Comprehensive Study Guide

Genres of Literature

Fiction – a writing that comes from the imagination of the author. The purpose of fiction is to interest or to entertain the reader by telling a story.

  1. Fantasy – a story that includes elements that are impossible, such as talking animals or magical powers.

2. Realistic fiction - stories that seem like real life. They are based on

characters from the author’s life or imagination, written in a realistic

way and events in the story that could happen.

3 Mystery – a writing that is about something that is secret and unknown. Mystery relies on suspense and complications, and usually has a crime, detective, and a solution.

  1. alibi – an excuse, esp. to avoid blame.
  2. clue– anything that serves to guide or direct in the solution of a problem, mystery, etc.
  3. crime – a gross violation of law.
  4. deduction - a conclusion reached by logical deduction
  5. detective – a person who investigates crime
  6. forensics – the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems.
  7. hunch – a strong intuitive feeling concerning especially a future event or result.
  8. investigation – to make a systematic examination; to conduct an official inquiry.
  9. motive – something that causes a person to act.

10. red herring – something that distracts attention form the real

Issue.

11. sleuth – detective

12. suspect – a person thought to be guilty of a crime, but having

no proof.

13. suspense - Anxiety or apprehension resulting from an

uncertain, undecided, or mysterious situation.

14. victim – One who is harmed or killed by another

15. witness - One who can give a firsthand account of something

seen, heard, or experienced;

4. Historical fiction - a story based on real historical events and on real . people. It helps the reader understand events and people from the

past.

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5. Science Fiction – type of fantasy that uses science technology;

Example – robots, time machines, etc.

  1. Traditional Literature – stories that are passed down from one group to another in history. This includes folktales, legends, fables, fairy tales, talltales and myths from different cultures.
  • Folktales - stories that have been passed down to us over the years by real people.
  • Legends - considered factual by those who tell them, and many have some basis in historical fact. For example, the legends surrounding King Arthur and his knights of the round table, Joan of Arc, and John Henry are based upon people who actually existed. These stories tend to be set in a past more recent than that of myths. Legends often include elements of magic.
  • fables - brief stories that teach a lesson or moral. The characters are animals, but they are given human characteristics. An example of a fable is “The Fox and the Grapes.”
  • Fairy tales – a fictionalstory that may feature fairies, talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events, e.g Cinderella
  • Tall tales - generally folk tales in which the main character is bigger than life in some way -- examples would be Paul Bunyan, Mike Fink, Swamp Angel, etc. Tall tales have a key element of exaggeration.
  • Myths - stories that serve to explain some phenomenon of nature. Many incorporate gods and goddesses within the story. The story of King Midas is a myth.

Nonfiction – factual writing about the actual world in which we live. The purpose of nonfiction may be to entertain, to inform, to explain or to persuade.

1. Biography - a written history of a person’s life written by someone else.

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2. Autobiography - history of a person’s life written by that person.

3. Informational - texts that provide facts about a variety of topics (sports, animals, science, history, careers, travel, geography, space, weather, etc.).

  • glossary – dictionary in the back of a textbook
  • dictionary - a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order
  • thesaurus- a book of words and their synonyms.
  • encyclopedia –a work that contains information on all subjects or one that covers a certain subject thoroughly usually with articles arranged alphabetically
  • newspaper / magazine - a paper that is printed and distributed usually daily or weekly and contains news, articles of opinion, features, and advertising
  • historical writings – writings that give the facts about events or people in history
  • scientific / technical – writings that explain scientific or technical concepts.
  • manual – book that explains how to operate a device
  • recipe – directions used to prepare a food dish
  • personal memoirs - a narrative composed from personal experience
  • essay -a usually short written work giving a personal view or opinion on a subject
  • diary / journal - a daily record especially of personal experiences and thoughts
  • letters - a written or printed communication
  • government documents – birth certificates, death certificates, marriage license, property titles, the Constitution, amendments
  • handbook - a small book of facts or useful information usually about a particular subject
  • textbook - a book used in the study of a subject
  • Index - an alphabetical list of items treated in a printed work that gives with each item the page number where it may be found.

