IB Language and Literature Definitions

Colloquial

Ordinary, everyday speech and language

Connotation

An implication of association attached to a word or phrase

Allegory

A story or narrative, often told at some length, which has a deeper meaning below the surface

Tone

A literary technique created through the combined effects of a number of features.

E.g. Diciton, Syntax, Rhythm, Etc.

Diction

The choice of words that a writer makes

Didactic

A word that is intended to preach or tech, often containing a particular moral or political point

Consonance

The repetition of the same consonant sounds in two or more words in which the vowel sounds are different

Cliché

A phrase, idea, or image that has been used so much that it has lost much of its original meaning, impact, and freshness

Atmosphere

The prevailing mood created by a piece of writing

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds

Apostrophe

An interruption in a poem or narrative so that the speaker or writer can address a dead or absent person or particular audience directly.

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas or words that are balanced against each other

Anthropomorphism (Personification)

The endowment of something that is no human with human characteristics

Anachronism

Something that is historically incorrect

Ambivalence

Indicates more than one possible attitude is being displayed towards a character, theme, or idea, etc.

Ambiguity

The use of language where the meaning is unclear or has two or more possible interpretations or meanings

Allusion

A reference to another event, person, place, or work of literature. Usually implied rather than explicit and often provides another layer of meaning to what is being said

Theme

The central idea or ideas that the writer explores through a text

Syntax

The way in which sentences are structured

Symbol

Represent something else.

E.g. Characters

Style

The individual way in which a writer has used language to express his/her ideas.

Simile

A comparison of one thing to another in order to make description more vivid; uses the words 'like' or 'as' in the comparison

Pun

A play on words that have similar sounds but quite difference meanings.

Personification

The attribution of human feelings, emotions, or sensations to an inanimate object

Pathos

The effect in literature which makes the reader feel emotion (sadness or pity)

Narrative

A piece of writing that tells a story

Metaphor

A comparison of one thing to another in order to make a description more vivid; actually states that one thing is the other.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory, but when considered more closely is seen to contain a good deal of truth.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech which joins together words of opposite meanings

Onomatopoeia

The use of words whose sounds copies the sound of the thing or process that they describe

Motif

A dominant theme, subject, or idea which runs through a piece of literature

Empathy

A feeling on the part of the reader of sharing the particular experience being described by the character or writer

Irony

At its simplest level, it means saying one thing while meaning another

Imagery

The use of words to create a picture or 'image' in the mind of the reader

Euphemism

Expressing an unpleasant or unsavory idea in a less blunt and more pleasant way

Hyperbole

Deliberate and extravagant exaggeration

Euphony

Use of pleasant or melodious sounds

Figurative language

Language that is symbolic or metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound, especially at the beginning of words

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of verse that rhyme

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry that adheres to a strict pattern in that each line is an iambic pentameter (a 10-syllable line with 5 stresses)

Ballard

A narrative poem that tells a story usually in a straight-forward way. The theme is often tragic or contains a whimsical, supernatural, or fantastical element

Archaic

Language that is old-fashioned - not completely absolute but no longer in current use

Sub-Plot

A secondary storyline in a story or play

Structure

The way that a poem/play or other piece of writing has been put together

Stanza

The block of line into which a poem is divided

Sonnet

A 14 line poem, usually with ten syllables in each line

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character, alone on stage, expresses his/her thoughts and feelings aloud for the benefit of the audience, often in a revealing way

Sestet

The last six lines of a sonnet

Satire

The highlighting or exposing of human failings or foolishness within a society through ridiculing them

Rythm

The 'movement' of the poem as created through the meter and the way that language is stressed within the poem

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of the rhymes in a poem

Rhyme

Corresponding sounds in words, usually at the end of each line but not always

Rhetoric

The art of speaking and writing in such a way as to persuade an audience to a particular point of view

Refrain (repetition)

Repetition throughout a poem of a phrase, line, or series of lines as in the 'chorus' of a song

Plot

The sequence of events in a poem, play, novel, or short story that make up the main story line

Pastoral

Generally, literature concerning rural life with idealizes settings and rustic characters

Lament

A poem expressing intense grief

Free Verse

Verse written without any fixed structure

Parody

A word that is written in imitation of another work, very often with the intension of making fun of the original

Dramatic Monologue

A poem or prose piece in which a character addresses an audience

Elegy

A meditative poem, usually sad and reflective in nature

End Stopping

A verse line which a pause or a stop at the end of it

Internal Rhyme

Rhyming words within a line rather than at the end of lines

Genre

A particular type of writing

Fable

A short story that presents a clear moral lesson

Farce

A play that aims to entertain the audience through absurd and ridiculous characters and actions

Epic

A long narrative poem, written in an elevated style and usually dealing with a heroic theme or story

Logos

An appeal to logical or reasoning

Ethos

An appeal to credibility or character