Pre-AP English II Final Exam Study Guide

Allegory

A story in which characters, events, or settings represent abstract ideas.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Assonance

The repetition of same vowel sound in close proximity.

Cacophony

The combination of words with harsh, jarring, discordant sounds.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity.

Epigraph

A quotation or message at the beginning of a literary work, often used to preface a theme or commentary.

Epithet

A brief but descriptive literary phrase used to emphasize defining characteristics.

Foreshadowing

A hint at events that will happen later in the story.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Idiom

An expression with a figurative or metaphorical meaning that does not precisely match its literal delivery.

Imagery

The use of vivid or descriptive language to create a mental picture through sights, sounds, textures, smells, and/or tastes.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Dramatic Irony

When an audience or reader knows something that a character does not know.

Situational Irony

When something takes place that is vastly different or the opposite of what is anticipated.

Verbal Irony

When a person says the opposite of what they mean.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two elements side by side to highlight contrasts.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two things without using 'like' or 'as.'

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a text, as experienced by the reader.

Motif

An element, idea, or symbol that reoccurs throughout a text.

(Narrative) Shift

A change in perspective, voice, or focus within a text.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Oxymoron

A combination of two contradictory or opposite words.

Paradox

An apparently contradictory idea that could hypothetically make sense.

Parallelism

The use of the same grammatical structure in 2 or more elements of a sentence or section of writing.

Personification

The provision of human traits to nonhuman things.

Dramatic Irony Example

In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is alive, but Romeo thinks she's dead.

Situational Irony Example

A fire station burns down.

Verbal Irony Example

Saying, 'Great weather!' during a thunderstorm.

Juxtaposition Example

When Juliet first meets Romeo, she refers to him as '[her] only love sprung from [her] only hate.'

Metaphor Example

Time is a thief.

Mood Example

A gloomy, rainy setting creates a somber mood.

Motif Example

Sacrifice is a motif throughout Things Fall Apart, as we see them in the form of symbolic rituals in the name of tradition.

Onomatopoeia Example

The bees buzzed in the garden.

Point of View

The perspective from which a text is written.

First person POV

Narrator tells story from own perspective ("I").

Second person POV

Narrator directly addresses reader ("you").

Third person POV (limited)

Narrator can offer limited insight into one or more character's minds, but not all ("he," "she," "they," etc.).

Third person POV (omniscient)

Narrator knows all thoughts and emotions of all characters ("he," "she," "they," etc.).

Proverb

A brief, widely accepted saying that expresses a wise thought or states a general truth.

Setting

The time, location, and environment in which a text takes place.

Sibilance

The repetition of "S" sound in succession.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Tone

The attitude or approach of an author towards the theme or subject of a text; often informed by diction (connotation, too) and figurative language or lack thereof.

Genre

A defining category of literature.

Tragic Hero

A character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.

Byronic Hero

A type of antihero named after the poet Lord Byron, characterized by a troubled past and a tendency to rebel.

Foil

Two characters who can be compared and contrasted, thereby intensifying the characterization of each.

Ethos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the source's credibility or authority.

Pathos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the emotions of the audience, particularly sympathy, sadness, and/or anger.

Logos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the logic and reason of the audience.

Suspense

An author's creation of anticipation, particularly as it relates to danger.

Blank Verse

Unrhyming poetry written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables).