English Vocab Sophomore

180 words

adage

a short statement expressing a general truth

adamant

firm; unyielding

adjacent

next to or adjoining something else

alliteration

uses a series of words that start with the same sound

allusion

a reference to a statement, person, place, or event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or popular culture

alluvium

material such as sand or gravel deposited by moving water

analogy

a comparison that shows similarities between things that are otherwise not alike

antagonist

opposes the main character, creating conflict

apathy

lack of interest or emotion

arabesque

elaborately designed

aside

a remark that a character makes to the audience but that other characters do not hear

audience

the group of readers to whom the writing (piece) is directed

augmented

made greater; enhanced

august

imposing and magnificent

bandwagon effect

a fallacy based on the assumption that the opinion of the majority is always valid

baseline

original reference point, amount, or level by which other items can be measured or compared

bibliography

alphabetical listing of sources used in research

cajoling

coaxing with flattery

cause and effect

argumentation saying that one particular event is caused or affected by another event

certitude

absolute certainty or conviction that something is true

cessation

stopping, either forever or for some time

chastisement

severe criticism; punishment

chronological order

events unfold in a sequence from beginning to end

circular reasoning

a type of reasoning by which the proposition is supported by the premises, which is supported by the proposition, creating a circle in reasoning where no useful information is being shared

citation

documentation of sources used in research

claim

statement of the main point; tells what one thinks is true based on knowledge and research

condemned

declared to be guilty of wrongdoings

configuration

arrangement of parts; pattern

confounded

made to feel confused

connotation

emotional association

contested

tried to disprove or invalidate something; disputed

context clues

the sentence, the surrounding words, or the situation in which a word is used

convalesce

regain strength and health

converge

come together

counterclaim

argument against a claim; provable and supportable by reasons and evidence

credulity

tendency to believe too readily

deemed

regarded or considered in a specified way

demeanor

a way of conducting oneself; behavior

denotation

dictionary definition of a word

derived

reached by reasoning

descriptive essay

provides specific details to create an impression of a person, an object, or an experience

diction

the author’s word choice

direct characterization

the narrator directly states a character’s traits

disapprobation

disapproval

disconsolate

so unhappy that nothing brings comfort

discourse

speak on a topic formally and at length

dogmatist

person who tends to lay down principles as indisputable, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others

dynamic characters

undergo change during the course of the piece; grow in terms of improvement or self

editing

marking changes in written work (i.e., capitalization, punctuation, paragraph indentations)

encroach

advance beyond the usual limit

entreated

begged; pleaded

epiphany

moment of sudden understanding

ethos

credibility; ethical appeal; convincing by the character of the author

explicit

clearly and directly stated

expository essay

explains a topic by providing information about it or by exploring an idea related to it

external conflict

a character struggles with an outside force, such as another character, nature, or society

false causality

when one cites sequential events as evidence that the first caused the second

fawned

flattered; acted with excessive concern for the wishes and moods of another, as a servant might

figurative language

writing or speech that is not meant to be interpreted literally

first Person point for view

The narrator is the character in the story and uses pronouns I and me

flashbacks

interrupt the flow of a sequence to describe earlier events; may take the form of a memory, a dream, or an actual relocation of the story into the past

flat characters

one-dimensional; having only one motivation; display only one characters or trait

floundering

awkward struggling

flout

show open contempt

foil

character with qualities strongly contrasting another character

fomentations

applications of warm, moist substances in the treatment of an injury

foreshadowing

a hint about something that will happen later in the story

furtively

secretly; sneakily; stealthily

genre

classification of literary works that share certain elements, such as character types, and common plot patterns

grave

very serious and worrying

habiliments

clothing

haphazardly

in an unplanned or disoriented way

hyperbole

overstatement; a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis

iamb

a foot (unit of rhythm) in which an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable

idiom

a commonly used expression with a special meaning that is different than the literal meaning of the words

imagery

vivid details that appeal to the five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell

imminent

about to happen

impervious

not affected by

inaugurate

admit formally to public office

indirect characterization

the narrator reveals a character’s personality by describing a character’s appearance, feelings, behaviors, and thoughts, as well as his or her interactions with other characters

infirmity

weakness; physical defect

insurrection

rebellion

internal conflict

a character struggles with his or her own opposing beliefs, desires, or values

interred

buried

lavished

gave with extreme generosity

legacies

money, property, or position left in a will to someone

logos

logical; persuading by the use of reasoning

main idea

a statement that tells the basic situation (in fiction) or the central concept (in non

maligned

spoken ill of

meditates

thinks deeply

metaphor

describes one thing as if it were another: Each day is a gift.

metaphysic

a traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it

mirth

joyfulness; merriment

misconstrued

misinterpreted

monologue

a long speech that one character delivers to other characters on stage

mood

the atmosphere of a piece of writing; it’s the emotions a selection arouses in a reader

narrative essay

tells the story of real events or experiences

occasion

the time and place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing

oppressive

causing great discomfort; distressing

overgeneralization

the use of small and/or non