Vocab Test 1-8 Review Words Only 2025

analysis

the process of studying the whole by examining its parts

apostrophe

addressing an absent person or personified object or idea

climax

the highest point of interest in a literary work

epigram

brief, pointed statement in prose or verse

foil

a character who provides contrast to or for another character

frame device

a story within a story

in medias res

"in the middle" when the story begins in the middle of the action

maxim

A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage

objectivity

freedom from the expression of personal sentiments, attitudes, or emotion

protagonist

The central character in a work of literature

sonnet

a fourteen-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter, focused on a single theme

speaker

in a poem, the voice that "talks" to the reader as a narrator does in a story

synechdoche

figurative language that uses a part of a thing to represent the whole. Example: "wheels" for a car, "hired hands" for paid workers

The Enlightenment

A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.

analogy

comparison made between two objects, situations, or ideas that are somewhat alike, but unalike in most respects

aphorism

concise, pointed truth or observation about life

cliché

a trite, overused phrase

dramatic monologue

poem in which the speaker addresses a silent listener

epic

a long, narrative poem about adventure of gods or a hero

flat character

character with a single quality and does not develop during the course of the story

grotesque

characterized by distortions or incongruities

induction

form of argument in which the conclusion is probably but not necessarily true

juxtaposition

two contrasting elements side-by-side

lyric poem

musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of the speaker

naturalism

writing that demonstrates a deep interest in nature

parody

imitates or mocks another work

realism

any effort to offer accurate and detailed portrayal of actual life; "true to life"

sarcasm

a type of verbal irony that refers to a remark in which the literal meaning is complimentary, but the actual meaning is critical

soliloquy

speech in which a character speaks his or her thought aloud, not speaking to other characters, to reveal inner thoughts, feelings, or plans to the audience

anachronism

something out of the proper time

antithesis

the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.

classical

express dominance of form over content or emotion; usually referring to the classics

diction

word choice of the writer

dramatic irony

when the reader or audience knows something a character does not

flashback

section that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier

incongruity

a juxtaposition of incompatible or opposite elements

laureate

one especially singled out because of distinctive achievement

metaphor

comparison not using like or as

novella

a serious fictional form that is somewhere between the novel and the short story in length

parenthetical

a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain

rhyme

sounds accented vowels and all succeeding sounds that are identical

end rhyme scheme

a rhyme that occurs in the last syllables of verses

slant rhyme

rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss")

internal rhyme

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

eye rhyme

a similarity between words in spelling but not in pronunciation

simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

ambiguity

the intentional or unintentional use of a word or idea that implies more than one meaning leaving uncertainty

antipathy

a strong feeling of aversion; dislike

circular reasoning

fallacy when evidence given to support a claim is simply a restatement of the claim in other words

denoument

anything that happens after the resolution of the plot

dirge

lamentation sung or played at a funeral; sad song

figurative language

writing or speech not meant to be taken literally

heroic couplet

in poetry, rhyming pair of lines written in iambic pentameter

inciting incident

introduces the central or main conflict

jargon

the special terminology or language of a profession or group

kenning

metaphorical phrase used to replace a concrete noun

narrative

writing that tells a story

paraphrase

a restatement in different words; to put one's own words

prose

ordinary form of written language

resolution

when the conflict is resolved

setting

The time and place of a story

allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

anaphora

the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs

bandwagon

a propaganda technique that encourages people to think or act in some way simply because other people are doing so

chiasmus

reversal or inversion of syntax or word order for effect

dactyl

in poetry- metric foot with one accented syllable and two unaccented syllables- example: ten/der/ly

dialect

speech with particular grammar or pronunciation associated with a geographic region

fantasy

highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life

hubris

extreme pride

implication

suggestion made without stating directly

inversion

reversal or change in regular word order

narcissism

an obsession with one's own person (self)

parallelism

repetition of grammatical pattern to express ideas that are related or equal in importance

repetition

a sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated for emphasis and unity

scapegoat

a person or group that bears the blame for another

trite

lacking originality or freshness from overuse and consequently of little import

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds

anagram

the rearrangement of the letters in a word or phrase to make another word or phrase

character

A person, animal, or thing that takes part in the action of a literary work

crisis

the internal struggle of the protagonist that serves as a catalyst to determine how the conflict will be resolved often serves

denotation

a word's dictionary definition

devil's advocate

one who expresses contentious opinion in order to provoke debate or test the strength of the opposing arguments

falling action

action that takes place after the climax

genre

distinct types or categories into which literary works are grouped

imperative

mood that expresses a command or request

invective

intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack

motivation

a reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions or speech

paradox

a statement that seems to be contradictory but actually reveals some element of truth

refrain

a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song

satire

writing that ridicules or holds up for contempt the faults of individuals or groups in order to improve them

tragic hero

a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction

allegory

a literary work with two or more levels of meaning - literally and symbolic

anadiplosis

repetition where the last word, phrase, or clause of a line is repeated at the beginning of the next line

ballad

A song like poem that tells a story

caricature

a distorted or exaggerated portrayal of a person

decorum

deals with the ideal of propriety

dèjá vu

"already seen"; the experience of thinking that a new situation had happened before

ellipsis

the omission of words or phrases

fact

a statement that can be proven true or false by evidence

fallacy

an error in reasoning