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Literary Terms 01
What is the main character in a story or play known as?

Literary Terms 01

Master key literary terms for GCSE English. Learn how devices like imagery, juxtaposition and irony shape meaning, then practise spotting them in poems, plays and non fiction.

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Fascinating Fact:

Juxtaposition places opposites side by side. Laughter outside a hospital room makes silence inside feel heavier.

In GCSE English, knowing core literary terms helps you explain how writers create effects. Use precise terminology when you analyse structure, imagery and sound, and support points with short, focused quotations.

  • Juxtaposition: Putting contrasting ideas or images next to each other to highlight their differences.
  • Irony: A contrast between appearance and reality, or between what is said and what is meant.
  • Imagery: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create vivid pictures in a reader’s mind.
What does juxtaposition mean in literature?

Juxtaposition means placing two contrasting ideas or images side by side so the differences stand out, intensifying mood or theme.

How do I analyse imagery for GCSE English?

Quote the image, identify the senses or comparison used, explain the connotations, and link the effect clearly to the question or theme.

Which literary terms should I revise for GCSE?

Prioritise metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, juxtaposition, irony, contrast, repetition, structure, and tone. Learn definitions and practise applying them to quotations.

1 .
Choose the correct literary term.
Saying one thing, while meaning something else.
Satire
Irony
Tragedy
Comedy
'Dramatic irony' is when the reader knows something that the characters don't know
2 .
Choose the correct literary term.
The central idea of a work of literature.
Subject
Mood
Theme
Event
3 .
Choose the correct literary term.
The sensory perceptions created by a word or phrase.
Poetry
Description
Imagery
Ballad
4 .
Choose the correct literary term.
A description of words or situations which can have more than one possible meaning.
Ambiguous
Paradoxical
Definitive
Simile
A word or situation is ambiguous when it has several possible meanings and it is unclear which meaning the author intends
5 .
Choose the correct literary term.
The main character in a story or play.
Antagonist
Protagonist
Peripheral character
Sidekick
An antagonist would be an adversary of the main character
6 .
Choose the correct literary term.
An individual represented dramatically or in narrative.
Idiom
Figure
Author
Character
7 .
Choose the correct literary term.
In a narrative or dramatic work, the events which occur and their relationship to one another.
Plot
Mood
Structure
Narration
A plot is the collection of all the events in a work of fiction, especially the way these events are related to one another. While plots must have structure, 'structure' alone is not the same as the plot
8 .
Choose the correct literary term.
The personal angle or perspective from which a story is told.
Distance
Omniscience
Point of view
Autobiographical
9 .
Choose the correct literary term.
A conversation between characters in a narrative or dramatic work.
Dialogue
Monologue
Narration
Argument
10 .
Choose the correct literary term.
The 'person' who tells the story to the audience in a work of fiction.
Antagonist
Protagonist
Author
Narrator
Be careful - the author and the narrator are not the same, although sometimes the narrator resembles the author. All stories have a narrator
Author:  Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)

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