- Biography

A biography is simply the story of a real person's life. is a detailed description of a

person's life.

Example:

 Comparison
The act of looking at things to see how they are similar or different.

Example:
Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
The rock flew higher than the roof.

 Description
A spoken or written account of a person, object, or event.

Example:
The cottage was small and cozy, with whitewashed walls and a thatched roof. It sat right
on the water’s edge, with a small dock where you could tie up a boat. The waves lapped
at the shore, and seagulls cried overhead.

 Chronology
The arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence.

Example:
The rehearsal dinner will be on Friday night. Afterward, we are hoping that many of the
guests will help to clean the area for tomorrow's wedding.

 Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Example:
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
I haven't seen you in ages!
The teacher gave us a ton of homework.

 Narration
The action or process of narrating a story.

Example:
Direct: she said, “I would not be the victim.”
Indirect: she said that she would not be the victim.
  Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or
the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Example:
The sun smiled down on us.
The story jumped off the page.
The light danced on the surface of the water.

 Dialogue
A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film.

Example:
They hung their head and mumbled, “It's fine if you don't want me to come.”
She huffed, “Well that's just great, isn't it?”

 Coherence
the quality of being logical and consistent.

Example:
Demonstrating Cause and Effect.
Using Logical Reasoning.
Avoiding Fallacies and Heuristics.
Staying on Topic.
Using Clear Language.

 Conflict
A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.

Example:
Wars.
Proxy Wars.
Civil Wars.
Armed Insurgencies.

 Justification
The action of showing something to be right or reasonable.

Example:
There is no possible justification for what she did.
His behavior is without justification.

 Exposition
A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
Example:
One example of an exposition is a narrator explaining the setting and situation of
characters.

 Purpose
The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Example:
Traveling around the world and exploring different cultures.
Fighting for a social cause like climate change.

 Attitude
An attitude is an evaluation of a psychological object, represented in dimensions such as
good versus bad, pleasant versus unpleasant, or likable versus dislikeable.”

Example:
Joyce is a nurse in the pediatric unit of a local hospital. She enjoys interacting with
children and their parents. Even though Joyce sees awful events on a daily basis, she
retains her positive attitude while working with patients. As a result, she is often able to
successfully interact with children who don’t want to cooperate.

 Point of view
The position from which something or someone is observed.

Example:
In the first person POV, your narrator might say, 'I've come to this coffee shop so often,
the barista knows me. ' Your narrator in the second person POV might say something like
this, 'You've come to this coffee shop so often, the barista knows you.

 Contrast
The state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close
association.

Example:
United State of America is better like Europe Union.

 Empathy
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Example:
I'm sorry you are having this problem.
That would frustrate me too.

 Subject
A person or thing that is being discussed, described, or dealt with.
Example:
I sleep. (The subject is 'I' because it's doing the action of sleeping.)
We are watching Netflix. (The subject is 'we' because it's doing the action of watching)

 Antithesis
Antithesis is the juxtaposition of two contrasting or opposing words, phrases, clauses, or
sentences within a sentence or phrase.

Example:
Some examples of antithetical pairs include peace and war, strong and weak, and life and
death.

 Apostrophe
The symbol ’ used in writing to show when a letter or a number has been left out, as in
I'm (= I am) or '85 (= 1985), or that is used before or after s to show possession, as in
Helen's house or babies' hands.

Example:
"It's" with an apostrophe means "it is" or "it has".

 Archaism
Is language or writing that uses archaic language. In other words, when read today,
archaic writing stands out because it looks old-fashioned.

Example:
"thee" and "thou" are archaic words most people who read the English language have
come across.

 Argument
Is the act or process of arguing, reasoning, or discussing. Is a strong and sometimes angry
disagreement in talking or discussing something.

Example:
Global warming is real [claim] because the most reputable science points in that direction
[reason]. Everyone should stop wearing seat belts [claim] because it would save lives
[reason].

 Atmosphere
The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or creative work. In literature is the
overall mood of a story or poem. It’s usually something readers can’t quite put their
finger on – not a motif or a theme, but a “feel” that readers get as they read.
Example:

Example 1
Marilyn’s small apartment was bathed with light from the new floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside, the sounds of a balmy summer day floated up to her ears like the gurgle of a
cool, clear brook.

Example 2
Marilyn’s cramped apartment was roasting in the scorching sunlight that burned through
her floor-to-ceiling windows. And if there was anything more oppressive than the heat, it
had to be the constant din that bubbled up from the city street below like steam from a
putrid stew.

 Anaphora
An anaphora is a rhetorical device in which a word or expression is repeated at the
beginning of a few sentences, clauses, or phrases.

Example:
Lincoln's "we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow.

 Epiphora
Epiphora, also known as epistrophe, is a rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or
phrase at the end of successive clauses. Contrast with anaphora (rhetoric).

Example:
-Where now? Who now? When now?
-Here is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about
which one can be certain.

 Concrete
Tangible or perceivable characteristics in the real world.

