Lit terms H-English Mr Pisano DMHS

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.

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects

on meaning. An essay written in academic ___ would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise

than street slang. You should be able to describe an author's _____. You SHOULD NOT write in your

thesis, "The author uses _____...". This is essentially saying, "The author uses words to write." (Duh.)

Instead, describe the type of _____ (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain).

Colloquial

Ordinary or familiar type of conversation. A “_____ism” is a common or

familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.

Connotation

Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a

word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning. (For example, “policeman,” “cop,” and “The

Man” all denote the same literal meaning of police officer, but each has a different ______.)

Denotation

The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.

Jargon

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity. Lawyers

speak using particular ______, as do soccer players.

Vernacular

1. Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional

clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech

Figurative Language

“_______” is the opposite of “Literal Language.” Literal language is

writing that makes complete sense when you take it at face value. “_________ _________” is the opposite:

writing that is not meant to be taken literally.

Analogy

An ______ is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. When

a writer uses an _____, he or she argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is

the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. “America is to the world as the

hippo is to the jungle.” Similes and metaphors are sometimes also ______.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration. “My mother will kill me if I am late.”

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally. “I got

chewed out by my coach.”

Metaphor

Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words. “My feet

are popsicles.” An extended _____ is when the _______ is continued later in the written

work. If I continued to call my feet “my popsicles” in later paragraphs, that would be an extended

________. A particularly elaborate extended ________ is called using conceit.

Metonymy

Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. “Relations

between London and Washington have been strained,” does not literally mean relations between

the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England. ________ is often used

with body parts: “I could not understand his tongue,” means his language or his speech.

Synecdoche

A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its

parts, or vice versa. “The cattle rancher owned 500 head.” “Check out my new wheels.”

Simile

Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very

different things. “My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”

Synesthesia

a description involving a “crossing of the senses.” Examples: “A purplish scent

filled the room.” “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing.”

Personification

Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. “The tired old truck

groaned as it inched up the hill.”

Foreshadowing

When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.

Imagery

Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses.

Authors often use _______ in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.

Irony

When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.

Mood

The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Syntax

is often a creator of ____ since word order, sentence length and strength and complexity also affect pacing

and therefore ____. Setting, tone, and events can all affect the ____.

Motif

a recurring idea in a piece of literature. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really

understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a _____, because the

idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.

Satire

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets

human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions. Good ______ usually has three layers: serious

on the surface; humorous when you discover that it is satire instead of reality; and serious when you discern

the underlying point of the author.

Symbol

Anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually a _____ is something concrete

such as an object, actions, character...that represents something more abstract. Examples of _____

include the Whale in Moby D**k, the river and the jungle in Heart of Darkness, and the Raven in “The

Raven.”

Theme

The central idea or message of a work. The _____ may be directly stated in nonfiction works,

although not necessarily. It is rarely stated directly in fiction.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and

organization. To identify ____, consider how the piece would sound if read aloud (or how the author wanted

it to sound aloud). ____ can be: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, somber, etc.

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode. ________ are often inserted into fictional or non

fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally

asks for the __________ of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. “If I

could command the wealth of all the world by lifting my finger, I would not pay such a price for it.” An AP

question might read: "What is the __________ for "it"?

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. “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

Similar to aphorism and colloquialism.

Allegory

A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent

qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an

abstraction or a truth. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an _______.

Aphorism

A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. An ________

can be a memorable summation of the author's point. Ben Franklin wrote many of these in Poor

Richard's Almanac, such as “God helps them that help themselves,” and “A watched pot never

boils.”

Euphemism

A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.

Sometimes they are used for political correctness. “Physically challenged,” in place of “crippled.”

Sometimes a _________ is used to exaggerate correctness to add humor. “Vertically challenged” in place

of “short.”

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose,

poetry, and drama. However, ______ can be subdivided as well (poetry can be classified into lyric, dramatic,

narrative, etc.). The AP Language exam deals primarily with the following ______: autobiography,

biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing.

Verbal Irony

When you say something and mean the opposite/something different. For example,

if your gym teacher wants you to run a mile in eight minutes or faster, but calls it a "walk in the

park" it would be ______ _____. If your voice tone is bitter, it's called sarcasm.

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. For example, in many horror movies, we (the

audience) know who the killer is, which the victim-to-be has no idea who is doing the slaying.

Sometimes the character trusts the killer completely when (ironically) he/she shouldn't.

Situational irony

Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it

makes you laugh because it's funny how things turn out. (For example, Johnny spent two hours

planning on sneaking into the movie theater and missed the movie. When he finally did manage to

sneak inside he found out that kids were admitted free that day).

Rhetoric

The art of effective communication.