More Literary Terms
There are many, many more literary terms than what is listed here - your expanded knowledge of
the terms and how they function in a piece of literature will allow you to develop a more
comprehensive, detailed, and nuanced understanding of what you are reading.
SIMILE - Grade 9 - comparison of two unlike things using “like”, “as” or “than”
METAPHOR - Grade 9 - comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
PERSONIFICATION - Grade 9 - human qualities given to non-living things.
FORESHADOWING - grade 9 - a hint of something that will happen in the future.
TONE - Grade 9 - feeling conveyed by the author’s attitude.
IRONY - grade 9 - intended meaning is opposite to what is expressed, a situation which develops in
an unexpected way.
SATIRE - grade 9 -criticizing anybody/anything by ridiculing them. Blending a critical attitude with
humour and wit.
THEME - grade 9 - the central idea, general truth or commentary. A Subject is a, while a theme is an
opinion expressed on the subject. THEMATIC STATEMENT is a clearly expressed statement of the
theme.
DRAMATIC IRONY - grade 9 - a literary device by which the audience's or reader's
understanding of events or individuals in a work is greater than that of its characters.
PARADOX - a statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow.
DENOTATION - dictionary definition of a word
CONNOTATION - Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the
thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or
meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.
ATMOSPHERE: the mood or general feeling of the poem or story (Grade 9 - see MOOD)
MOOD - is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words
and descriptions. Usually, mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it
creates an emotional setting that surrounds the readers.
DICTION - diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that an author
makes and uses in a work of literature.
SYNTAX - refers to the way in which words and sentences are placed together. Syntax
generally follows a pattern of subject-verb-object agreement but sometimes authors play
around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or questioning effect.
There are many, many more literary terms than what is listed here - your expanded knowledge of
the terms and how they function in a piece of literature will allow you to develop a more
comprehensive, detailed, and nuanced understanding of what you are reading.
SIMILE - Grade 9 - comparison of two unlike things using “like”, “as” or “than”
METAPHOR - Grade 9 - comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
PERSONIFICATION - Grade 9 - human qualities given to non-living things.
FORESHADOWING - grade 9 - a hint of something that will happen in the future.
TONE - Grade 9 - feeling conveyed by the author’s attitude.
IRONY - grade 9 - intended meaning is opposite to what is expressed, a situation which develops in
an unexpected way.
SATIRE - grade 9 -criticizing anybody/anything by ridiculing them. Blending a critical attitude with
humour and wit.
THEME - grade 9 - the central idea, general truth or commentary. A Subject is a, while a theme is an
opinion expressed on the subject. THEMATIC STATEMENT is a clearly expressed statement of the
theme.
DRAMATIC IRONY - grade 9 - a literary device by which the audience's or reader's
understanding of events or individuals in a work is greater than that of its characters.
PARADOX - a statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow.
DENOTATION - dictionary definition of a word
CONNOTATION - Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the
thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or
meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.
ATMOSPHERE: the mood or general feeling of the poem or story (Grade 9 - see MOOD)
MOOD - is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words
and descriptions. Usually, mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it
creates an emotional setting that surrounds the readers.
DICTION - diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that an author
makes and uses in a work of literature.
SYNTAX - refers to the way in which words and sentences are placed together. Syntax
generally follows a pattern of subject-verb-object agreement but sometimes authors play
around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or questioning effect.
