ELA 10 Lit. and Poetic Terms

Across

3. A group of consecutive lines that form a structural unit in a poem
6. a reference to a well-known person, place, event literary work, or work of art (most common = Shakespeare & the Bible)
10. descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures for the reader
11. the central character in a story; the one who initiates or drives that action
12. a very brief story told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something
15. repetition of identical initial consonant sounds in successive or closely associated syllables within a group of words
17. the running on of sense from the end of one line of verse into the next, without a punctuated pause
19. a speaker’s or writer’s choice of words
21. a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, implies a direct comparison
24. pentameter a line of poetry that contains five iambic feet
29. a very old, imaginative pattern that appears in literature across cultures and is repeated through ages: can be a character, plot, image, theme, or setting
30. a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life
32. the opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero or protagonist, in a story
34. a work that makes fun of another work by initiating some aspect of the writer’s style
35. use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur
36. a very brief story told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something
38. two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry
39. an elaborate metaphor or other figure of speech that compares two things that are startlingly different

Down

1. a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
2. a statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a kind of truth
4. the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds, especially in words close together
5. a character who acts as a contrast to another character
7. a figurative work in which a surface narrative carries a secondary, symbolic, or metaphorical meaning
8. a figure of speech in which like or as is used to make an indirect comparison between two basically unlike ideas
9. a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect
13. the running on of sense from the end of one line of verse into the next, without a punctuated pause
14. a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in attempt to bring about change
16. a situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant
18. a figure of speech in which a person, place or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it
19. a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group of of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area
20. a pause or break within a line of poetry
22. the natural, rhythmic rise and fall of a language as it is normally spoken
23. a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase
25. attributing (giving the attribute or characteristic) human qualities to an animal or creature
26. use of words that imitate sounds
27. the repetition of the same or similar final consonant sounds on accented syllables or important words
28. an anonymous traditional story that is basically religious in nature and usually serves to explain a belief, ritual, or mysterious natural phenomenon
31. a fourteen-line poem usually written in iambic pentameter that has one of two basic structures: Shakespearean or Petrarchan
33. a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole
36. a comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
37. a descriptive word of phrase that is frequently used to characterize a person or thing