IB LANGLIT (vocab)

Alliteration

Repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of adjacent or closely associated words.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause.

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs.

Antithesis

Placing two sharply contrasting ideas in parallel grammatical structure for effect.

Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent human being or a personified object (like the sun)

Appositive Phrase

noun or phrase that redefines or expands upon the noun or pronoun that comes before it.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words or phrases in poetry and lyrics

Asyndeton

The deliberate omission of conjunctions between single words, phrases, or series of clauses.

Chiasmus

Reversing the order of words or structures in parallel phrases (ABBA structure).

Clause

A grammatical construct with a subject and a verb

Complex sentence

one independent clause with one or more dependent clauses

Compound sentence

Two or more independent clauses

Compound-complex sentence

Two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Connotation

The emotions and ideas we give to words beyond their literal meaning

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words and phrases in poetry and lyrics

Cumulative sentence

A complex sentence with the Independent Clause at the beginning of the sentence

Dash

Longer than hyphens and used to indicate a break in thought, emphasis, or parenthetical idea (words, phrases, or clauses that add extra but not necessary information).

Dependent clause

A group of words containing a subject and verb but doesn’t complete a complete thought and cannot stand alone in a sentence.

Denotation

literal meaning of a word

Diction

authors choice of words

Dramatic irony

when the audience knows something the characters on stage do not know

Dynamic character

Character who changes throughout the work

Ellipsis

leaving out words that sentence structure would normally need, but the sentence still makes sense

End rhyme

Rhyme occurring at the end of lines

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without the pause at the end of a line or stanza

Epistrophe

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses

Flat character

character with one characteristic

Foot

the basic unit of measurement of poetry

Hyphen

Smaller than a dash—indicates words that have combined meaning

Independent clause

Group of words containing both subject and a verb that expresses complete thought

Internal rhyme

Rhyme occurring within the line

Irony

When words or events are the opposite of what is expected

Juxtaposition

To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast

Liotes

Deliberate use of understatement, not to deceive but to enhance the impact of what is being said.

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two unlike things to help make a point

Meter

The number and types of stresses in a line

Metonymy

Substitutes something closely associated (but not part of) with a thing for the thing itself

Near/slant rhyme

Rhyme where words sound the same but do not rhyme perfectly

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement that does contain a measure of truth

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related works, phrases, or clauses

Periodic sentence

A complex sentence with the independent clause at the end of the sentence

Polysyndeton

The use of repeated conjunctions in close succession to similar words for emphasis.

Prose

written or spoken language without a metrical structure (anything but poetry, lyrics, and drama)

Pun

A joke exploiting the different meanings of a word or between homonyms

Round character

Character with multiple characteristics

Satire

Using humor to criticize social constructs, ideology, etc.

Signpost

Any work, phrase, clause, or sentence that tells us what the writer plans to do next, is currently doing, has already done, or will not do at all

Simple sentence

One independent clause

Situational irony

Occurs when events starkly contrast with expectation

Static character

A character who doesn’t change throughout the work

Synecdoche

Using part of the whole to represent the whole

Syntax

Authors arrangement of words

Verbal irony

Occurs when someone says something dramatically different than what they mean

provocative

(adj)

Causing annoyance, anger, or strong emotions intentionally (often sexually).

extol

(v) to praise highly

quell

(v) to calm, pacify

brawn

(n) muscular strength

efface

(v) to erase

plaintive

(adj) sounding sad or mournful

veneration

(n) great respect; reverence

brazenly

(adv) doing something in a bold and shameless way

copious

(adj) abundant, plentiful

artisan

(n) someone in a skilled trade, especially with their hands

furtive

(adj) attempting to avoid notice or attention

glutton

(n) someone who consumes too much food or drink

ardent

(adj) enthusiastic, passionate

engender

(v) to create; to cause

delineate

(v) to describe accurately

nefarious

(adj) extreme wickedness

querulous

(adj) grumbling; grumpy

labyrinthine

(adj) irregular and twisting

pugnacious

(adj) eager to fight

Disingenuous

(adj)

not straightforward; crafty

Ruse

(n)

Def: a crafty trick 

Promulgate

(verb)

Def: Promote or To make widely known

Surreptitiously

(adv)

Def: done by secretive means

Endow

(verb)

Def: provide with an asset 

Lurid

(adj)

Def: presented using very vivid details, especially giving explicit details of crime or sexual exploits

Feign

(v)

Def: pretend to be impacted by something

Ambivalent

(adj) 

Def: simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain

Dissonant

(adj)

Def: lacking harmony

. 

Baying

(v)

Def: to bark or howl loudly

Capricious

(adj) 

Def: impulsive and unpredictable

Stolid

(adj)

Def: calm, dependable, showing little emotion or animation.

Coquettish

(adj) 

Def: flirtatious; behaving in a way to show playful sexual attraction

Affectation

(noun) 

Def.--behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress

Whimsical

(adj) 

Def: playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

Antithetical

(adj.)

Directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible. 

Ignominy

(noun)

Public Shame and Disgrace

Enmity

(noun)

Mutual Hatred

Xenophobic

(adj.)

A fear or dislike of anything foreign 

Zeal

(noun)

Great enthusiasm for an object or cause

Laud

(v) to praise; to applaud

 

Derision

(n) contemptuous ridicule or mockery

Servile

(adj) — having or showing an excessive willingness to serve others

Bucolic

(adj) — charmingly rural

Belabor

(v)—to go over repeatedly to an absurd extent

Insolent

(adj) showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

Sycophantic

(adj) behaving or done in a servile way to gain advantage

Poignant

(adj) evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret