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The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words within close proximity (i.e. Quick Question)
Alliteration
A reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance (i.e. Gee, thanks Einstein!)
Allusion
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences (i.e. You better watch out / you better not cry / you better not pout / I’m telling you why)
Anaphora
A character, group of characters, or force that opposes the main character (i.e. Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort or The Lion King's Scar)
Antagonist
The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words (i.e. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain)
Assonance
A struggle or clash between two opposing forces or characters
Conflict
The emotional or cultural associations that a word carries beyond its literal meaning (i.e. My sister's new boyfriend is very Wall Street)
Connotation
The literal or dictionary definition of a word, without the emotional or cultural associations (i.e. The supermarket is on Wall Street, two blocks from here).
Denotation
The careful selection of words that carry a specific meaning (i.e. "The cat sat by the empty food bowl and looked at her with a hard stare.” vs. “The cat stalked over to the barren food bowl and leveled her with a baleful glare.”)
Diction
The first part of a story, where we meet the characters and get to know the setting. Before something happens that upsets the status quo.
Exposition
After the most exciting point in the story, when things slowly go back to normal and start settling down
Falling action
When the story is told from the point-of-view of one of the characters (i.e. I woke up in a sweat. I knew I had just awoken from a terrible dream, although I couldn't quite recall it.)
First-person narration
When a character remembers something that happened at an earlier point in time
Flashback
When a character only has one major character trait and is not developed much beyond that. (i.e. Harry Potter's Crabbe and Goyle [Malfoy's friends])
Flat character
When the writer of a story or a character in the story hints at something that will become important much later in the story.
Foreshadowing
An exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally (i.e. To infinity... and beyond!)
Hyperbole