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Nonfiction

Works Cited - the works or a list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production

MLA Citation Examples:

1. A book by a single author

Harris, Celia. Interesting Habitats. Chicago: Grayson, 2002

(author) title of work) (city) (publisher) (year)

  1. A book by more than one author

Baraty, Joseph, and Rosa Garcia. March Birds. New York: Wednesday,

(authors) (title of work) ( (city) (publisher)

2006

(year)

  1. An encyclopedia entry

“Dwarfed Trees.” Encyclopedia Americana. 1999

(title of article) (name of encyclopedia) (year)

4. A magazine article

Chen, Davis. “Floating Down the River.” Our Wildlife 9 July 2006:

(author) (title of article) (name of publication) (date of issue)

120-25

(pg nu.mbers)

5. A book issued by an organization identifying no author

National Wildlife Association. Swamp Life. Washingtion: National

(name of organization) (title of work) (city)

Wildlife Association, 2005

(publisher) (year)

6. A WWW site (World Wide Web)

America Learns. The On-Line Council of Teachers. 21 May 2007

(name of web site) (sponsor of web site) (date accessed)

(web address)

Internet - a world wide web linked together by computers to provide information

Copyright page - the page of a book or article on which is printed the sole legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form of a literary work.

Title page - in a book, or other written work it is the page at or near the front which displays its title, and author, as well as other information.

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Graphic Aids

Visual aids help a reader understand the text.

  1. Maps help you to understand the relative shape, size, placement, and importance of land areas and bodies of water.
  2. Diagrams or drawings with labels showing parts, features or functions that show something is put together or how something works.
  3. Graphs include bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs and pictographs that represent statistical or numerical information.
  4. Tables show information organized in rows and columns.
  5. Charts are drawings that show relationships, organization or sequence through pictures, symbols or words.

Short story- fiction story in which there are usually only a few characters, brief character development, and a simple plot. Short stories often have surprise endings. The short story is a literary genre of fictionalnarrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction.

Elements of a short story

Characters – the people in the story.

  • individual – round, many sided and complex personalities
  • developing – dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for the better or worse, by the end of the story.
  • Static – stereotype, have one or tow characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.
  • Characteristic of a person – in order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways:
  1. his/her physical appearance
  2. what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
  3. what he/she does or does not do
  4. what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

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Protagonist – the character who is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character.

Antagonist – the opposer of the main character.

Plot- the main story of a literary work

basic situation – the part of the story, usually a the beginning, that gives the background information

conflict – the problem of the struggle between opposing forces

kinds of conflict

External

  • Person vs. person – a person (or animal) is in conflict with another person (or animal).
  • Person vs. nature – a person is in conflict with a force of nature.
  • Person vs. society – a person is in conflict with tow or more persons, a group, or a whole society.

Internal

  • Person vs. self – a person struggles to overcome some internal problem, such as fear or shyness.

Complication – the obstacles a character faces while struggling to resolve the conflict

Climax – the highest point of interest in the action of the story, usually immediately before the resolution

Resolution– the wrap-up. It occurs when the conflict ends and the outcome of the story is clear.

Point of view - describes the method used by the author(s) to convey their story to the audience.

  • First person – the story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist (using pronouns I, me, we etc.) The reader sees the story through the person’s eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.

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  • Third person - A method of storytelling in which a narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she." Third person may be omniscient or limited.
  • Omniscient – method of storytelling in which the both the reader and author observe the situation through the senses and thoughts of every character equally.
  • Limited - a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character.

Tone – the narrator’s attitude toward the subject

Theme - the story’s main idea or lesson

Setting– the time and place in which the story is happening.

Mood – the emotional atmosphere of the story.

Literary Devices

Literary devices- Authors of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama use a variety of tools to create emotional mood, an attitude, a setting, and characterization. Literary devices are one of the most effective implements that an author possesses to draw a mood more artfully or to persuade more eloquently.

Literary devices

Imagery - the use of vivid description, usually rich in sensory words, to create pictures, or images in the reader’s mind.

Satire –writing that pokes fun at people, often using humor or wit.

Flashback – interrupting the action to explain something that happened earlier, a memory.

Foreshadowing - the technique of giving clues early to hint at what is to happen later.

Irony - a contrast or difference between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

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Metaphor – a figure of speech that suggests a comparison between two things that are not alike, as in “life is a long road”.

Simile – a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are not alike, using the words “like” or “as”.

Symbolism – representation of things by use of symbols

Pun – a play on words; using a word or words that have more than 1 meaning to make a humorous statement.

Analogy – the relationship between things and ideas.

Repetition – repeating any words or phrases

Assonance– the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together. Example: long, low moan ( o sounds)

Alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds (sounds at the beginning of words) Example: five feathered friends (f sounds)

Personification – giving objects human characteristics

Rhyme - close similarity in the final sounds of two or more words or lines of verse

Symbolism – something that stands for something else

Figurative language – imaginative comparison that you cannot take literally.

