Rhyme scheme The pattern of rhymed line endings in a work of poetry or a stanza. It can be represented by giving a certain letter of the alphabet to each line ending on the same rhyme. Example: Because the end word of every other line rhymes in the following poem, the rhyme scheme is abab:
Winter night falls quick (a)
The pink sky gone, blackness overhead (b)
Looks like the snow will stick (a)
Down the street and up the hill I tread (b)
See also Poetry; Rhyme; Stanza
Rhythm The natural rise and fall, or “beat,” of language. Rhythm is present in all language, including speech and prose, but it is most obvious in poetry.
See also Meter; Poetry; Prose
Rising action The part of a plot that presents actions or events that lead to the climax.
See also Climax; Conflict; Exposition; Falling action; Plot
Setting The time and place in which the events of a story occur.
Short story A brief, fictional narrative. Like the novel, it organizes the action, thought, and dialogue of its characters into a plot. But it tends to focus on fewer characters and to center on a single event.
See also Character; Fiction; Novel; Plot; Story
Simile A type of figurative language that compares two unlike things by using a word or phrase such as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, or seems.
Examples: The tall, slim man had arms as willowy as a tree’s branches. The woman’s temper is like an unpredictable volcano.
See also Figurative language; Metaphor
Song lyrics Words meant to be sung. Lyrics have been created for many types of songs, including love songs, religious songs, work songs, sea chanties, and children’s game songs. Lyrics for many songs were shared orally for generations before being written down. Not all song lyrics are lyrical like poems; some are the words to songs that tell a story. Not all poems called songs were written to be sung.
See also Folk literature; Poetry
Speech A message on a specific topic, spoken before an audience; also, spoken (not written) language.
Stanza A group of lines that forms a section of a poem and has the same pattern (including line lengths, meter, and usually rhyme scheme) as other sections of the same poem. In printed poems, stanzas are separated from each other by a space.
See also Meter; Poetry; Rhyme scheme
Story A series of events (actual or imaginary) that can be selected and arranged in a certain order to form a narrative or dramatic plot. It is the raw material from which the finished plot is built. Although there are technical differences, the word story is sometimes used in place of narrative.
See also Drama; Plot
Style The way a writer uses language to express the feelings or thoughts he or she wants to convey. Just as no two people are alike, no two styles are exactly alike. A writer’s style results from his or her choices of vocabulary, sentence structure and variety, imagery, figurative language, rhythm, repetition, and other resources.
See also Figurative language; Genre; Imagery; Repetition; Rhythm
Symbol A word or phrase that serves as an image of some person, place, thing, or action but that also calls to mind some other, usually broader, idea or range of ideas. Example: An author might describe doves flying high in the sky to symbolize peace.
See also Figurative language; Imagery
Textbook A book prepared for use in schools for the study of a subject.
Theme The underlying message or main idea of a piece of writing. It expresses a broader meaning than the topic of the piece.
See also Topic
Tone A writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward his or her topic or audience or toward him- or herself. A writer’s tone may be positive, negative, or neutral. The words the writer chooses, the sentence structure, and the overall pattern of words convey the intended tone.
See also Connotation; Figurative language; Literature; Mood; Rhythm; Topic
Topic What or who is being discussed in a piece of writing; the subject of the piece.
See also Theme