Grade 8 – Examinable Terms!

  1. Alliteration
  2. Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close together.
  3. Example: He was a bouncing baby boy.
  1. Allusion
  2. A reference to another work (story, movie, art, real person, historical event) that’s supposed to give meaning to the reader.
  1. Antagonist
  2. The character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story
  3. The opponent of the protagonist.
  4. Examples: Goth (from Silverwing), Loki (The Avengers)
  1. Assonance
  2. The repetition of similar vowel sounds in different words in close proximity.
  3. Example: deep green sea
  1. Atmosphere
  2. The feeling surrounding a literary work.
  1. Audience
  2. The people for whom a piece of literature is written.
  1. Author
  2. The creator of a piece of work.
  1. Ballad
  2. A type of narrative poem, often a song.
  1. Bias
  2. A slanted viewpoint that prevents a fair and open-minded assessment. Biased writing may leave out some information on purpose and give an accurate presentation of the subject.
  1. Character
  2. An imaginary person who inhabits a literary work. They may be major, minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic(changes throughout the course of the work).
  1. Cliché
  2. A trite or overused, time-worn phrase.
  3. Example: Don’t judge a book by its cover!
  1. Conflict
  2. A struggle between two or more opposing forces.
  3. Internal: a struggle within oneself (man vs. himself). Involves making a choice/decision, or strong feelings (like guilt, fear, etc.).
  4. External: a struggle between a character and an outside force.
  5. Nature
  6. Other characters
  7. Society
  1. Connotation
  2. The associations a word or image evokes, which go beyond its literal meaning. These associations can be positive or negative.
  3. Example: The word “home” has connotations of comfort, love, and security.
  1. Denotation
  2. The dictionary meaning of the word.
  1. Dialogue
  2. The actual words that characters speak.
  1. Diction
  2. The author’s word choice.
  3. Diction can be formal (like you’d use talking to the Queen, or in a job interview) or informal (like the way you’d talk to your friends, by using slang).
  1. Elegy
  2. A mournful poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.
  1. Eulogy
  2. A speech (or written work) in praise of a person who has died.
  1. Euphemism
  2. A mild, indirect, or vague term for one that is considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.
  3. Example: “He’s passed away” instead of “He’s dead.”
  1. Fiction
  2. An imagined story, whether in prose, poetry, or drama.
  1. Figurative Language
  2. When writers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words.
  3. Includes hyperbole, exaggeration, simile, and metaphor.
  1. Flashback
  2. An interruption of a work’s chronology to describe or present an incident that occurred prior to the main time frame of the work.
  1. Foreshadowing
  2. Hints of what is to come in the action of a story/play.
  1. Free Verse
  2. Poetry without a regular pattern of rhythm and rhyme.
  1. Hyperbole
  2. Ridiculous exaggeration that makes a point.
  1. Imagery
  2. Language which describes something in detail, using words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation. Imagery is language that appeals to the senses.
  1. Irony
  2. When an unexpected event happens; it is somehow in absurd or mocking opposition to that would be expected or appropriate.
  1. Juxtaposition
  2. To place together or side by side, especially for comparison and contrast.
  1. Literal Meaning
  2. Language that means exactly what it says.
  1. Literary Devices
  2. Techniques or words used to create a particular effect (like symbolism, simile, foreshadowing, etc.).
  1. Metaphor
  2. A direct comparison of two things, without using comparing words (no like or as).
  1. Mood
  2. The overall feeling created by an author’s choice of words.
  1. Motivation
  2. A character’s driving force; what causes them to act the way they do.
  1. Narrator
  2. The voice and implied speaker of a written work.
  3. The narrator is NOT the same as the author.
  1. Non-fiction
  2. Writing that is based on fact.
  1. Onomatopoeia
  2. When the sound of a word resembles its meaning.
  3. Example: bang, crash, buzz
  1. Personification
  2. Giving human traits to an inanimate object or an abstract idea.
  1. Plot
  2. The unified structure of incidents in a written work.
  3. Exposition: the first stage of a fictional plot, when necessary background information is provided.
  4. Rising Action: series of events leading up to the climax of the story. Usually focuses on the conflicts or struggles of the protagonist.
  5. Climax: the highest point of tension in a work.
  6. Falling Action: the sequence of events following the climax; ends in the resolution.
  7. Resolution: where the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. It occurs after the falling action, and is typically when the story ends.
  1. Point of View
  2. First person: a character narrates the story, and uses I, me, my, we.
  3. Second: uses “you” but no “I”
  4. Third, limited: the narrator is NOT a character in the story, and knows only limited details and information.
  5. Third, omniscient: the narrator is NOT a character in the story, and knows everything (all events, feelings of all characters, etc.).
  1. Prejudice
  2. An opinion or feeling formed beforehand; an opinion without knowledge, thought, or reason.
  1. Protagonist
  2. The main character of lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem.
  3. Example: Ponyboy (in The Outsiders)
  1. Purpose
  2. The reason a piece of work was created. This could be to entertain, to inform, to describe, to persuade, etc.
  1. Rhyme
  2. The matching final sounds at the ends of words (two or more).
  1. Rhythm
  2. The pattern of accented or stressed syllables in lines of poetry (basically, the beat of the words).
  1. Setting
  2. The time, place, and circumstances (special situations, like war) of a literary work.

  1. Simile
  2. A comparison using like or as.
  3. Example: Forrest Gump says →
  1. Suspense
  2. When readers are unsure what will happen next in a piece of writing. This makes them want to keep reading.
  1. Symbolism
  2. When an object or action represents something more than itself (stands for an idea).
  1. Target Audience
  2. The consumer group most likely to buy a specific product audience.
  1. Theme
  2. The main message that an author wants readers to learn from their work.
  3. This MUST be written as a statement; it cannot be a single word.
  4. Example: “Love” is not a theme; “Love is difficult” is a theme!
  1. Tone
  2. The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work; how the author feels about their topic.
  3. Example: Critical, serious, sarcastic, etc.
  1. Visual Terms
  2. Balance: the even arrangement of parts of a visual. Balance can be symmetrical ("formal"), where elements are given equal "weight" from an imaginary line in the middle of a piece.
  3. Contrast: two different things placed side-by-side (juxtaposed) in a visual. This can be two different colors, textures, sizes, etc.
  4. Focal point: The natural first resting place for the eye in a visual; often the main object for viewers to look at.
  5. Message: any thought, idea, or information, which obviously stated or more subtle
  6. Texture: the perceived surface quality of a visual. It can be smooth, rough, etc.
  1. Voice
  2. The controlling presence or “authorial voice: behind the characters and narrator of a work.