IB HL Terms (2025-2026)

epigraph

the use of a quotation, poem, or short excerpt at the beginning of a work-- introduces a theme or related idea

magical realism

A genre of fiction, popular in colonized places, where reality and fantasy are blended

olfactory

smell

synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")

syntax

Sentence structure

antithesis

opposing ideas set up in parallel structure

tricolon crescendo

a list of three, each increasing in importance or intensity

tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions

loose sentence

A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first, followed by descriptive modifiers and/or clauses

anaphora

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

epithet

A descriptive phrase used to replace a name (usually a person, but could be a place or era)

allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art or culture

hypophora

raising a question then proceeding to answer it

pathetic fallacy

When the weather complements the mood or the characters' emotions

motif

A recurring theme, symbol or idea

personification

Attributing human (sometimes animal) qualities to non-humans

memoir

A narrative in which an author focuses on a pivotal moment in their life

bildungsroman

a coming-of-age story

rhetorical question

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

parallel structure

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures

mood

the atmosphere or predominant emotion in a literary work

metonymy

a figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it (he wants "the crown")

caesura

A mid-line pause (usually created by a period or comma)

apostrophe

address to an absent or imaginary person

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's inner thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play

monologue

a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person

aside

a line spoken by an actor to the audience or another character but not intended to be heard by all the others on the stage

hyperbole

exaggeration

pun

A play on words

dramatic irony

when a reader or audience is aware of something that a character isn't

situational irony

An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

Ellipses

Indicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted

Synecdoche

a metaphor (and type of metonymy) in which a part of something represents the whole ("Lend me your ears"; "nice wheels")

Monosyllabic diction

using one syllable words (Kill the beast!)- effect is simplicity, clarity, and in this case a reverting to primitive speech

Epithet

a descriptive name or phrase used to characterize a person or place, used in place of or in combination with their name

Tricolon crescendo

three examples in an ascending order of size, importance, or intensity- set up in parallel structure

telegraphic sentence

a sentence that is 5 words in length or shorter

Loose sentence

sentence with main idea at beginning and depending phrase(s) and clause(s) following (used to elaborate, show complexity, or elicit the feel of stream-of-consciousness)

periodic sentence

a sentence that expresses the main idea at the end (effect is often suspense or build-up)

visual imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight

auditory imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sound

organic imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the internal or emotional sensation: hunger, thirst, fatigue, fear.

gustatory imagery

descriptive language that appeals to the sense of taste

kinesthetic imagery

descriptive language that refers to a physical movement

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

Epizeuxis

repetition of a word in succession (Out! Out! Brief Candle)

Deus ex machina

a simple, too-easy solution to a complex plot

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

free verse

Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

ode

a poem usually addressed to a particular person, object or event that has inspired deep and noble feelings in the poet

chiasmus

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases (type of antithesis)- "fair is foul and foul is fair"

sonnet

a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme

octave

8 line stanza

sestet

six line stanza

couplet

Two consecutive lines of verse that rhyme

volta

the shift or point of dramatic change in a poem

narrative poetry

poetry that tells a story

sibilance

repetition of "s," "th," "sh," and/or "f" consonants to create the effect of hissing, hushing, or whispering

diacope

Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase (time, mystical time)

plosive

repetition of bs, ts, ds, ps: sounds that require you to blow air out to make the sound (spitting or abrupt effect)

nested narrative

stories within stories; a narrative told by a series of narrators who tell different parts of the story

allegory

A story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside of the narrative itself

in medias res

"in the middle of things"- beginning a narrative in the midst of the action

stichomythia

rapid alternating single lines spoken by two characters (Lady Macduff and her son; Lady Macbeth and Macbeth post-murder)

kenning

a two-word metaphorical compound (type of neologism)

neologism

an invented word