English 1 Vocabulary

Word	Definition:	Page #
allusion	An allusion is an indirect reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place, or event.	1216
antagonist	An antagonist is usually the principal character in opposition to the protagonist, or main character, of a narrative or drama. Sometimes the antagonist is not a character, but something else, like a force of nature, some aspect of society, or an internal force within the protagonist.	1216
aside	An aside is a character’s remarks to the audience or another character that others on the stage are not supposed to hear.	1216
autobiography	Autobiography is a writer’s account of his or her own life. Autobiographies generally focus on their writers’ personal experiences over a period of time. A personal narrative is a short autobiographical work that focuses on a specific experience in the writher’s life.	1217
character	The characters in a story are the people, animals, or imaginary creatures who take part in the action. In most stories, the events center on one or more main characters. The other characters, called minor characters, interact with the main characters and help move the story along. Characters can be dynamic or static. Dynamic characters change as the result of events, whereas static characters remain unchanged. Writers show characters’ growth and change by presenting carefully chosen details.	1217
climax	Often called the turning point, the climax is the moment when the reader’s interest and emotional intensity reach the highest point. The climax usually occurs toward the end of a story, after the reader has understood the conflict and become emotionally involved with the characters.	1218
conflict	The plot of a story always includes some sort of conflict, or struggle, between opposing forces. An external conflict involves a character pitted against an outside force such as nature, a physical obstacle, or another character. An internal conflict is one that occurs within a character.	1218
connotation	Connotation refers to the attitudes and feelings associated with the word, contrast to denotation. The connotation of a word may be positive or negative. For example, enthusiastic has positive associations, but rowdy has negative ones.	1219
denotation	Denotation is the literal or dictionary meaning of a word.	1219
exposition	In fiction, the structure of the plot normally begins with exposition. In the early part of the story, the exposition sets the tone, establishes the setting, introduces the characters and gives the reader important background information.	1221
falling action	The falling action, sometimes call the resolution, occurs after the climax of a story. The conflict is usually resolved at this time, and any loose ends of the story are tied up.	1221
fiction	Fiction refers to works of prose that have imaginary elements, such as the novel and the short story. Although fiction is sometimes based on actual events and real people, it primarily comes from the imagination of the writer. The basic elements of fiction are plot, character, setting and theme.	1222
foreshadowing	Foreshadowing is a writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events and situation that will occur later in the plot. The use of this technique creates suspense while preparing the reader for what is to come.	1222
inference	Inference is when you look at a number of details and make a logical guess about what they mean.	592
irony	Irony is a special kind of contrast between appearance and reality –usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems. Situational irony is the contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens. Dramatic irony happens when the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know. Verbal irony occurs when someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another.	1224
metaphor	A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically unlike but that have something in common. Unlike similes, metaphors do not use the word like or as.	1224
mood	In a literary work, the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the reader is called mood. Descriptive words, the setting, and figurative language contribute to the mood of a work, as do the sound and rhythm of the language used.	1225
nonfiction	Nonfiction is prose writing that deals with real people, events, and places. The major types of nonfiction are autobiography, biography, and the essay. Other examples of nonfiction include newspapers, informative articles, true-life adventures, personal diaries, and letters.	1225
personification	Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to an object, animal, or idea.	1226
plot	The plot is the sequence of events in a story. Generally built around a conflict, the plot tells what happens, when, and to whom. A story’s plot usually includes four stages: exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action.	1226
point of view	Point of view refers to the method of narrating a short story, novel, narrative poem, or work of non-fiction. Point of view is usually either first person or third person. In first person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story. In third person point of view, the story is told by a narrative voice outside the action, not by one of the characters. If a story is told from a third person omniscient or all-knowing, point of view, the narrator sees into the minds of more than one character. If events are related from a third-person limited point of view, the narrator tells only what one character thinks, feels, and observes.	1227
protagonist	The protagonist is the central character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually the one with whom the audience tends to identify.	1227
resolution	Where the conflict is usually resolved in a story or play.	1221
rising action	Rising action refers to the events in a story that move the plot along by adding complications or expanding the conflict. Rising action usually builds suspense to a climax, or turning point.	1228
setting	The setting of a story is the particular time and place in which the events occur. A story may be set in a real or an imaginary place. The events may occur in the past, the present, or the future. Vivid descriptions help readers picture the setting in their minds. Setting can play an important role in what happens to the characters and how they feel.	1228
simile	A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things using the word like or as.	1229
soliloquy	In drama, a soliloquy is a speech in which a character speaks thoughts aloud. Generally the character is alone on stage.	1228
theme	The theme in work of fiction is a perception about life or human nature that the writer conveys to the readers.	1230
tone	Tone is the attitude a writer takes toward a subject. Unlike mood, which is intended to shape the reader’s emotional response, tone reflects the feelings of the writer. To identify tone you might find it helpful to read the work aloud. Try to decide what emotions you feel as you read.	1231
tragedy	A tragedy is a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character or characters who are involved in historically or socially significant events. The events in a tragic plot are set in motion by a decision that is often an error in judgment. Succeeding events are linked in a cause and effect relationship and lead inevitably to a disastrous conclusion, usually death.	1231
paradigm	A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline. The generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time; "he framed the problem within the psychoanalytic paradigm"