Literature Terms Vocabulary Help

Updated on Sep 8, 2011

Terms Relating to Language and Literature

      a short account of an interesting or humorous incident
      In order to capture classroom life for the visiting parents at Back to School Night, the teacher shared a number of comical _____(s) about her kindergarten students.
      The Native American legend exhibited elements of _____, as it was a bear who emotionally narrated the tale of loss on the reservation.
      The old _____, "Good things come to those who wait," proved true when after many years, the patient boy got his wish.
      an original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; an ideal example of a type
      Shakespeare's dramas provide a literary _____ that has influenced many subsequent authors who follow the pattern his work provides.
      to explain the meaning of; interpret; to analyze the grammatical structure of (a sentence)
      The boy _____(d) his mother's silence as disappointment in his behavior.
      Are you able to _____ the meaning of a word once you are given ample context clues?
      The novelist began her text with a short _____ on the first page that truly captured the complexity of the story that followed.
      the origin and historical development of a word's forms, meanings, and usages
      Students were asked to trace the _____ of the word, looking in particular for its earliest usage.
      Given the circumstances, we may _____ that the young mother's motive for putting her baby up for adoption was indeed honorable.
      The _____ of his name, Tiny, became apparent when I saw the seven-foot-tall man for the first time.
      The author of this musical review uses _____ to describe the sounds of the musical instruments at yesterday's concert.
      The puppy was a true _____ of playfulness as he went to fetch the stick every time his owner threw it.
      a mental view or outlook; a point of view; the ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance
      I didn't have a good _____ on Abby's current situation until I learned that she had grown up an only child.
      ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure (as in poetry)
      I prefer to read _____ instead of poetry.
      the main character in a drama or other literary work
      The _____ of the story, Bridget, is a young woman that many women in their 30s can easily relate to, as she struggles with common issues such as dating, dieting, and work.
      play on words
      Mark is always making a _____, or a play on words, to make people laugh.
      the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively
      Because he is such a good speaker, his _____ is very convincing, even if what he says doesn't make a lot of sense.
      I love late-night television talk shows because the hosts always make a _____ of current politics.
      As I get older, I find that I talk out loud to myself, just like a character in a drama who performs a.
      lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed
      Because he kept repeating the same joke over and over again, it became _____.

Practice exercises for this study guide can be found at:Literature Terms Vocabulary Practice

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