lang vocab cards

Active Voice

The subject of the sentence performs the action. This is a more direct and preferred style of writing in most cases. “Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house.”

passive voice

when the subject of the sentence receives the action. “The car was driven by Anthony.” Passive voice is often overused, resulting in lifeless writing. When possible, try to use active voice.

allusion

reference to other works

alter ego

A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts; when an author speaks directly to the audience through a character. In Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, Shakespeare talks to his audience about his own upcoming retirement, through the main character in the play, Prospero.

anecdote

short story to convey message

antecendent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun, it at the end of the sentence and what is it referring to

classicism

realistic view of people

comic relief

funny scene to lighten the mood

diction

word choice

colloquial

type of diction, conversational

connotation

associations with a word

denotation

literal meaning of the word

jargon

The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity. Lawyers speak using particular jargon, as do soccer players.

vernacular

language of a country, everyday speech

didactic

teaches a moral, model way of thinking

adage

folk saying with lesson, early bird gets the worm

allegory

the crucible, one story represents another to reveal a truth

aphorism

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

ellipsis

The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.

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.”

figurative language

not taken literally

analogy

compare two sets of things

hyperbole

exaggeration

idiom

expression that doesn’t fully make sense

metaphor

comparision not using like or as

metonymy

replacing a word with a related word, I couldn’t understand his tongue meaning his speech

synecdoche

whole represented by part, check out my new wheels for cars

similie

comparison with like or as

synesthesia

description with multiple senses involved

personifcation

human like qualities to something that isn’t human

foreshadowing

hints for later on

genre

major category of work

gothic

fear, death, gloom

imagery

words to create a picture

invective

A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.

irony

opposite of what you expect

verbal is said aloud

dramatic is when audience knows but the characters don’t

situational is plot line

juxtaposition

placing things side side by side to compare

mood

atmosphre created by word choice

motif

recurring idea

oxymoron

contradictory terms back to back

pacing

speed of writing

paradox

seemingly contradictory situation whcih is actually true

parallelism

Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.

anaphora

reperirion of phrase, I came i saw i conquered

chiasmus

same words in a row but second time is reverse, when the going gets tough the tough gets going

antithesis

Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel structure. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

zuegma

one word modifies two verbs

parenthetical idea

parenthesis used to break off idea

parody

An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes.

persona

fictional mask that tells story

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds

Onomatopoeia

words makes sounds

internal rhyme

in the same line

slant rhyme

not a rhyme but similar

end rhyme

last word rhyme

rhyme scheme

pattern of rhyme

stressed and unstressed syllables

In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force than the other syllable(s).

meter

regular pattern

free verse

no rhyme or meter

iambic pentameter

10 syllables, stressed and unstressed

sonnet

14 line poem in iambic pentameter

polysynedeton

list of words separated by conjunctions

pun

two or more meanings in funny way

rhetoric

art of effective communication

rhetorical question

asked for effect not info

romanticism

idealistic, unrealistic view of people

sarcasm

bitter comment, mocking

appositive

words next to noun which show meaning, “Bob, the lumber yard worker, spoke with Judy, an accountant from the city.”

cumulative sentence

When the writer begins with an independent clause, then adds subordinate elements. “He doubted whether he could ever again appear before an audience, his confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration.”

periodic sentence

When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence. The writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause. “His confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration, he doubted whether he could ever again appear before an audience.”

style

choices in diction, tone, and syntax

symbol

represents something else

syntax

arrangement of words

theme

central idea

thesis

expresses author’s opinion

tone

writer’s attitutude revealed in diction

understatement

minimizing fact

litotes

a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement which otherwise would be used. Depending on the tone and context of the usage, litotes either retains the effect of understatement (Hitting that telephone pole certainly didn't do your car any good) or becomes an intensifying expression (The flavors of the mushrooms, herbs, and spices combine to make the dish not at all disagreeable).

premise

statements that support conclusion

ethos

credibility

pathos

emotional

logos

logical

concession

if then statements

contradiction

A contradiction occurs when one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions, such as, “Abortion is wrong and abortion is not wrong.”

counterexample

runs opposite of generalization, falsifying it

deductive argument

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. In a deductive argument, the premises are intended to provide support for the conclusion that is so strong that, if the premises are true, it would be impossible for the conclusion to be false.

fallacy

attractive but unrelaible piece of reasoning

ad hominem

attack people instead of argument, pathos rather than logos

appeal to authority

The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be right.

appeal to bandwagon

The claim, as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or used to believe it, or do it.

appeal to emotion

An attempt to replace a logical argument with an appeal to the audience’s emotions.

bad analogy

claiming two things are similar when they are not

cliche thinking

Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no

exceptions.

false cause

sequence means casuation —> not true

hasty generalization

A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.

non sequitur

conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.

slippery slope

if you don’t have pencil you will be homeless

inductive argument

An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth of the conclusion. In an inductive argument, the premises are intended only to be so strong that, if they are true, then it is unlikely that the conclusion is false.