Literature: English Vocabulary List

a short interesting story about a real event or person, often biographical

"Funny anecdote told."

"He told a funny anecdote about his travel experience that made everyone laugh loudly in the room."

spoken or written language in its usual form, in contrast to poetry

"She prefers prose."

"While the play contained some poetic passages, the majority of the dialogue was written in clear prose."

the plot of a movie, play, novel, etc.

"The storyline is simple."

"The storyline became more exciting as the characters faced new problems."

a true or imaginary story, particularly one that is full of exciting events

"The tale was interesting."

"She told a tale about a brave child and a hidden treasure."

someone who writes plays for the TV, radio, or theater

"The playwright succeeded."

"The playwright spent two years writing the script before the theater agreed to produce it."

relating to poetry as a form of expression or literature

"Her language is poetic."

"The poetic language of the book made it beautiful but sometimes hard to understand for young readers."

relating or based on myths or legendary stories

"The phoenix is a mythical bird."

"The phoenix is a mythical bird that rises from its own ashes after dying in fire."

consisting of or employing symbols

"The gesture is symbolic."

"The white dove is symbolic of peace and the artist painted it on the mural to represent hope for the future."

to be the writer of a book, article, etc.

"She authored the book."

"The famous scientist authored several influential books that have shaped the way we think about physics and the nature of reality."

the story of someone's life that is written by another person

"I read a biography of Abraham Lincoln."

"An authorized biography is written with the cooperation and approval of its subject"

the story of the life of a person, written by the same person

"Her autobiography was an instant bestseller."

"After years of hesitation, she finally decided to write her own autobiography to share her inspiring life journey."

a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things to highlight their similarities and convey a deeper meaning

"'The world is a stage' is a famous metaphor by Shakespeare."

"The poet used the metaphor of a "iron cage" to describe how the character felt trapped by the strict rules and expectations of society, unable to escape despite wanting to live a more free and authentic life."

the way of telling or explaining a story, particularly in a movie, novel, etc.

"The narration was smooth."

"The documentary used narration by a famous actor to guide viewers through the complex historical events."

an item, especially a book, that is bought by a large number of people

"The book became a bestseller."

"The bestseller sold quickly because many readers loved it."

a series of cartoons in boxes that narrate a story

"The comic strip was funny."

"She read a comic strip in the newspaper every morning."

related to literature, especially in terms of its style, structure, or content

"She has a literary style."

"The literary award is given every year to the best novel written by a new author."

a portion of written text, often of moderate length

"Read this passage."

"The professor assigned a lengthy passage from the historical novel for the students to analyze."

agreement between the sound or the ending of a word and another word

"The rhyme was perfect."

"The poet skillfully employed internal rhyme to create a musicality that enhanced the poem's emotional impact."

a single publication that is part of a set of similar works

"This volume is very thick."

"dusty volume of poetry down from the shelf."

the act of preparation and distribution of a book, magazine, piece of music, etc. to the public

"The publication was successful."

"The publication of the groundbreaking scientific research paper attracted global attention and acclaim."

a story involving the ancient history of a people, usually about heroes and supernatural events that could be unreal

"The story of King Arthur is a famous myth."

"The persistent myth that humans only use ten percent of their brains has been thoroughly and completely debunked by modern neuroscience time and time again."

a type of literature about unreal people, events, etc.

"I mostly read historical fiction in my spare time."

"She prefers reading fiction novels because they allow her to escape into imaginary worlds."

the events that are crucial to the formation and continuity of a story in a movie, play, novel, etc.

"The plot of the movie was too complicated to follow."

"The plot of the novel kept readers guessing until the very last chapter."

an old story that is sometimes considered historical although it is not usually proved to be true

"Ancient legend says."

"The ancient legend says that a brave hero saved his people from great danger long ago."

a novel or movie about love

"She likes romance."

"The novel was a sweeping romance set against the backdrop of wartime."

(of a literary piece) related to or characteristic of tragedy

"The play was tragic."

"The Shakespearean drama was a tragic tale of love and loss."

to describe a specific subject, scene, person, etc.

"The painting depicts a rural scene."

"The mural depicts scenes from the town's history including the great fire and subsequent rebuilding efforts."

causing powerful emotions of sympathy or sorrow

"The movie was very moving."

"The movie was so moving that I cried three times during the emotional final scene."

to use pictures in a book, magazine, etc.

"The book will illustrate the story."

"The author chose to illustrate the children's book with vibrant and imaginative drawings."

to write a literary piece with a lot of consideration

"Compose the letter."

"The poet decided to compose a sonnet to express his deep emotions."

to write something for the first time that needs corrections for the final presentation

"Draft a letter to the editor."

"The lawyer spent the entire weekend to draft a detailed contract that would protect his client's rights in the business deal."

connected with or in the style of comedy

"He writes comic books."

"The comic actor made everyone laugh with his silly faces and funny voices and the audience gave him a standing ovation."