Ela literacy terms 10th

adage

a familiar proverb or wise saying

allusion

a reference to a literary, mythological, religious or historical work

anecdote

a short story about a specific incident or event

antecedent

the word, phrase or clause to which a pronoun refers OR the image/phrase/idea that is referred to later

antithesis

the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite; in rhetoric, highlighting the contrast in ideas by opposing words/phrases/etc.

aphorism

a ‘saying,’ a concise statement that expresses a general truth/idea

apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent person or a personified abstraction

assonance

in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel

caricature

an exaggerated or distorted portrayal of a person, for comic or grotesque effect

catharsis

the relief/purging of emotions that an audience/reader feels after watching/reading art

caesura

a pause near the middle of a line in a poem

colloquial

adjective describing slang/informal speech/writing, sometimes specific to a certain location

conceit

an extended metaphor that governs an entire work of literature

denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word

dénouement

the resolution of a plot, after the falling action; often “wraps up” the loose ends of a story

diction

the word choices made by a writer; related to style

epistolary

a literary work in the form of letters

ethos

one of the three rhetorical modes of persuasion; persuading by appealing to the audience’s opinion of the speaker

euphemism

a mild word/expression used to stand in for a more blunt one that is unpleasant/embarrassing

exposition

the “introduction” section of a plot, when the author sets up the conflict and introduces characters

hamartia

Greek term for a “tragic flaw” or “tragic mistake” made by a tragic hero, which causes the hero’s downfall.

homily

a sermon; a speech about morals

jargon

terminology specific to a certain profession or hobby

metonymy

when one word stands in for a related word, but there is no similarity between the words

motif

a recurring idea, image or symbol

pathos

one of the three rhetorical modes of persuasion; persuading by appealing to the audience’s emotions

pedantic

characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship, or overly concerned with even minor rules

rhetorical devices

literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of an expression

synecdoche

a type of metonymy where part of an object is used to represent the entire object

synesthesia

describing something normally experienced by one of the five senses using terms from a different sense

syntax

the order of words, the way in which words are arranged

trite

overused/hackneyed phrase and thus viewed as unimportant, similar to clichéd