the outcome is independent of the initial event.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.6

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.5.2D