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STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 1

Vocabulary.com's STAAR English II lists cover many of the essential terms and concepts that you'll be expected to know on test day. Boost your confidence and your test score by mastering these important words.
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. character
    an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction
  2. characterization
    a vivid verbal description
  3. climax
    the decisive moment in a novel or play
  4. conflict
    opposition in a work of fiction between characters or forces
  5. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
  6. denotation
    the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression
  7. development
    the act of improving by expanding, enlarging, or refining
  8. dialogue
    the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction
  9. diction
    the manner in which something is expressed in words
  10. exposition
    an account that sets forth the intent of a story
  11. falling action
    series of plot events following the climax of a narrative
  12. flashback
    a transition in a story to an earlier event or scene
  13. foreshadowing
    the act of providing vague advance indications
  14. linear
    progressing from one stage or idea to the next in sequential order
  15. mood
    the prevailing psychological state
  16. narrator
    someone who tells a story
  17. nonlinear
    not arranged or expressed in a sequential or straightforward way
  18. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
  19. plot
    the story that is told, as in a novel, play, movie, etc.
  20. point of view
    a mental position from which things are perceived
  21. resolution
    the way the main complication of a literary work is settled
  22. rising action
    a series of plot events that build up toward the climax
  23. setting
    the context and environment in which something is situated
  24. speaker
    the narrative voice of a poem (as distinct from the poet)
  25. style
    how something is done or how it happens
  26. subplot
    a subordinate or secondary story in a work of fiction
  27. syntax
    the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
  28. theme
    a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary work
  29. tone
    a quality that reveals the attitudes of the author
  30. unreliable
    prone to be erroneous or misleading
Created on Tue May 25 15:49:52 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Jun 18 11:15:05 EDT 2021)

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