marsh vocab list 6 mcq 3/26

to thine own self be true

epistolary

in the form of levels

interior monologue

a piece of writing expressing a character’s inner thoughts

dialectic

the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions

self-effacing

not claiming attention for oneself; retiring and modest

oppressive

unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint, especially on a minority or other subordinate group

precis

a summary or abstract of a text or speech

red herring

a clue or piece of information that is, or is intended to be, misleading or distracting

macabre

disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury

dank

disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold

agency

action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect

recrimination

an accusation in response to one from someone else

equivocation

the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself

appositive

a noun or noun phrase that follows another noun and renames it

infinitive

“to” plus a verb, may be used as a noun, adjective, or adverb

participle

a verb form (present or past) that is used to modify a noun or pronoun

gerund

a verb form that is used as a noun

tawdry

showy but cheap, and of poor quality

pompous

affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important

discomfit

make someone feel uneasy or unembarrassed

pillory

a wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which an offender was imprisoned and exposed to public abuse

debasement

the action or process of reducing the quality or value of something

harbinger

a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another

cleft

split, divided, or partially divided into two

raiment

clothing

metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (Cleveland’s baseball team)

nadir

the lowest point

aegis

the protection backing or support of a particular person or organization

mantra

a statement or slogan repeated frequently

bastion

an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities