Studied by 49 people
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
Note 
Flashcard (61)