SYMBOL— an object, a person, a place,a word such as a name,or an action that stands for or suggest something else to call to mind a complex idea. Symbols are made evident by emphasis, repetition, or position and are supported by the entire context of the story. A symbol must be different in meaning from its literal meaning.

SYNECDOCHE-- a part is named for the whole --the company employs seven suits (business people); Health care goes under the knife; all eyes are focused on the Middle East-- or the whole for a part-- to eat of the tree(fruit), the specific for the general-- he committed an O.J. on his wife(beat his wife to death)-- or the general for the specific-- why is the law at our door(a police officer)?

SYNTAX- the arrangement of words.

TANKA- Japanese poetic style which has 5 lines consisting of 31 syllables in total -5,7,5, 7,7.

THEME- the underlying message or meaning of a story. Through the theme, a writer can share his or her insights about life. A story often has a major theme and one or more minor themes. It makes a general comment about human values and experiences. It is implied by the plot, characters, conflict, tone etc. To be significant, the central idea must have wider application than the events of the novel. It is found in: the author's purpose;the author's attitude;the subject matter; and plot, setting,conflict and characters.

Principles to remember:

1.Theme must be expressed in a sentence.

2. Theme is stated as a generalization about life.

3.Generalizations of theme must not be larger than the story.

4. Theme is the central and unifying concept of a story.

5. There is no one way to state the theme.

6. Trite sayings or cliches must be avoided.

7. Theme in a story may be explicit or implicit.

THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW- the vantage point in which the narrator is someone who stands outside the events of the story. The third-person narrator tells about what happens to the characters, referring to them as “he”, “she”, and ”they”. See point of view.

THESIS-the point or argument the writer presents.

TONE-a writer’s attitude toward his or her subject or toward the audience.

TRAGEDY-- the process of moving from a state of relative order to a state of chaos, after everything has fallen apart.

TRANSITION-movement and development from one sentence, one paragraph or one chapter to the next.

UNDERSTATEMENT- words expressing less than a situation warrants.

UNITY-oneness of subject matter.

VALUES- plot and character achieve unity through values developed by the author. Since the reader brings to the novel his or her own set of values, he or she will sympathize most deeply with a character who shares his or her value system.

VERBAL IRONY-a type of irony in which a writer or a character in a story says one thing but means something entirely different. See irony.

VERSE-a line of poetry; a stanza of a poem.

VERSIMILITUDE-appearing to be true or real.

VOICE-a literary creation, a part of the poem, not to be confused with the private personality of the poet,a persona/speaker or mask.

WITHOLDING INFORMATION-suspense is built when clues, explanations and answers are kept from the reader as long as possible.