Literary & Rhetorical Devices – Master Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of 112 vocabulary flashcards covering key literary and rhetorical terms from the lecture notes.

Allegory

A narrative with both a literal and a deeper, second meaning.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in neighboring words.

Allusion

An indirect reference to an external person, place, event, or work.

Ambiguity

A word, phrase, or statement with more than one possible meaning.

Ambivalence

Simultaneously having mixed or conflicting feelings about something.

Analogy

A parallel comparison used to clarify or explain an idea.

Analysis

Detailed examination and explanation of a text’s elements and meaning.

Anecdote

A short, illustrative story—often amusing—used to make a point.

Anthropomorphism

Presenting animals or non-humans as if they were human beings.

Aphorism

A concise, witty statement expressing a general truth.

Appeal

A text designed to persuade or fundraise, usually as part of a campaign.

Association of ideas

The linking of one idea with another, commonly exploited in advertising.

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words.

Atmosphere

The overall mood or emotional feeling of a scene or text.

Ballad

A narrative poem with regular rhythm and rhyme schemes.

Bathos

An anticlimax that shifts abruptly from the serious to the trivial for comic effect.

Bias

Deliberate promotion of one viewpoint while excluding others.

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant, or jarring sound effects in language.

Caesura

A deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry.

Campaign

A coordinated series of texts with a single persuasive aim.

Caption

Brief explanatory text accompanying an image.

Caricature

An exaggerated portrayal of a person’s features or traits.

Catharsis

Audience’s feeling of emotional release or pity after a tragic downfall.

Characterisation

The methods a writer uses to create convincing characters.

Colloquial

Informal, everyday language specific to a group or region.

Comedy

A literary genre that ends happily or satisfactorily.

Comic exaggeration

Overstatement employed for humorous effect.

Commentary

A structured, detailed analysis—written or oral—of a text.

Connotation

The secondary meanings and associations a word carries.

Consonance

Repetition of final consonant sounds in close proximity.

Conventions

Expected language features typical of a given text type.

Critique

Reasoned evaluation or analysis of a piece of writing.

Dialogue

Conversation exchanged between two or more characters.

Diction

An author’s specific choice of vocabulary and phrasing.

Dissonance

Deliberate use of discordant, clashing sounds in words.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows more than the characters, creating tension or humor.

Editorial

Newspaper or journal article expressing the publication’s viewpoint.

Elegy

A formal poem lamenting the death of someone.

Emotive

Language crafted to evoke strong feelings in the reader.

End rhyme

Rhyming words occurring at the ends of poetry lines.

Enjambement

Continuation of a sentence from one poetic line to the next without pause.

Eye rhyme

Words that look alike but sound different (e.g., love/move).

Fable

A moral tale designed to teach a lesson.

Figurative language

Non-literal language, such as metaphor or simile, for vivid effect.

Form

The structural arrangement of lines and stanzas in poetry.

Genre

Category or type of literary work.

Homonym

A single word that has multiple, distinct meanings.

Homophone

Words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning.

Hyperbole

Intentional and extreme exaggeration for emphasis.

Iambic metre

A two-syllable rhythmic foot with stress on the second syllable.

Iambic pentameter

Five consecutive iambic feet in a line of verse.

Imagery

Descriptive language that creates vivid sensory pictures.

Internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Interpretation

A reader’s understanding or explanation of a text’s meaning.

Irony

Expressing the opposite of literal meaning, often for humorous or emphatic effect.

Layout

Visual arrangement of elements on a page or screen.

Lexical set

Group of related words repeatedly used to build a particular effect.

Lexis

The complete set of vocabulary in a language or text.

Liturgical

Language characteristic of religious worship or prayer.

Lyrics

The words of a song.

Lyrical

Having a song-like, melodic quality.

Metaphor

Direct comparison stating one thing is another for vivid description.

Metre

The rhythmic pattern or beat in a poem.

Monologue

A speech delivered by a single character.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created in a text.

Motif

A recurring image or idea in a work.

Narrative

A story or account of events.

Narrative verse

Poetry that tells a story.

Narrative voice

The perspective from which the story is told.

Narrator

The individual or persona who recounts the story.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it denotes (e.g., buzz).

Oxymoron

A figure combining contradictory terms (e.g., jumbo shrimp).

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that reveals truth upon reflection.

Parody

Imitative work mocking or ridiculing the original.

Pastoral

Idealised portrayal of rural life and landscapes.

Pathos

Language or visuals that arouse feelings of pity or sorrow.

Personification

Assigning human traits to non-human entities.

Persuasive language

Wording designed to convince the reader to think or act.

Plot

The sequence and structure of events in a narrative.

Protagonist

The main or lead character in a literary work.

Pun

A humorous play on words exploiting multiple meanings or sounds.

Quatrain

A stanza consisting of four lines.

Rationale

A logical explanation or justification for a text or choice.

Refrain

A regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem.

Repetition

Deliberate reuse of words or phrases for emphasis.

Rhetoric

The art and conventions of effective public speaking or writing for an audience.

Rhyme

Repetition of identical or similar sounds in two or more words.

Rhyme scheme

Pattern of end rhymes in a poem, noted with letters.

Rhyming couplet

Two consecutive rhymed lines, often ending a sonnet.

Rhythm

Pattern of stressed and unstressed beats in language.

Satire

Critique or ridicule of folly, often using humor or irony.

Sensationalise

Exaggerate details to shock or captivate an audience.

Setting

The time and place in which a story unfolds.

Simile

A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to create vivid imagery.

Soliloquy

A character’s speech alone on stage, revealing inner thoughts.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem ending with a rhyming couplet.

Stereotype

Oversimplified, fixed idea assigned to a group of people.

Stress

The emphasis placed on certain syllables or words.

Structure

The organised arrangement of ideas and sections in a text.

Style

Distinctive linguistic features characteristic of a writer or text.