Imagery - language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes

Rhythm - a flow of rising and falling sounds in language that is produced in verse by a regular repeating of stressed and unstressed syllables

Onomatopoeia- the naming of a thing or action by imitation of natural sounds (as "buzz" or "hiss")

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Hyperbole- extravagant exaggeration used to emphasize a point Example: mile-high ice cream cones

Allusion– make a reference to a person

Refrain – a regularly repeated phrase or verse of a poem or song

Understatement – saying less than what is meant for effect.

Poetry - the most emotionally charged means of written expression and it consists of words arranged in patterns of sound and imagery to spark an emotional, and intellectual, response from us.

Lyric poem – deals with feelings or emotions.

Narrative poem – poem that tells a story.

Analyze– consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning.

Interpret – to explain the meaning of something.

Free verse – poetry that does not rhyme.

Stanza - a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together.

Types of Poems

Ballad - A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanza and usually having a refrain.

Cinquain - a 5-line poem with this structure:

1st line - 1 word - noun
2nd line - 2 words - describe the noun
3rd line - 3 words - actions
4th line - 4 words - feelings
5th line - 1 word - noun - another word for first word

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Concrete - apoem that visually conveys the poet's meaning through the graphic arrangement of letters, words, or symbols on the page.

Diamante - it has seven lines in the shape of a diamond. The first line is one noun. The second line is two adjectives. The third line has three participles (-ing verbs). The fourth line has four nouns. Then the pattern repeats the opposite direction. The fifth line has three participles (-ing verbs). The sixth line has two adjectives. The seventh line has one noun.

Haiku - A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

Limerick - A comic verse made up of five lines of varied length. Limericks have a very specific structure: The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme. The third and fourth lines rhyme.
The first, third, and fifth have the same verbal rhythm (meter) and length, and so do the second and fourth

A flea and a fly in a flue

Were caught, so what could they do?

Said the fly, “Let’s flee.”

“Let’s us fly,” said the flea.

So they flew through a flaw in the flue

Sonnet - A lyric poem of fourteen lines, following one or another of several set rhyme-schemes.

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Propaganda

Propaganda - information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause

Techniques of propaganda in advertising

Card stacking - commercial tells all the good things about the product, but does not tell any of the bad things.

Glittering generalities - commercial is filled with words that have positive connotations (such as “tasty” or “sensational”).

Name calling - commercial uses negative words (bad names) to create an unfavorable opinion or hatred against things.

Bandwagon - commercial tells the audience that “everyone” uses the product.

Testimonial - Commercial shows a popular celebrity

Plain folks - commercial uses someone they can trust and who has their interest at heart. “I’m just like you.”

Transfer - commercial uses a picture, or an concept that is positive to associate with the product.

Repetition - product name or images are repeated over and over again.

Emotional appeal - commercial is designed to trigger positive emotions

Humor - commercial main purpose is to make the audience laugh.

Facts and figures - statistics and factual information are used to prove the superiority of the product

Patriotism - suggestion that this product shows your love of your country.

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Slogan - commercial uses a memorable phrase

Bribery - commercial implies that you will get something extra for free or something for nothing. “buy one, get one free”

Security - commercial draws on viewer’s fears. Implies that lives are not safe without the product.

Weasel words - the commercial suggest a positive meaning without actually making any guarantees. Words used, “new and improved”.

Evaluating Media Messages

  1. Identify the writer – try to find out who wrote the message. That will help you figure out the point of view being expressed.
  2. Separate fact for opinion.
  3. Ask questions – when you read a media message, ask yourself what information is missing. Is there another point of view? Do you need to know more about the subject?
  4. Distinguish between fact and opinion.

Facts can be proven.

Opinions may be supported with facts but can not be proven.

Make inferences combining information from the selection with what you know form your own experience.

Drama

Drama – a written work that tells a story through action and speech and is meant to be acted on a stage. Television show and movies are also dramas.

Playwright – a person who writes a drama.

Act – one of the main divisions of a play.

Scene – a division of an act during which there is no change of scene or break in time.

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Intermission – break between acts.

Cast – the list of actors and the characters they play.

Dialogue – a conversation between two or more persons.

Monologue – short dramatic work performed by one actor; or a long uninterrupted speech delivered by one person in the presence of others.

Narrator – the person who provides commentary during the play.

Script – the written test of a stage play, screenplay, or broadcast.

Stage directions – tells the actors what to do, where to move, and how to speak their lines.