English Language Term List

Assonance

The repetition of an identical or similar vowel sound in two or more words. “Lake” and “stake” are rhyming words; “lake” and “fade” are assonant. “Base” and “face” rhyme; “base” and “fade” are assonant. i.e. hear the mellow wedding bells

Allegory

A narrative with two or more levels of meaning - one literal level and one or more symbolic levels. The characters and settings stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities such as justice, truth, good, or evil. It relies heavily on symbolism to teach a lesson or illustrate an idea. i.e. The tortoise and the hare

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant or vowel sound at the beginning of several closely placed words. The sound can also be included within the words as well as at the beginning. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unifying ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. i.e. Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

allusion

a brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object. i.e. like eve in the garden of eden, George was not good at resisting temptation

Ambiguity

occurs when a word, phrase, situation, or event can be interpreted in more than one way; all interpretations must be supportable from the text. Ambiguity can be unintentional through insufficient focus on the part of the writer; in good writing, ambiguity is frequently intentional (adds a layer of complexity to a story/presents with a variety of possible interpretations). i.e. you should bring wine or beer and dessert.

anachronism

use of historically inaccurate details in a text; for example, depicting a 19th century character using a computer. Some authors employ anachronism for humorous effect, and some genres, such as fiction or fantasy, make extensive use of anachronism

analogy

comparison of two things that are alike in some way. Metaphors and similes are both types of analogy. An analogy explains something complex by comparing it to something more simple. i.e. that’s as useful as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or several words at the beginning of several consecutive phrases or clauses. i.e. to raise a happy, healthy, and hopeful child, it takes a family, it takes teachers; its takes clergy; it takes business people; it takes community.

Antithesis

The contrasting of opposite ideas in a phrase or clause, usually in parallel structure. i.e. float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present; for example, the invocation to the muses usually found in epic poetry. it is addressed to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back. i.e. ugh, cell phone, why won’t you load my messages?

appeals

three different methods of appealing to an audience to convince them - ethos, logos, pathos. Ethos is an appeal to ethics, motivating, an audience toward belief by way of the speaker’s trustworthiness and credibility (Trust me, im a doctor)

Pathos is an appeal to emotion (If you don’t quit smoking today, everyone you know and love will die because of your habit)

logos is an appeal to logic (research has linked smoking with a higher prevalence of certain types of cancer, including lung cancer and leukaemia)

Archetype

A reoccurring symbol or motif throughout literature that represents universal patterns of human nature. it can also refer to the original model on which all other things of the same kind are based. An example of an archetypal theme in literature is that of initiation, the passage from innocence to experience. Archetypal characters that recur in literature include the rebel, wise grandparents, generous thief, and prostitute with a heart of gold

Aside

A dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but is not supposed to be heard by the other actors of the stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking

Asyndeton

the practice of omitting conjunctions such as “and” or “as” from a series of related clauses. Used to accelerate a passage and emphasize the significance of the relation between these clauses. Writers also use it to create length in a list, as if there is no end in sight. i.e. we shall pay any price, bear any budders, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe.

blank verse

a type of poetry written in a regular meter that does not contain rhyme. Blank verse is most commonly found in the form of iambic pentameter. Many famous English writers have used blank verse I their works, such as William Shakespeare, John Milton, and William Wordsworth.

Cacophony

A mixture of horse and discordant noises in a line or passage. These unharmonious and dissonant include the explosive consonants known as, t, g, d, p, and b, and the hissing sounds ch, sh, and s. i.e He grunted and in a gruff voice said, “Give me that trash and Ill throw it out!” this sentence makes use of cacophony in a few ways: grunted, gruff, give have the harsh g, and that, trash, and throw it out have the hard t sounds.aesurc

caesura

a complete stop in a line of poetry. A caesura can be anywhere in a metrical line-it is called an initial caesura if it occurs at or near the beginning of a the line, a medial caesura if it is found in the middle of the line, and a terminal caesura if it occurs near the end of the line. looks like a double slash or two line. i.e. We hold the truths to be self-evident // that all men are created equal.

Catharsis

The release of emotions such as pity, sadness, and fear through witnessing art. Catharsis involves the change of extreme emotion to lead to internal restoration and renewal. Catharsis was first linked to drama, especially to tragedy by the greek philosopher Aristotle. The theory was that, through viewing tragedy, people learned to display emotions at a proper amount and lessen outburst of emotion in daily life.

Character/ flat, round

flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated, they reveal one or two character traits and do not change throughout the course of a work. i.e. Miss Maudie in To Kill a Mockingbird

round characters are well-developed and complex figures in a story. They are more realistic, and demonstrate more depth to their personalities. They can make surprising or puzzling decisions that surprise the reader. i.e. scout in To Kill a Mockingbird

Characterization

The method an author uses to reveal or describe characters and their various personalities. Indirect characterization is what a character thinks, says, feels, does; what others say about the character; the character’s physical description. Direct characterization is what the author directly says about a character

Claim

in literature, a claim is a statement that asserts something to be true. A claim can either be factual or a judgement. Claims can work on their own or in conjunction with other claims to form a large argument.

