Found 28 literary terms starting with P:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Parallel Structure Putting sentence elements or ideas in similar grammatical form. e.g., The best parts about summer are swimming, biking, and sleeping.
Paratactic Combining of various syntactic units, usually prepositions, without the use of conjunctions to form short and simple phrases.
Participle A verb form that functions as a noun (see Gerund), an adjective, or an adverb. Participles can end in –ing (e.g., the crying baby) or –ed (e.g., an educated person). They can also form past perfect tense (e.g., The movie had started by the time we arrived), present perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie has started), and future perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie will have started by the time you get here).
Passive Voice The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb. e.g., The man was struck by lightning.
Past Perfect A verb tense that expresses an idea that something [in the past] occurred before another action [also in the past]. This tense [requires] the helping, or auxiliary word "had". For example, "you had studied French before you went to Paris."
Past Tense The grammatical form of a verb used to indicate that the time of the action occurred before the moment of writing.
Pastoral A work depicting an idealized vision of the rural life of shepherds.
Pentameter In poetry, a line of verse containing five metric feet or accents.
Personification An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.)
Persuasion A form of writing that focuses on convincing the reader of stated beliefs or opinions. Strong persuasive writing includes clearly stated positions or opinions, convincing evidence, and anticipated concerns and counterarguments.
Persuasive Strategies Intentional writing strategies that may be used to influence an audience. These methods may include appeals to emotions, ethics, and logic.
Phrase A sequence of two or more words, forming a unit.In the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Coleridge, the words “pleasure-dome” is a phrase read not only in this poem, but also in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” when she uses also uses the phrase.
Plot The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict.
Poetry In its broadest sense, text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery and connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. Poetry typically relies on words and expressions that have several layers of meaning (figurative language). It may also make use of the effects of regular rhythm on the ear and may make a strong appeal to the senses through the use of imagery.
Point of View The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted (e.g., first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc). The perspective from which a speaker or author recounts a narrative or presents information. The author’s manner in revealing characters, events, and ideas; the vantage point from which a story is told.
Precise Language Specific language and vocabulary that clearly communicate the writer’s ideas to the reader.
Predicate The part of a sentence that contains the verb and all of its modifiers.
Prefix Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning.
Prepositional Phrase A phrase that consists of a preposition (e.g., of, with, by, over, next) and its object. e.g., The man with the red hat is my best friend. I want to sit by you during the concert.
Present Perfect A verb tense that describes actions just finished or continuing from the past into the present. This can also imply that past actions have present effects.
Problem/Solution An organizational writing strategy/structure that the writer uses to present a problem and possible solutions to it.
Process Analysis Writing that explains how something is done or how something operates; the explanation separates the topic into steps or parts to accommodate the analysis.
Prolepsis An interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media
Pronoun Can be used in place of a noun or, in some cases, another pronoun.
Pronoun Case The function of a pronoun within a sentence. Pronouns change case to form possessives (e.g., my, his, our) or to serve as subjects (e.g., I, he, we) or objects (e.g., me, him, us).
Propaganda Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people.
Propaganda Techniques Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below. 1. Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue. 2. Bandwagon tries to persuade the reader to do, think or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it. 3. Red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument. 4. Emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason. 5. Testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement). 6. Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again. 7. Sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information. 8. Circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument. 9. Appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.
Purpose The writer’s established intent to inform/teach, to entertain, or to persuade/convince.

Parallel Structure

Putting sentence elements or ideas in similar grammatical form. e.g., The best parts about summer are swimming, biking, and sleeping.

Paratactic

Combining of various syntactic units, usually prepositions, without the use of conjunctions to form short and simple phrases.

Participle

A verb form that functions as a noun (see Gerund), an adjective, or an adverb.
Participles can end in –ing (e.g., the crying baby) or –ed (e.g., an educated person). They can also form past perfect tense (e.g., The movie had started by the time we arrived), present perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie has started), and future perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie will have started by the time you get here).

Passive Voice

The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb. e.g., The man was struck by lightning.

Past Perfect

A verb tense that expresses an idea that something [in the past] occurred before another action [also in the past]. This tense [requires] the helping, or auxiliary word "had". For example, "you had studied French before you went to Paris."

Past Tense

The grammatical form of a verb used to indicate that the time of the action occurred before the moment of writing.

Pastoral

A work depicting an idealized vision of the rural life of shepherds.

Pentameter

In poetry, a line of verse containing five metric feet or accents.

Personification

An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.)

Persuasion

A form of writing that focuses on convincing the reader of stated beliefs or opinions. Strong persuasive writing includes clearly stated positions or opinions, convincing evidence, and anticipated concerns and counterarguments.

Persuasive Strategies

Intentional writing strategies that may be used to influence an audience. These methods may include appeals to emotions, ethics, and logic.

Phrase

A sequence of two or more words, forming a unit.In the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Coleridge, the words “pleasure-dome” is a phrase read not only in this poem, but also in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” when she uses also uses the phrase.

Plot

The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict.

Poetry

In its broadest sense, text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery and connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. Poetry typically relies on words and expressions that have several layers of meaning (figurative language). It may also make use of the effects of regular rhythm on the ear and may make a strong appeal to the senses through the use of imagery.