Example:
Such language is often called specific.

 Irony
As a literary device is a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and
reality. For example, the difference between what something appears to mean versus its
literal meaning.

Example:
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, we (the audience) know that Juliet is not in fact dead
at the end, only drugged to appear in a deep, death like sleep. But Romeo doesn't know
that, so he kills himself. His suicide is terribly ironic because Juliet is, in fact, alive and
he killed himself for nothing.
  Fiction
literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may be based on a
true story or situation.

Example:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 1984 by
George Orwell and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

 Zeugma
A figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses.

Example:
John and his driving license expired last week.

 Antonomasia
Rhetorical figure of thought that consists either of replacing an appellative name with that
of the quality that characterizes it or that is attributed to it, or in the opposite sense.

Example:
Un Rafael, por «un gran pintor», o el Apóstol, por «san Pablo» son ejemplos de
antonomasia.

 Question in the narrative

A question in the narrative is asked and answered by one and the same person, usually the
author.

Example:
What are my earliest memories?
What are the most important things that have happened to me in my life so far?
What have I seen that I can't forget?
What's an incident that shows what my family and I are like?

Rethorical Question
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get
an answer.

Example:
The presentation was characterized by impossibly long sentences and a succession of
rhetorical questions.

 Proverb or saying
A saying is anything that is said or, if you prefer, spoken. A proverb is a set of words that
contain a lesson or meaning which holds up over the years.

Example:
Many hands make light work.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Honesty is the best policy.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

 Quotation
the repetition of a sentence, phrase, or passage from speech or text that someone has said
or written.

Example:
The phrase “don‟t win in practice” is consistent for all sports.

 Paraphrasis
Is a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form.

Example:

Original: The price of a resort vacation typically includes meals, tips, and equipment
rentals, which makes your trip more cost-effective.
Paraphrase: All-inclusive resort vacations can make for an economical trip.

 Periphrasis
Is the use of a larger number of words, with an implicit comparison to the possibility of
using fewer.

Example:
loveli-er more lovely
friendli-er more friendly
happi-er more happy

 Assonance
Is the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences.

Example:
She seems to beam rays of sunshine with her eyes of green.

 Connotation
Is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or main meaning (the
denotation). Often, a series of words can have the same basic definitions, but completely
different connotations, these are the emotions or meanings implied by a word, phrase, or
thing.

Example:
“This clothing is affordable!” versus “This clothing is cheap!” Here, “affordable” sounds
much better than “cheap,” because the word cheap also implies low quality.
  Consonance
Is the combination of consistently copied consonants! It’s when the same consonant
sound appears repeatedly in a line or sentence, creating a rhythmic effect.

Example:
Are you asking me to come up with examples of consonance? I’ll seek it
out in lyrics and book.

 Denotation
Is a word’ or thing’s literal or main definition. The term comes from the late Latin Latin
denotationem meaning “indication,” and is contrasted with connotation.

Example:
Denotation of the word “blue” is the color blue, but its connotation is “sad.”

The blueberry is very blue.

We understand this sentence by its denotative meaning—it describes the literal color of
the fruit.

 Fantasy
Is a genre of fiction that concentrates on imaginary elements.

Example:
Susie sat at her table with all of her favorite dolls and stuffed animals. It was afternoon
teatime, and she started serving each of her pretend friends as she did every other day.
But today was no ordinary day. As Susie reached the chair where she had sat her favorite
stuffed bear, she suddenly had the strange feeling like someone was watching her. She
stopped pouring the tea and looked up at Bear, who stared back with his glass eyes and
replied, “Well Hello!!”

 Metaphor
Is a common figure of speech that makes a comparison by directly relating one thing to
another unrelated thing.

Example:
All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree. (Albert Einstein)

 Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like what they describe. Onomatopoeia (pronounced ˌ’AH-nuh-mah-
tuh-PEE-uh’) refers to words whose pronunciations imitate.

Example:
Boom! Pow! Whoosh! Wham! All of these words are onomatopoeias.
  Pun
Is a joke based on the interplay of homophones — words with the same pronunciation but
different meanings. It can also play with words that sound similar, but not exactly the
same.

Example:
The tallest building in town is the library — it has thousands of stories!
A pun on the difference between stories in books and stories (floors) in a building.

 Refrain
Is a line, phrase, or single word that is repeated periodically within the poem to build up
drama, emphasis, or rhythm.

Example:
“Jump back, honey, jump back” in Paul Lawrence Dunbar's “A Negro Love Song” or
“return and return again” in James Laughlin's “O Best of All Nights, Return and Return
Again.”

 Simile
Is a literary term where you use “like” or “as” to compare two different things and show a
common quality between them. A simile is different from a simple comparison in that it
usually compares two unrelated things.

Example:
“She looks like you.”
He’s as thin as a rail!

 Cliché
Is a saying, image, or idea which has been used so much that it sounds terribly
uncreative.