Colloquial

The usage of informal or everyday language in literature. Colloquialisms are generally geographic in nature, in that a colloquial expression often belongs to a regional or local dialect.

Comedy

In general, a story that ends happily. The hero of a comedy is usually an ordinary character who overcomes a series of obstacles that block what he or she wants. In the play a midsummers night’s dream, young lovers must face figures from the older generation that do not want them to marry. At the end, they do marry and everyone celebrates the renewal of life and love. In structure and characterization, a comedy is the opposite of tragedy.

conceit

a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way. They have a surprising or shocking effect on the readers because they make farfetched comparisons, unlike the conventional comparisons made in similes and metaphors. i.e. love is like an oil change

conflict

the problem or struggle in a story that triggers the action. Conflict is necessary to properly a narrative forward; the absence of conflict amounts to the absence of story. there are three main types of conflict identified in literature; man versus, man versus nature, and man versus self

connotation

the implied meaning of a word/or the emotional associations with it, rather than its dictionary definition

consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds within a line of verse or a sentence of prose. Consonance is similar to alliteration except that consonance does not limit the repeated. i.e. alls well that ends well

diction

the author’s choice and use of words in a text. This is roughly analogous to word choice. We alter our diction all the time depending on the situation we are in. i.e. “could you be so kind as to pass the milk” vs “give me that”

denotation

the dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to its connotation. The formal or official meaning of a word, separate from any other associations or acquired meanings

dialect

a dialect is the language used by the people of a specific area, class, district, or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them. Dialect is a very powerful and common way of characterization

dues ex machine

an implausible concept or a divine character is introduced into a storyline, for the purpose of resolving conflict and procuring a pleasing solution. The use of deus ex machine is not recommended as it is seen to be the mark of a poor plot that the writer needs to resort to random, insupportable and unbelievable twists and turns to reach the end of the story

dystopia

a genre in literature that depicts a frightening society or community. The society can be frightening for many reason, and generally has one or more of the following problems: a corrupt and/or totalitarian government, dehumanization due to technological advances, environmental disasters, eradication of the family, cultish religions, limited resources, and unchecked violence. The word dystopia is a combination of the greek prefix (dys-) meaning bad, and (topos) meaning place

Elegy

a mournful poem, usually written in remembrance of a lost one for a funeral or as a lament. An elegy tells the traffic story of an individual, or an individuals’s loss, rather than the collective story of a people, which can be found in epic poetry

epigram

a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought

epilogue

a short speech, poem, dirge, elegy or an event that comes at the end of a play, a novel or any other literary piece to close it

epithet

a nickname or descriptive term that’s added to someone’s name that becomes part of common usage. For example, in the name Alexander the Great, “the great” is an epithet

extended metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things that continue throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem

Euphony

the quality of being pleasant to listen to. euphony generally comes about through a harmonious combination of sounds and words

fable

a short story that teaches a lesson or moral. The characters are most frequently animals but people and inanimate objects are sometimes the central figures. For example, in the tortoise and the hare we learn that, “slow and steady wins the race”

farce

literature based on a highly humorous and highly unlikely and ridiculous plot that usually involves exaggerated events. Farces usually do not have much character development, but instead rely on absurdity, physical humour, and a skillful exploitation of a situation

flashback

returning to an earlier time ( in a piece of literature) for the purpose of making something in the present clearer

foil

a character who is the opposite of the main character. The contrast helps to highlight the characteristics of the main character

formal diction

one of the many primary things that diction does is establish whether a work is formal or informal. Choosing more elevated words will establish a formality to the piece of literature, while choosing slang will make it informal. for example, consider the difference between “ I am much obliged to you, sir” and “thanks a bunch, buddy”. the first expression of gratitude sounds much more formal than the latter

Foreshadowing

hints and clues of what is to come later in a story or play

frame story

a story set within a story, narrative, or movie, told by the main or supporting character. A character starts telling a story to other characters, or he sits down to write a story, telling the details to the audience. i.e. the grand Budapest hotel

Free verse

poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme but is still rhythmical

hubris

an excessive display of pride or self-confidence in a character. in greek mythology and drama, hubris was an affront to the gods, as no mortal should believe himself to be more powerful than the gods, nor defy them. Therefore, greek gods often punished characters who displayed hubris

hyperbole

intentional and obvious exaggeration to reinforce or heighten effect. As a rule, hyperbole is self-conscious, without the intention of begin accepted literally.

iambic pentameter

the most common meter in English verse. It consists of a line ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat. In a line of poetry, an iamb is a foot or beat consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or a short syllable followed by a long syllable. A pentameter is a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet. When put together, iambic pentameter may be defined as a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet where each foot consists of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable

Imagery

a description of an experience, object, or person using sensory details, it draws on the five sense, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sounds and helps the reader develop a more fully realized understanding of the imaginary world that the author has created.

informal diction

the relaxed, conversational language that we use every day. Informal diction is used to address a familiar audience such as family or friends. personal letters, emails, or documents that have a conversational tone are all written using informal diction

