engish 1201 terms

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literal language

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taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory

figurative language

the use of words, phrases, symbols, and ideas in such a way as to evoke mental images and sense impressions; often characterized by the use of figures of speech, elaborate expressions, sound devices, etc.

allusion

reference to a historical, mythic, or literary person, place, event, movement, etc.

paraphrase

to state something written or spoken in different words, especially in a shorter and simpler form to make the meaning clearer

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

understatement

when the writer presents an idea, situation, person, or thing as less serious than it is

paradox

a statement that seems to go against common sense but may still be true

“Catch 22”

a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions

theme

a central, unifying idea; it's the bigger issue that emerges as the characters pursue their goals

motif

a repeated pattern—an image, sound, word, or symbol that comes back again and again within a particular story

foreshadowing

a literary device in which the writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story to create dramatic tension (prolepsis)

flashback

when the author takes the reader out of the present story and jumps into an earlier time period in a character’s life (analepsis)

narrative

the telling of related events in a cohesive format that centers around a central theme or idea

rhyme scheme

the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song that is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme

half rhyme or slant rhyme

a type of rhyming where words sound similar but do not rhyme exactly

assonance

repetition of vowels without repetition of consonants (as in *stony* and *holy*) used as an alternative to rhyme in verse

consonance

repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sequence of words in close proximity to each other

tone

the poet's attitude toward the poem's speaker, reader, and subject matter, as interpreted by the reade

mood

the overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text often created by the author's use of imagery and word choice

personification

the representation of a concept, quality, or idea in the form of a person; giving non-human things human attributes

alliteration

the repetition of the same sounds—usually initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables—in any sequence of neighboring words

auditory imagery

description that stimulates the ears

gustatory imagery

description that stimulates your sense of taste

olfactory imagery

smell imagery is description that stimulates the nose and sense of smell

tactile imagery

description that stimulates your sense of touch

visual imagery

description that stimulates the eye; specifically, your mind’s eye: when you can visualize the colors, shapes, forms, and aesthetics of something that’s described to you

narrator/speaker

one who tells a story (authorial voice), not to be confused with the ‘writer’

enjambment

the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next, it typically lacks punctuation at its line break, so the reader is carried smoothly and swiftly—without interruption—to the next line of the poem

stanza

a series of lines grouped together in order to divide a poem

refrain

 a word, line or phrase that is repeated within the lines or stanzas of the poem itself

apostrophe

in poetry, is a figure of speech in which a character or speaker addresses someone or something who is absent

euphony

a sound that is pleasing to the ear, most often refers to a series of words that, when said or heard together, is melodious and pleasant

cacophony

harsh or discordant sounds, often the result of repetition and combination of consonants within a group of words

onomatopoeia

a figure of speech in which the sound of a word imitates its sense 

juxtaposition

the placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences; it can occur in literature between characters, settings, events, ideas, or actions

metaphor

a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated

simile

a literary term where you use “like” or “as” to compare two different things and show a common quality between them

epiphany

a sudden realization or discovery that illuminates a new perception or awareness; often used to describe a rapid feeling of clarity or insight in terms of finding an essential meaning or solution

symbol or symbolism

 a poetic technique that utilizes objects, people, or situations to represent a larger idea or concept beyond its literal meaning

oxymoron

a figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory

form

the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition

free verse

the name given to poetry that doesn't use any strict meter or rhyme scheme

blank verse

a literary term that refers to poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter

sonnet

a type of fourteen-line poem that generally use a meter of iambic pentameter, and follow a set rhyme scheme

ballad

a type of poem that tells a story and was traditionally set to music

elegy

 a form of poetry in which the poet or speaker expresses grief, sadness, or loss

epic

an extended narrative poem with a heroic or superhuman protagonist engaged in an action of great significance in a vast setting (often including the underworld and engaging the gods)

lyric

a short poem in which the poet, the poet's persona, or a speaker expresses personal feelings, and often addressed to the reader (originally, a poem sung to a lyre)

villanelle

a highly structured poem made up of five tercets followed by a quatrain, with two repeating rhymes and two refrains

ode

a  lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates or praises a person, place, thing, or idea

parody

a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule

satire

the art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets, or a piece of writing that uses this style

jargon

the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession or group

colloquial

words, phrases and expressions used in everyday conversation; it is relaxed and informal rather than literary and formal

dialect

a way of speaking or a variation on language unique to a particular people or to one region or social group

euphemisms

the substitution of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh or blunt

formal

often more serious treatment of a subject, sticking to the rules of English grammar

informal

often expressed in conversational style

slang

words and phrases vary because of particular age groups, geographical locations, occupations, etc.

pathos

refers to the emotions produced by tragedy or a depiction of tragedy

demographic

relating to the structure of populations; a particular sector of a population

zeitgeist

the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of time

irony

shows the contrast incongruity between how things appear and how they are in reality

angle

slant, or way of looking at or presenting something (bird’s eye view, eye-level, worm’s eye view, etc.) 

balance

the deliberate placement of objects together in a an image to highlight one of all of them; involves symmetry, asymmetry, formal, informal, radial - focal point 

composition

the bringing together of parts or elements to form a whole; the structure, organization, or total form of a work of art; the arrangement of the parts of a work of art as to form a unified, harmonious whole

contrast

the juxtaposition of opposing elements ex. opposite colours on the colour wheel - red/green, blue/orange etc. tone or value - light/dark, in direction - horizontal/vertical. Is used to highlight, create unity, balance or even chaos if that is the artist’s intention