This document provides vocabulary terms and definitions related to literary analysis for an 8th grade English class. It defines characterization, symbolism, point of view, and the differences between direct and indirect characterization. It also defines the active and passive voices and provides examples to illustrate when each should be used. The document is intended to prepare students to analyze characters, symbols, and perspectives in literary works.

1. UNIT 1
8th Grade Ms. Mobley

2. Content Vocabulary
 Characterization: the description of a character's physical traits (how a character
looks), point of view, personality, private thoughts, and actions
 Direct Characterization: The writer makes direct statements about a character's
personality and tells the reader or viewer what the character is like.
 Indirect Characterization: the author shows the reader/viewer what kind of person a
character is through the character's thoughts, words, and deeds.
 Character: A person in a literary work; People and animals who are involved in a
conflict in a story
 Symbol: an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a
story but suggests or represents other meanings.
 Symbolism: the use of symbols that represent other concepts or ideas in order to
convey a deeper meaning
 Point of view: describes the person from whom the events of the story are told

3. Content Vocabulary Continued
 Point of view: describes the person from whom the events of the story are told
 1st person: I/me/mine: the story is narrated by a single character within the
story
 2nd Person: You/your: written as if the reader is a character
 3rd Person: He/she/they/their: the narrator knows and shares the thoughts,
feelings, and actions of all characters.
 3rd person Omniscient: This is where the narrator knows and shares the
thoughts, feelings, and actions of all characters.
 3rd person Limited: the narrator only describes the thoughts and feelings of
one character at a time.

4. Vocabulary Continued
 wearily (WEER uh lee) adv. in a tired way
 straggled (STRAG uhld) v. hung in messy strands
 fatigue (fuh TEEG) n. physical or mental exhaustion
 frail (frayl) adj. delicate; weak
 sheepishly (SHEEP ihsh lee) adv. in an embarrassed way

5. What now?
On your index card explain the difference between direct and indirect
characterization. Use your notes to help you.

6. Active and Passive Voice
The voice of a verb tells whether the subject of the sentence performs the action
or receives the action.
When the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice. When the
subject receives the action of the verb, the verb is in the passive voice.

7. Examples
• ACTIVE VOICE EXAMPLE: Tina hit two home runs. The subject is Tina.
• Tina performs the action of hitting.
• PASSIVE VOICE EXAMPLE: Two home runs were hit by Tina.
• The subject is home runs. The action of hitting is performed on the home
runs.
Notice that the passive voice is formed by using a form of the verb to be plus the
past participle of an action verb.

8. Examples
• Your writing will sound stronger and more direct if you use mostly active-voice
verbs.
• However, the passive voice is appropriate when you want to emphasize the
receiver of the action or when the performer of the action is unknown.

9. Examples
• Your writing will sound stronger and more direct if you use mostly active-voice
verbs.
• However, the passive voice is appropriate when you want to emphasize the
receiver of the action or when the performer of the action is unknown.
• An umpire was injured in an unfortunate collision.
• The umpire, the receiver of the action, is emphasized.
• The announcer’s booth was vandalized in the middle of the night.
• The writer does not know who did the vandalizing.