» Curriculum Guide » iSchool » SaskEd	Glossary Acrostic- a poem in which certain letters of the lines especially the first letters, form a word or message that relates to the poem's subject. Alliteration- the repetition of the initial sounds (consonants) of stressed syllables in neighbouring words or those which are somewhat near one another. Alliteration has positive effect on the sound of a line and reinforces stresses. Allusion- an implied or indirect comparison to a well known literary or historical person, place, or event. Antagonist- the character or obstacle which stands against the protagonist or hero of the story. If you think of the main character as the "good guy", then the antagonist is the "bad guy" (or thing) with whom the hero is in conflict. Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which an absent person or an abstract quality is addressed directly. Assignment - When you see the icon, write down the question and provide an answer in your note book. Assonance- a method of adding pleasurable sound to a poem by placing similar sounding vowel sounds in proximity of each other. Author's Circle - a gathering of authors who share their work and constructively evaluate the work of others. Backstory - the history of the characters and their situation necessary to begin the play. Ballad- a narrative poem that tells a story dramatically without personal commentary by the narrator. Folk ballads were popular in England and Scotland in the Middle Ages when literature was primarily delivered orally . The second type, literary ballads are imitations of folk ballads but tend to be longer and are not meant to be sung. Blank Verse- unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. Do not confuse this with free verse. This is often used in dramatic verse (plays and dramatic monologues) Cacophony- the arrangement of words by the poet to create an unpleasant effect. Connotation- see denotation Consonance- a method of adding meaning and pleasurable sound to a poem by placing like-sounding consonants close to one another. Cliche- a trite or overused expression. Climax - the turning point in the conflict of a story, usually the high point in terms of tension. Coffee House - a gathering of performers (they can be writers, musicians, dramatists) for a public show which features their art. Complication - the second element of plot, the occurrence of an unexpected event that is the first step in the conflict. Conflict - as an element of plot, this is the main struggle in the story. It can be external (person versus person) or internal (person versus self). Couplet- see stanza Crisis - the midpoint or decision point. Denotation- the specific dictionary definition of a word. The connotation of a word is the implied meaning of a word evoking certain emotions and associations in people. For example, blue is a colour. The connotation of that word might be depression. Denouement - the winding up of the catastrophe of the plot. Diction- the choice of words used by a writer related to subject, mood, rhythm, theme, and audience. See also connotation. Draft - this refers to one of many revisions that might be done on a story. Your "first draft" is often called the "rough draft" and it refers to the first writing of the piece. Dramatic action- forward movement of play, achieved through what characters say and do and consequences. Types of dramatic action: Discovery - main interest is to find something out. Persuasive - a character wants to get someone to do something. Goal - where a character wants something concrete(money) or abstract(power). Revenge - a character has a strong urge to get even. Escape - someone needs to get away. Testing - where a character finds out something about someone. Getting acquainted - where a character is trying to get to know someone else. Choice - where a character must decide between 2 major actions in the play. Dramatic dialogue - where one character speaks to or in some way to another to force the character being spoken to into some kind of action. Dramatic dialogue must have a purpose within your writing Editing - the process of examining a piece of writing to ensure that it has good rhythm and pacing, the best word choices, accuracy, and correct sentence and paragraph structure (depending on the genre of the piece). Elegy- a classical form of poetry used for serious themes. Traditionally it has been used as a means of meditation. Since the 1600's the elegy has been used primarily for meditations on death using a serious and often sombre tone. Epic- a long narrative poem emphasizing a person's heroic deeds and actions of significance. Epigram - a brief inscription about a single topic usually written in a witty or even sarcastic manner. Euphony - the arrangement of syllables to create pleasurable sounds. This is the opposite of cacophony. Feminine Ending- an extra unstressed syllable that often ends a line of poetry. A feminine ending of iambic pentameter would have 11 syllables rather than 10. the context of the play. Figurative Language- language that is used imaginatively rather than literally. Figurative language often involves the use of figures of speech. Flashback - the writer begins the story at some other point than the beginning and then flashes back to the past to give details of events that have occurred in the past but are important to the story. Flat Character - a character without much depth and definition. Free Verse- Poetry that has no definite meter. However, a natural speech rhythm is followed. Rhyme is rarely present in free verse. Full length play - Runs one hour to three hours. Two hours in contemporary theatre is standard. Acts are the major units running 30-90 minutes. A scene occurs within an act. Hyperbole- a gross or extreme exaggeration. The exaggeration is used to emphasize meaning. Idea Book - When you see the icon, perform the task asked of you in your Idea Book. In your idea book you can: Listen to conversations and write them down. Collect photographs that you like, pictures out of magazines. Collect a list of quirky, awe inspiring objects. Imagery- the use of language to appeal to the reader's senses. Inciting incident - the action that sparks the play. Irony- a statement of situation whose apparent meaning is contrary to