Honors English Final Vocabulary Review

irony

A literary technique that involves a contradiction between appearance and reality; it can be dramatic, situational, or verbal.

theme

The central topic, subject, or message within a literary work.

simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'.

metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares one thing to another for rhetorical effect.

alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities or inanimate objects.

allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

foreshadowing

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.

imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates mental images.

hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

onomatopoeia

A word that phonetically imitates or suggests the sound it describes.

juxtaposition

Placing two or more concepts, characters, ideas, or places side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

tone vs. mood

Tone refers to the author's attitude toward the subject, while mood refers to the atmosphere or emotional setting created by a piece of writing.

plot

The sequence of events and actions in a literary work, often described using a plot diagram that includes elements like exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

conflict

A struggle between opposing forces; types include man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, and man vs. society.

stanza

A grouped set of lines within a poem, typically separated by a space from other stanzas.

consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a sentence or phrase.

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem.

near rhyme

A rhyme in which the consonants are the same but the vowel sounds are different.

soliloquy

A dramatic monologue that reveals a character's inner thoughts and feelings, often delivered when a character is alone.

monologue

A long speech by a single character in a play or movie, often addressing others.

dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters.

aside

A brief remark by a character, intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters.

tragic hero

A protagonist with a fatal flaw which eventually leads to their downfall.

tragic flaw

A character trait that leads to the downfall of a hero.

character foil

A character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) to highlight particular qualities.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

pun

A form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similarity in sound for humorous or rhetorical effect.

sonnet format/structure

A poem of 14 lines with a specific rhyme scheme and meter, often used to express love or other strong emotions.

quatrain

A stanza of four lines, often with alternating rhymes.

couplet

A pair of successive rhyming lines.

iambic pentameter

A metrical line of verse consisting of five iambs, which are metrical feet with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

iamb

A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

claim/argument

A statement that something is the case, typically supported by evidence.

data/evidence

Information used to support a claim, often gathered through research and observation.

in-text citations

References made within the body of a text that indicate the source of information.

summary/summarize

The process of briefly stating the main points or ideas of a text.

paraphrase

Rewording of text or speech to express the same idea in a different way.

counterclaim

A claim made to rebut a previous claim.

rebuttal

A response to a counterclaim that argues against it.