Studied by 24 people
Acting Voice
the subject of the sentence performs the action
Allusion
an indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar
Alger-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
Anecdote
a brief recounting of a relevant episode
Antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
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 serous story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat
Diction
word choice, particularly as an element of style
Colloquial
ordinary, or familiar type of conversation
Connotation
rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word
Denotation
the literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations
Jargon
the diction used by a group of which practices a similar profession or activity
Vernacular
language or dialect of a particular country
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
Allegory
a story, fictional or non fiction, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts
Aphorism
a terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle
Ellipsis
the deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done effect by the author
Euphemism
a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts
Figurative Language
writing that is not meant to be taken literally
Analogy
comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables
Hyberbole
exaggeration
Idiom
a common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense when you take it literally
Metaphor
making an implied comparison, not using “like,” “as,” or other such words
Metonymy
replacing an actual word or idea, wich a related word or concept
Synecdoche
a king of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa
Simile
using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things
Synesthesia
a description involving a “crossing of the senses”
Personification
giving human-like qualities to something that is not human
Foreshadowing
when an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story
Genre
the major category into which a literary work fits
Gothic
writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death
Imagery
word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind
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
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
Situational Irony
found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie
Juxtaposition
placing things side by side for purposes of comparison
Mood
the atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction)
Motif
a recurring idea in a piece of literature
Oxymoron
when apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox
Pacing
the speed or tempo of an author’s writing
Paradox
a seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true
Parallelism
sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns
Anaphora
repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or clauses in a row
Chiasmus
when the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of the words is reversed
Antithesis
two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas with parallel structure
Zeugma (Syllepsis)
when a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the meaning of the first word must change for each of the words it governs or modifies
Parenthetical Idea
parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence
Parody
an exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes
Persona
the fictional mask or narrator that tells a story
Poetic Device
a device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences, or lines
Alliteration
the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words
Assonance
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
Consonance
the repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words
Onomatopoeia
the use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that thing makes
Internal Rhyme
when a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line
Slant Rhyme
when a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly - they are merely similar
End Rhyme
when the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme
Rhyme Scheme
the pattern of a poem’s end rhymes
Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
in every word of more than one syllable, one is said with more force than the other syllable(s)
Meter
a regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry
Free Verse
poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme
Iambic Pentameter
poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables
Sonnet
a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter
Polysyndeton
when a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions
Pun
when a word that has two or more meaning is used in a humorous way
Rhetoric
art of effective communication
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
the relationships, in any piece of writing, between the writer, the audience, and the subject
Rhetorical Question
question not asked for information but for effect
Romanticism
art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the world, and an emphasis on nature
Sarcasm
a generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded
Satire
a work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect
Sentence
group of words place between a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning
Appositive
a word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its meaning
Clause
a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
Independent Clause
expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence
Dependent, or Subordinate Clause
cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause
Balanced Sentence
a sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each other like equal weights on a scale
Compound Sentence
contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent clauses
Complex Sentence
contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
Cumulative Sentence
when the writer begin with an independence clause, then adds subordinate elements
Periodic Sentence
when the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence
Simple Sentence
contains only one independent clause
Declarative Sentence
states an idea
Imperative Sentence
issues a command
Interrogative Sentence
sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which, who, whom, and whose)
Style
the choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes
Symbol
anything that represents or stands for something else
Syntax/Sentence Veriety
grammatical arrangement of words
Theme
the central idea of message of a work
Thesis
the sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition
Tone
a writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization
Understatement
the ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is
Litotes
a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used
Argument
piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion
Premises
statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion
Conclusion
the end result of the argument
Aristotle’s Appeals
the goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one’s ideas are valid
Note 
Flashcard (40)