lit terms sem 1

Allegory

A story in which people, objects, and events stand for abstract

qualities.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sound at the beginning of words.

Allusion

Reference in a work to another work of literature.

Ambiguity

a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.

Anaphora

Greek for “repetition” is the intentional repetition of words or phrases at the

beginning of successive lines, stanzas, sentences, or paragraphs to create emphasis.

Apostrophe

An address to a dead or absent person or to an inanimate object or abstract

concept, the aim of which is to elevate the style or to give emotional intensity to

the address.

Antithesis

Greek for “opposition” is a figure of speech in which words or phrases that are

parallel in order and syntax express opposite or contrasting meanings.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words of a line.

Cliche

An overused expression that has lost its freshness.

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.

Conceit

a kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever

way. Often, conceits are extended metaphors that dominate an entire passage or poem.

Connotation

The attitudes and feelings associated with a word.

Denotation

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word.