its actual meaning or effect. The meaning indicated is contrary to the one it may seem to initially give. Irony is often difficult to find because it comes from the poet's attitude or tone. Lead - this is the opening sentence or sentences of a story or essay Metaphor- a figure of speech where comparison is used between two seemingly unlike things without using like or as. Monologue - Mono means one. In a monologue, one person speaks on stage while another character is basically silent. This is unlike a soliloquy where only one character is on stage. Mood- the reader's response emotionally to the poet's ideas and to the manner in which the poet expresses these ideas. Motivation - the first element of plot which sets the scene and provides the situation out of which the conflict can arise. Myth- a story whose origin is unknown. The story usually has to do with supernatural events and heroes of a particular place. Myths often attempt to explain such phenomena as birth, death, creation, the seasons, and heroism. Narrative Hook- this is a device used to grab the reader's attention and interest at the beginning of the story Octave- The first eight lines of a petrarchan sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abbaabba. Ode- a formal poem originally used for chanting by a chorus. The ode is formal and dignified in tone; however, it can still be a mediation on a personal subject or a public statement. One act play - a play meant to be played without an intermission or scene/act changes. A one act play usually lasts ten minutes to an hour. Onomatopoeia- the use of words to indicate a sound and therefore give a particular meaning. Examples include: slush, buzz, plop, sizzle Oxymoron- a figure of speech where two adjectives or a noun and an adjective contradict each other. Pantomime - Action without dialogue. The physical movement of the play. Paradox- an expression that shows a contrast between what is said and what is meant. The comparison may be absurd at first but does convey a certain truth. Example, cold war. Parallelism- see repetition. Personification- a figure of speech which gives human characteristics to non human things or inanimate objects. Proofreading - this is the final check to make certain that everything in a writer's piece is complete and correct. It includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, capitalization, page set-up and spacing. Protagonist- the main character in the story with whom the reader makes the strongest identification Quatrain- see Sonnet Repetition- Exact repetition is the repetition of a word, group or words, a statement or an entire stanza or refrain to achieve emphasis. Parallel repetition is the repetition of the same or different ideas in different words but in the same structural arrangement - See the sky, see the sun. Resolution- the last element of plot, it tells what happens in the story after the climax. Response Journal - When you see the icon, you can perform the task asked of you in your response Journal. In your response journal you can: Record impressions of the people around you. Record your thoughts and reactions to activities you complete during the course. Record your responses to a movie you see or a song your hear. Revising - the process of reworking a piece of writing to make it say exactly what you mean it to say. Rhyme-types of rhyme: End rhyme - rhyme occurring between words and the end of the line Internal rhyme - rhyme occurring between words within a line or between words within different lines Masculine rhyme - rhyme between accented sounds at the end of two words Feminine rhyme - rhyme between two different accented sounds followed by the same unaccented sound Slant rhyme - rhyme based on similarity but not identify or rhyming sounds Satire- humour used to criticize or ridicule people, the human condition, institutions or a nation. Sestet- the final six lines of a petrarchan sonnet with a rhyme scheme of cdecde or another combination of three rhymes. Usually the sestet deals with a problem stated in the first eight lines, the octave. Simile- a comparison between two unlike objects which have a common characteristic. Like or as are always part of the comparison. Sonnet- a fourteen line poem rhyming most often in one of two major patterns. A Shakespearean sonnet rhymes ABABCDCDEFEFGG and develops its them in three stages of four lines called quatrains. A Petrarchan sonnet rhymes ABBABBACDECDE and develops its main idea in one eight line state (octave) and one six line stage (sestet). Stanza- a group of lines set apart from the other groups of lines by spacing and usually consisting of a fixed number or a pattern of lines. Most stanzas are also distinguished by a rhyme scheme or meter. The most common rhyme schemes are those for the ballad where the second and fourth lines rhyme in the ABCB pattern. For a couplet (sequence of two rhymed lines) the rhyme scheme would be AABBCC if a stanza consisted of three couplets. See sonnet for the third common type of stanza rhyme. Stasis - the balance existing at the beginning of a play, at various points during the play and at the end of a play. There may be several points of stasis where balance is achieved and upset. Symbol- something (an object, action, person, or name) that stands for something else. For example, a dove is often used to represent peace. Tension - rising and falling action. Theme- the main or controlling idea of a poem. Thesis- what you plan to share with the reader. It is usually in the form of a question. Tone- see mood and irony Understatement- to say something in a manner that is less powerful than the occasion calls for. Often connected with irony because it too is based on contrast and comparison. Verbatim- word for word Writer's voice - your unique identity as a writer shown through the topics you choose, writing style and characterization. Writing Folder - a collection of your pre-writing, rough drafts and revision (your work in progress). The icon is . With reference to the online course, all drafts of your work should be saved in directory entitled "FOLDER" with an individual file for each piece of writing and its subsequent revisions. Each genre should have its own directory. ^ Top
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