English - Final Exam Vocabulary Review

This set consists of vocabulary words reviewed throughout the year.

Allegory

Either a poem, story, or picture that can be interpreted to show usually a hidden moral or political meaning

Allusion

An expression designed to, without mentioning, call something to mind; passing or indirect reference.

Atmosphere

The mood or feeling created in a piece of writing

Bachelor

a man who has never married with anyone.

Bathos

Sudden change in a piece of writing or speech, from a serious or important subject to an ordinary or ridiculous subject.

Comparative

Comparing, or judging previous, or different situations.

Emphasis

extra or special importance, given to a part or aspect

Farce

Characters in a humorous play get involved in unlikely and complex situations.

Foreboding

fearful apprehension; a feeling that something bad will happen

Foregrounding

make something the most prominent/important feature

Gallows humor

grim and ironic humor in a desperate or hopeless situation

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

(in) Medias res

in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things

Mood

atmosphere of the narrative

Neologism

a newly invented word or expression

Pathos

a quality that evokes pity or sadness

Spinster

an unmarried woman, usually an older woman beyond the average age for marriage

Superlative

of the highest quality or degree

Symbol

an object, action, person, or situation that has a literal meaning in the narrative, but could also represent or suggest other meanings.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.

Dystopia

corruption in society; often injustice or suffering within; usually one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.

Utopia

Perfect society; no suffering, injustice, or problems/issues in society

Malcontent

a dissatisfied person; rebellious.