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Active Voice
the subject of the sentence performs the action. this is a more direct and preferred style of writing in most cases.
ex. "Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house." opposite is passive voice
Allusion
an indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar with
Alter-ego
a character that is used by the author to speak the author's own thoughts when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character
ex. in "The Tempest", Shakespeare tells the audience about his retirement through the main character in the play, Prospero DO NOT confuse this with persona
Anecdote
a brief recounting of a relevant episode often inserted into fictional and non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor
Antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
ex. "If I could command the wealth of all the world by lifting my finger, I would not pay such a price for it." question on the exam: what is the "it" they are referring to?
Classicism
art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world, sticks to traditional themes and structures
Comic Relief
when a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to somewhat lighten the mood
ex. the "gatekeeper scene" in Macbeth
Diction
word choice, particularly as an element of style different types of words have significant effects on meaning when talking about this, you should talk about which style of writing it is
Colloquial
ordinary of familiar type conversation
Colloquialism
common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism
Connotation
rather than the dictionary definition, the associations suggested by a word implied meaning rather than literal meaning
ex. "policeman", "cop", and "the man" all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but they imply different things
Denotation
the literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations
Jargon
the diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity lawyers speak using particular language
Vernacular
language or dialect of a particular country language or dialect of a regional clan or group plain everyday speech
Didactic
a term used to describe fiction, nonfiction, or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking
Adage
a folk saying with a lesson
ex. "A rolling stone gathers no moss." similar to aphorism and colloquialism
Allegory
a story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts the interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth
ex. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
Aphorism
a terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle can be a memorable summation of author's point
ex. "Poor Richards's Almanac" and "God helps them that helps themselves."
Ellipsis
the deliberate omission of a word or phase from prose done for effect by the author
ex. "The whole day, rain, torrents of rain."
Ellipse
which is the three periods used to show omitted text in a quotation
Euphemism
a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts sometimes they are used for political correctness
ex. "Physically challenged", "in place of 'crippled' " sometimes a euphemism is used to exaggerate correctness to add humor
ex. "Vertically short" in place of "short"
Figurative Language
opposite of literal language writing that is not meant to be taken literally
Analogy
comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables when a writer uses this, they argue that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables
ex. "America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle."
Hyperbole
exaggeration
ex. "My mother will kill me if I am late."
Idiom
a common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally
ex. "I got chewed out by my coach."
Metaphor
making an implied comparison, not using "like" "as" or other such words
ex. "My feet are popsicles."
Extended metaphor
when the metaphor is continued later in the written work
ex. when I continued to call my feet popsicles in the later chapters
Conceit
particularly elaborate extended metaphor
Metonymy
replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept
ex. "Relations between London and Washington have been strained" does not actually mean that the relationships between the two cities are strained, but the leaders of the US and England often used with body parts
Synecdoche
a kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa
ex. "The cattle rancher owned 500 head." or "Check out my new wheels."
Simile
using words such as "like" or "as" to make a direct comparison between two very different things
ex. "My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles."
Synesthesia
a description involving a "crossing of the senses"
ex. "A purplish scent filled the room." ; "I was deafened by his brightly colored clothing."
Personification
giving human-like qualities to something that is not human
ex. "The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill."
Foreshadowing
when an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story
Genre
the major category into which a literary work fits the basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama
Gothic
writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear, and/or also refers to an architectural style of the middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period
Imagery
word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind usually this involves the five senses authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech
Invective
a long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language
Irony
when the opposite of what you expect to happen does
Verbal Irony
when you say something and mean the opposite/something different
ex. if your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster but calls it a "walk in the park" it would be verbal irony
Sarcasm
when your voice tone is bitter
Dramatic Irony
when the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the character doesn't and would be surprised to find out
ex. in many horror movies, we (the audience) know who the killer is, which the victim to-be has no idea who is doing the slaying. sometimes the character trusts the killer completely (ironically) they shouldn't
Situational Irony
found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie sometimes it makes you laugh because it's funny how things turn out
ex. Johnny spent two hours planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day
Juxtaposition
placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison authors use this in order to make a point
ex. an author might compare the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary
Mood
the atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice syntax is a creator of this since word order, sentence length, and strength complexity also affect pacing and this setting, tone, and events can all affect this
Motif
a recurring idea in a piece of literature
ex. in "To Kill a Mockingbird", the idea that "you never really understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view" is this because the idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel
Oxymoron
when apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
ex. "wise fool"; "eloquent silence"; "jumbo shrimp"
Note 
Flashcard (27)