Point of View

The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted (e.g., first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc). The perspective from which a speaker or author recounts a narrative or presents information. The author’s manner in revealing characters, events, and ideas; the vantage point from which a story is told.

Precise Language

Specific language and vocabulary that clearly communicate the writer’s ideas to the reader.

Predicate

The part of a sentence that contains the verb and all of its modifiers.

Prefix

Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning.

Prepositional Phrase

A phrase that consists of a preposition (e.g., of, with, by, over, next) and its object. e.g., The man with the red hat is my best friend.
I want to sit by you during the concert.

Present Perfect

A verb tense that describes actions just finished or continuing from the past into the present. This can also imply that past actions have present effects.

Problem/Solution

An organizational writing strategy/structure that the writer uses to present a problem and possible solutions to it.

Process Analysis

Writing that explains how something is done or how something operates; the explanation separates the topic into steps or parts to accommodate the analysis.

Prolepsis

An interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media

Pronoun

Can be used in place of a noun or, in some cases, another pronoun.

Pronoun Case

The function of a pronoun within a sentence. Pronouns change case to form possessives (e.g., my, his, our) or to serve as subjects (e.g., I, he, we) or objects (e.g., me, him, us).

Propaganda

Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people.

Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below.

1. Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue.

2. Bandwagon tries to persuade the reader to do, think or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.

3. Red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument.

4. Emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason.

5. Testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).

6. Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.

7. Sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.

8. Circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.

9. Appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.

Purpose

The writer’s established intent to inform/teach, to entertain, or to persuade/convince.

Parallel Structure Putting sentence elements or ideas in similar grammatical form. e.g., The best parts about summer are swimming, biking, and sleeping.
Paratactic Combining of various syntactic units, usually prepositions, without the use of conjunctions to form short and simple phrases.
Participle A verb form that functions as a noun (see Gerund), an adjective, or an adverb. Participles can end in –ing (e.g., the crying baby) or –ed (e.g., an educated person). They can also form past perfect tense (e.g., The movie had started by the time we arrived), present perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie has started), and future perfect tense (e.g., Hurry up; the movie will have started by the time you get here).
Passive Voice The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb. e.g., The man was struck by lightning.
Past Perfect A verb tense that expresses an idea that something [in the past] occurred before another action [also in the past]. This tense [requires] the helping, or auxiliary word "had". For example, "you had studied French before you went to Paris."
Past Tense The grammatical form of a verb used to indicate that the time of the action occurred before the moment of writing.
Pastoral A work depicting an idealized vision of the rural life of shepherds.
Pentameter In poetry, a line of verse containing five metric feet or accents.
Personification An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.)
Persuasion A form of writing that focuses on convincing the reader of stated beliefs or opinions. Strong persuasive writing includes clearly stated positions or opinions, convincing evidence, and anticipated concerns and counterarguments.
Persuasive Strategies Intentional writing strategies that may be used to influence an audience. These methods may include appeals to emotions, ethics, and logic.
Phrase A sequence of two or more words, forming a unit.In the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Coleridge, the words “pleasure-dome” is a phrase read not only in this poem, but also in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” when she uses also uses the phrase.
Plot The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist, creating what is called conflict.
Poetry In its broadest sense, text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery and connotative and concrete words. Some poetry has a carefully constructed structure based on rhythmic patterns. Poetry typically relies on words and expressions that have several layers of meaning (figurative language). It may also make use of the effects of regular rhythm on the ear and may make a strong appeal to the senses through the use of imagery.
Point of View The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted (e.g., first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc). The perspective from which a speaker or author recounts a narrative or presents information. The author’s manner in revealing characters, events, and ideas; the vantage point from which a story is told.
Precise Language Specific language and vocabulary that clearly communicate the writer’s ideas to the reader.
Predicate The part of a sentence that contains the verb and all of its modifiers.
Prefix Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning.
Prepositional Phrase A phrase that consists of a preposition (e.g., of, with, by, over, next) and its object. e.g., The man with the red hat is my best friend. I want to sit by you during the concert.
Present Perfect A verb tense that describes actions just finished or continuing from the past into the present. This can also imply that past actions have present effects.
Problem/Solution An organizational writing strategy/structure that the writer uses to present a problem and possible solutions to it.
Process Analysis Writing that explains how something is done or how something operates; the explanation separates the topic into steps or parts to accommodate the analysis.
Prolepsis An interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media
Pronoun Can be used in place of a noun or, in some cases, another pronoun.
Pronoun Case The function of a pronoun within a sentence. Pronouns change case to form possessives (e.g., my, his, our) or to serve as subjects (e.g., I, he, we) or objects (e.g., me, him, us).
Propaganda Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people.
Propaganda Techniques Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below. 1. Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue. 2. Bandwagon tries to persuade the reader to do, think or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it. 3. Red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument. 4. Emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason. 5. Testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement). 6. Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again. 7. Sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information. 8. Circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument. 9. Appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.
Purpose The writer’s established intent to inform/teach, to entertain, or to persuade/convince.