FLASHBACK — a scene, a conversation, or an event that interrupts the present action to show something that happened in the past. A flashback is a memory shown through the eyes of one of the characters. Flashbacks can add to the tension of a story by giving the reader new information about the characters or the events.

FOIL-a character who makes a contrast with another, usually main character.

FOLKTALE-a simple, timeless story that deals with the customs,traditions, and beliefs of ordinary people.

FOOT-the unit in which meter is counted. A foot consists of one stressed syllable and its one or more unstressed syllables. The number of feet in a line of poetry equals the number of stressed syllables: iambic-unstressed/stressed--in/struct;trochaic-stressed/unstressed--sel/fish; anapestic-unstressed/unstressed/stressed--un/der/stand; dactylic-stressed/unstressed/unstressed--ten/der/ly; spondaic-stressed/stressed--earth/flood.

FORESHADOWING-the use of hints or clues to suggest events that are going to happen later in the story. Foreshadowing is a device used by fiction writers to build suspense.

FORMAL ESSAY-a serious, dignified, logically organized essay, written to inform or persuade.

FREE VERSE- poetry in lines of irregular length usually unrhymed,- ordinary speech.

GENERATING CIRCUMSTANCE-the complicating factor which is presented near the beginning of a story with the prupose of introducing the conflict.

GENRE-a type of writing; a literary type or class.

HUBRIS-that quality, generally pride, which leads the tragic hero to break a divine moral law to accomplish his desires (tragic flaw). He or she is punished with death for rising above divine law (nemesis).

HUMOR-whatever is funny or amusing in a situation.

HYPERBOLE-an exaggeration or overstatement ie. She is so skinny she could hide behind a toothpick.

IAMB- a foot that consists of one unstressed and one stressed syllable.

IDIOM- an accepted phrase or an expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meaning of the words.

IMAGE- a word or phrase that creates a mental picture of something for the reader.

IMAGERY- language that appeals to any of the five senses -- sight , sound, touch, taste, or smell to enable the reader to become a participant in the novel-- “painting a picture with words”.

IMPLICIT METAPHOR-a metaphor in which one of the terms is not stated but suggested by the context.

IMPRESSIONISM- a highly personal manner of writing in which the author presents characters, scenes or moods as they appear to his individual temperament rather than as they are in real life.

INCITING FORCE- the person(s) or incidents(s), or a combination of both, which cause the protagonist to behave to think in a manner that initiates the conflict and the series of crises that result.

INDUCTIVE ORDER- paragraph development is from the particular to the general. Presents the topic sentence at the end of a paragraph.

INFERENCE-- a reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from information presented.

INNUENDO-a hint or indirect suggestion, often with a sinister connatation.

INTERNAL CONFLICT-a struggle that takes place within a person’s mind. See conflict.

INTERNAL RHYME-rhyme that occurs when a word within a line rhymes with another word in that line.

INTERPRETATION-the assignment of meaning to a text.

IRONY-- a contrast between appearance and reality or between what is expected and what actually happens or a contradiction between what is stated and what is meant ie. I'd like to buy you a coffee but I don't have money; you haven't paid me back the money that you owe me.

JARGON-special words or phrases, used by people in certain kinds of work. Jargon can have a particular meaning to one group but little or no meaning to people outside of that group, ie. The P42.5 MHz comes with 256SD RAM and 40 GB of HD space.

JOKE- something that is said or done on purpose to get a laugh.

JUXTAPOSITION- placing contrasting items side by side for comparison and new message as in an oxymoron.

LIMITED OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW -a third-person point of view in which the narrator’s insights are limited to the minds of only a few of the characters, or only one character. See point—of view.

LINE-a row of words, ie, couplet - 2 lines, tercet-three lines, quatrain-four lines, cinquain- five lines, sestet- six lines, octave-eight lines.

LITOTES- a form of understatement in which an affirmation is made by means of a negation,ie.He was not underweight (meaning he was grossly overweight.

LYRIC- Originally a song set to the music; a short poem presenting a single speaker (not necessarily the poet), who expresses a state of mind involving thought and feeling.

MEIOSIS- like litotes is an understatement in which a double negative is used, ie. Wayne Gretzky is not untalented.

MELODRAMA-a narrative with threatening situations but happy endings, using stock characters.

METAPHOR- an implied comparison between unlike things. A writer will use a metaphor in order to give readers an unusual way of looking at one of the things. A metaphor is a comparison that suggests one thing is another. See figurative language. i.e This play is a mirror of reality; friendship is sharing the cookie at the bottom of the jar.

METER —the regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.

METONYMY- the name of something is substituted for another to which it has relation ie. Do you read Shakespeare?; the Red Cross came to aid.

MONOLOGUE-words spoken by a character to him or her self.

MOOD-the general feeling or atmosphere of a scene or a story.

MORAL- a lesson about the right way to live.

MOTIF — a recurrent theme.

MOTIVATION-the cause(s) a character has for actions or behaviour; that is, reasons for what the character does and the decisions he or she makes. Actions and decisions will be the direct result of the makeup of his or her character.

MYTH- In its primary meaning, a myth is one story, part of a mythology or system of narratives which were once generally believed to be true and which offer supernatural explanations or interpretations of reality.