Example:
“Diamond in the rough “: something or somebody with a lot of potential.
“Going bananas!” going crazy.
“Easy as pie “very easy.

 Essay
is a form of writing in paragraph form that uses informal language, although it can be
written formally. Essays may be written from a first-person point of view (I, ours, mine),
but third person (people, he, she) is preferable in most academic essays.
Example:
We will speak of nobility, first as a portion of an estate, then as a condition of particular
persons. A monarchy, where there is no nobility at all, is ever a pure and absolute
tyranny; as that of the Turks. For nobility attempers sovereignty, and draws the eyes of
the people, somewhat aside from the line royal. But for democracies, they need it not; and
they are commonly quieter, and less subject to sedition, than where there are stirps of
nobles. For men’s eyes are upon the business, and not upon the persons; or if upon the
persons, it is for the business’ sake, as fittest, and not for flags and pedigree. We see the
Switzers last well, notwithstanding their diversity of religion, and of cantons. For utility
is their bond, and not respects. The united provinces of the Low Countries, in their
government, excel; for where there is an equality, the consultations are more indifferent,
and the payments and tributes, more cheerful. A great and potent nobility, addeth majesty
to a monarch, but diminisheth power; and putteth life and spirit into the people, but
presseth their fortune. It is well, when nobles are not too great for sovereignty nor for
justice; and yet maintained in that height, as the insolency of inferiors may be broken
upon them, before it come on too fast upon the majesty of kings. A numerous nobility
causeth poverty, and inconvenience in a state; for it is a surcharge of expense; and
besides, it being of necessity, that many of the nobility fall, in time, to be weak in fortune,
it maketh a kind of disproportion, between honor and means.”

 Flashback
is a device that moves an audience from the present moment in a chronological narrative
to a scene in the past.

Example:
A man is about to give a speech to a large audience on biology. Suddenly, he remembers
playing with frogs and toads in his backyard as a curious child. He smiles at the memory,
and then begins to speak to the audience about a new, groundbreaking finding about
frogs.

In this example, the flashback happens when the man remembers his childhood. The
flashback serves to reveal that the man had an early passion for animals and has now, as
an adult, made a fantastic discovery in that area of science.

 Genre
Is a category of literature identified by form, content, and style. Genres allow literary
critics and students to classify compositions within the larger canon of literature.

Example:
Poetry
Prose
Drama

 Allegory
Is a story within a story. It has a “surface story” and another story hidden underneath.
Example:
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one of literature’s most famous allegories. The surface
story is about a group of farm animals who rise up, kick out the humans, and try to run
the farm themselves. The hidden story, however, is about the Russian Revolution, and
each of the characters represents some figure from that revolution. The pigs represent
Communist leaders like Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, the dogs represent the KGB, the
humans represent capitalists, the horses represent the working class, etc.

 Allusion
is basically a reference to something else. It’s when a writer mentions some other work,
or refers to an earlier part of the current work.

Example:
I didn’t have any bus fare, but fortunately some good Samaritan helped me out!

This is an allusion to the Biblical story of the good Samaritan, from Luke 10:29-37 – a
good Samaritan is someone who helps others in need, just as the Samaritan does in the
story.

 Epithet
An adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the
person or thing mentioned.

Example:
Old men are often unfairly awarded the epithet ‘dirty.

 Image
Imagery is a language used by poets, novelists and other writers to create images in the
mind of the reader. Imagery includes figurative and metaphorical language to improve the
reader’s experience through their senses.

Example:
The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful and varied
constellations which were sprinkled across the astronomical landscape.

In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color (black as
ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).

 Paradox
Is a statement that contradicts itself, or that must be both true and untrue at the same time.
Paradoxes are quirks in logic that demonstrate how our thinking sometimes goes haywire,
even when we use perfectly logical reasoning to get there.

Example:
Nobody goes to Murphy’s Bar anymore — it’s too crowded.
A time traveler goes back in time and murders his own great-grandfather.
  Person
a human being regarded as an individual.

Example:
The porter was the last person to see her prior to her disappearance.

 Analogy
Is a literary technique in which two unrelated objects are compared for their shared
qualities.

Example:
Advertising provides a good example of an industry where dreams have faded.

 Ruhtm
A strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes that is used in music, poetry, and
dancing.

Example:
He beat out a jazz rhythm on the drums.
I've got no sense of rhythm, so I'm a terrible dancer.

 Rhyme
Rhymes are words whose endings match, as in “fly” and “spy.”

 Trochaic
A metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by an unaccented syllable.

Example:
Examples of trochaic words include “garden” and “highway.” William Blake opens “The
Tyger” with a predominantly trochaic line: “Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright.” Edgar Allan
Poe's “The Raven” is mainly trochaic.

 Poetic foot
Is “a unit of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.”

Example:
Examples include amuse, portray, and return. Trochees have two syllables in the opposite
order: stressed then unstressed. Words like happy, clever, and planet are trochees.

 Anapestic
A metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable.

Example:
The words “underfoot” and “overcome” are anapestic.