Genre - is used to designate the categories into which a work of literature may be placed (romance, science fiction, adventure, etc.).

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Hero - is the central character in a work that overcomes or conquers a challenge.

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Hyperbole - is a great exaggeration to emphasize strong feeling (ex. I can’t believe that lunch is 30 minutes away, I’m going to starve to death!).

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Idiom - is the figurative use of words in a certain way that has meaning that should not be taken literally. “Stop pulling my leg!” means stop joking, NOT that someone is actually physically pulling your leg.

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Imagery – The use of concrete details that appeal to the five senses. This collection of images that is painted by words in a given work, establish a mood, arouse a reader’s emotions, and leave the reader with a deeper meaning of the work.

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Inference - A logical conclusion or an assumption about a character or an event in a story, based on limited details (clues) within the story and/or your own experience (background knowledge).

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Irony - A contrast between two things. Three types of irony are:

1. Verbal is a contrast between what is said and what is meant (sarcasm).

2. Dramatic Irony happens when the reader or viewer is aware of something that the characters involved are unaware of.

3. Situational Irony is when the opposite of what we expect to happen, happens.

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Literal - means keeping accurate, exactly to the letter without embellishing.

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Metaphor - is a figure of speech that implies comparison between two different things (WITHOUT using like or as).

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Mood - is the overall feeling or atmosphere the writer creates in a work through the choice of setting, imagery, details, and descriptions.

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Motif - is a term for a reoccurring theme or idea in a piece of literature. In The Outsiders, one reoccurring motif is the repeated reference to literary works in an attempt by the main character to make a connection with the reader about the characters within the story.

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Narrative hook - is any device at the opening of a work to capture the interest of the readers and make them continue reading.

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Oxymoron - is a combination of contradictory terms (silent scream, civil war, jumbo shrimp, freezer burn).