NYSTCE ELA CST

Misplaced modifier

a word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., 'when young' in 'when young, circuses appeal to all of us'

assonance

the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words

parallel structure

the repetition of phrases, clauses, or sentences that have the same grammatical structure

dissonance

Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds

Perlocution

The effects of something said. (I say, "it's hot" and someone opens a window).

blank verse

unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter)

iambic pentemeter

lines that ideally have five stressed and five unstressed syllables

logos

an appeal based on logic or reason

pathos

quality in drama, speech, literature, music, or events that arouses a feeling of pity or sadness

ethos

The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator

topos

suggests settings, characters, and themes that appear and reappear in literature. Flood, for instance, is a common theme in literature

enjambments

When a line continues into the next without punctuation or break

meters

organizing patterns of rhythmic pulses

apostrophes

someone, some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed as though present

perfect rhyme

Rhymes involving sound that are exactly the same (ex: love, dove)

slant rhyme

rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, or partial rhyme

prosaic style

having characteristics of a prose narrative, as opposed to poetical style and structure.

morpheme

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)

syllogism

a three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise ("All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal.")

trochaic hexameter

(stressed, unstressed) x 6

dactylic heptameter

(stressed, unstressed, unstressed) X 7

heroic couplet

Two consecutive lines of rhyming poetry that are written in iambic pentameter and that contain a complete thought.

petrarchan sonnet

a poem that falls into two parts: an octave of eight lines and a sestet of six; the octave rhyme pattern is "abba abba" (two sets of four lines); the sestet's lines are more variable: "cde cde"; or "ced ced"; or "cd cd cd".

Shakespearean Sonnet

a sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg

metafiction

Fiction in which the subject of the story is the act or art of storytelling of itself, especially when such material breaks up the illusion of "reality" in a work.

elegy

a mournful poem

epigram

a witty saying expressing a single thought or observation

epitaph

an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there

epigraph

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme.

auctorial descriptive

A word created from an author's name to describe a style

Kafkaesque

marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity (Kafkaesque bureaucracies)

syntax

the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences, studies of the rules for forming admissible sentences

Cognates

Words that look similar and have the same origin in two languages.

prepositional phrase

a group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun. Ex. Under (preposition) the table (noun).

preposition

word used to show the relationship of a noun or pronoun to some other word in the sentence. Examples: in, under, near, behind, to, from, over

adverb

A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

adverbial clause

a clause which functions as an adverb, e.g. WHEN I ARRIVED I went straight to bed

repartee

A quick, witty reply

Appeal to authority

A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.

appeal to belief

arguments based not on logic but on articles of faith, most people believe that X is true, therefore X is true

appeal to fear

attempt to frighten one into an action or into accepting a belief (Ex: If you don't do X, then Y will happen)

Bandwagon appeal

a claim that a listener should accept an argument because of how many other people have already accepted it

Non sequitur fallacy

a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it

red herring fallacy

any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue

slippery slope fallacy

an argument that when one thing happens it will set in motion a trend leading to disastrous results

straw man fallacy

misrepresenting someone's position or argument to make it look weaker and then attacking the weaker version