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the endnvi

inversion

The reversal of the syntactically correct oder of subjects, verbs, and objects in a sentence. for example, it’s syntactically correct to say, yesterday I saw a ship. an inversion could be, yesterday a ship I saw.

irony

when reality is different from what it appears to be or what is anticipated

cosmic irony

the idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys with human hopes and expectations; also, the belief that the universe is so large and man is so small that the universe is indifferent to the plight of man; also called irony of fate

dramatic irony

when the reader or viewer of a text or performance knows something that the characters themselves do not

situational irony

when an event occurs, which is opposite from or opposed to what was expected

verbal irony

much like sarcasm, when what is said differs from what is actually meant, but usually not as harsh or abrasive

malapropism

the use if incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. an example is the statement by baseball player yogi Berra “ Texas has a lot of electric votes” rather than electoral

matriarchal society

a family, society, community, or state in which the mother is head of the family, and in which descent is reckoned in the female line, the children belonging to the mother’s clan

metaphor

a comparison between two thing in which the similarity between the two is implied and not directly stated.

metonymy

replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated: the pentagon released a statement today about national security. the building cannot release a statement but the building is closely associated with the leaders of the armed forces

motif

recurring images, words, objects, phrases, or actions that tend to unify a work of literature. motifs are not themes. the easiest way to differentiate is to remember a motif is something tangible while a theme is abstract

narrative structure

the most common elements of the narrative structure are setting, plot, and theme. The parts of narrative plot include exposition-the beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolutionemn

nemesis

the principal enemy of the protagonist in a word of literature. a nemesis can also be called an arch-villain, archenemy, or arch-foe

ode

a lyric poem on a serious subject that develops its theme with dignified language intended to be sung

onomatopoeia

words that sound the same as the things they mean

oxymoron

a combination of contradictory terms; a combination of opposites. i.e. jumbo shrimp, the living dead, cold fire

pantomime

use of body movements and facial expressions by actors to convey a message without speaking

parable

a short descriptive story, designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, or answer a question; allegorical stories

paradox

contradictory statement that is actually true. i.e. I know one thing, that I know nothing

paralysis

any condition of helpless inactivity or of inability to act; partial or complete loss, or temporary interruption, of a function of sensation in some part or all of the body

parallelism

the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same, or similar in construction

parody

a composition imitating another, usually serious, piece of work. it is designed to ridicule in humorous fashion an original piece of work or its author. the parody is in literature what the caricature and the cartoon are in art.

pastoral setting

has to do with pastures. and in some pastures there sheep tended by Shepards. elevates the life of the shepherd or shepherdess, versus the evils of the city. presents an idealistic utopian view of rural life

pathetic fallacy

a specific kind of personification that attributes human emotions to nonhuman things. it is often used to make the environment reflect the inner experience of a narrator or other characters. i.e. angry waves

pathos

the quality in art and literature that simulates pity, tenderness, or sorrow in the reader or viewer.

patriarchal society

a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it

periodic structure

complete the important idea at the end, while loose sentences put the important idea first. neither is a better sentence. rtp

personification

giving human characteristics to nonhuman things

poetic justice

a conclusion where the bad characters are punished for their evilness and good guys triumph and are rewarded

prologue

the preface or introduction to a literary work; a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the beginning of a play

protagonist

the main character of the story; the character who is changed or who grows or learns as a result of the conflict

puns

humorous play on words

point of view

the perspective from which a narrative is told

realism

literature that attempts to represent life as it really is

rhetoric

from the greek for orator this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

rite of passage

any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another

sarcasm

a from of verbal irony that mocks, ridicules, or expresses contempt. you’re saying that opposite of what you mean and doing it in a particularly hostile tone. sarcasm comes from the greek words sark meaning flesh and asmos meaning to tear or rip

satire

writing that seeks to promote positive change by use of humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. its purpose it not just to entertain, but also to inform or make people think. criticize

setting

the place and time that a story happens

shift

a change in the speaker’s or writer’s style or tone and often a shift in focus. it is frequently introduced with but or so

simile

a comparison between two things in which the similarity between the two is directly stated using like or as

symbol

something that is itself but also represents or stands for something else. a flag is a piece of cloth that can be seen, felt, and experienced through the senses, but it also represents a country or community

soliloquy

a speech in which a character who is alone speaks his or her thoughts aloud. a monologue also has a single speaker, but the monologists speaks to others who do not interrupt. Hamelts “to be, or not to be” is a soliloquy

sonnet

a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem. The conventional Italian, or Petrarchan sonnet is rhymed abba, abba, cde, ode. the Shakespeare one is abab, cdcd, efef, gg

style

the way an author uses language to convey his ideas. an author’s style includes his diction, syntax, imagery, figurative language, selection of detail, and tone

synecdoche

substituting a part of the whole for the whole itself or using the whole to represent a part

syntax

the structure of a sentence. the way an author arranges words and phrases to create sentences. syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as the group of words, while diction refers to individual words

theme

central idea of a literary piece. it runs throughout and is the primary argument