English Midterm Study Guide

abhor

to detest, loathe, hate strongly

adamant

unyielding; firm in opinion

altercation

a heated argument

ambivalent

being uncertain, unable to decide between two opposing points of view; indecisive

amicable

friendly; peaceable

apathy

lack of interest

appease

to make calm or quiet; to give in to the demands of

arduous

difficult; requiring much effort; strenuous

audacity

insolence; rude boldness

avarice

excessive greed; desire for wealth

avid

eager; extremely interested

bawdy

indecent; humorously obscene

befuddle

to confuse; to perplex

cajole

to persuade with promises and flattery, coax

candid

outspoken, blunt; straightforward, honest

caustic

biting, sharp, severe, sarcastic; able to burn or corrode

chaos

complete disorder

chastise

to punish severely

circumvent

to bypass or go around; to avoid by cleverness

clandestine

secret

cliche

a worn-out idea or overused expression

coerce

to force a person to do something against his or her will; compel, force

collaborate

to work with another toward a goal

complacent

pleased with oneself or one’s deeds; contented

concur

to be of the same opinion; to agree with

condone

to forgive or overlook an offense by treating the wrongdoer as if there had been nothing wrong

connive

to cooperate secretly in a wrongdoing

connoisseur

an expert; an authority

contrite

showing regret and sorrow, usually for having committed some wrongdoing; remorseful, repentant

copious

abundant; large in number or quantity

crass

coarse, stupid, tasteless

credence

belief or trust

culmination

the apex, highest point; completion, finish

cult

a fad-like devotion to a person, thing, or idea; a group of people bound together by the same thing, person, or ideal

cynical

inclined to distrust or deny the goodness or sincerity of human motives; distrustful

decorum

conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior; etiquette

destitute

extremely poor; lacking necessities like food and shelter

dilemma

a difficult choice; especially a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives

divulge

to reveal something private or secret

docile

easy to teach or manage; submissive, compliant

dogmatic

stating an opinion in an authoritative, superior, or arrogant manner

emaciated

extremely thin, wasted away

emulate

to imitate; to try to equal or better

enamored

to be in love with

enhance

to increase; to raise to a higher degree or quality

enigma

a puzzling or seemingly inexplicable situation, person, etc.

enraptured

to be delighted, thrilled

enunciate

to pronounce words clearly and distinctly

ethnic

of or having to do with races or classes of people and their language, culture, history, etc.

evoke

to call forth; to draw forth

1st person point of view

when a character narrates the story with pronouns I-me-we-my-mine-us-ours in his or her speech

2nd person point of view

when the author uses you and your; rare; seldom speaks directly to the reader

3rd person limited point of view

employs the reader to enter only one character’s mind

3rd person objective point of view

narrator tells a story without describing any character’s thoughts, opinions, or feelings

3rd person omniscient point of view

an outside perspective exposing the thoughts of every character

act

a major division; a group of scenes forming part of a play

allegory

an extended metaphor where characters, places, and objects symbolize larger concepts

allusion

a reference to an historical event or figure

ambiguity

the use of language to suggest more than one meaning

anagnorisis

the startling discovery that produces a change from ignorance to wisdom

antagonist

a rival to the main character in a literary work

auditory imagery

words that appeal to sound

biblical allusion

a reference to a Biblical event or figure

character vs character

external conflict between two characters

character vs God

external conflict between a character and God

character vs nature

external conflict between a character and natural forces

character vs self

internal conflict within one’s mind

character vs society

external conflict between a character and social norms

character vs supernatural

conflict between a character and fictitious supernatural beings

character vs technology

conflict between a character and technological forces

characterization

the act of creating and developing imaginary characters in a story

cliche

an expression that has lost its freshness through repeated use

climax

the highest point of emotional impact in a story

comedy

literature meant to entertain and amuse

conflict

provides interest and suspense; opposing force to the protagonist

connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word

context clues

hints to understand unfamiliar words

denotation

the strict, literal meaning of a word

diacope

uninterrupted repetition with minimal words in between

dialogue

a conversation between characters

drama

imitated human action through actors

dramatic irony

difference between what a character knows and what the reader knows

dynamic character

a character who changes over time due to conflict or crises

ellipses

a device to omit parts of a sentence for reader interpretation

erotema

a rhetorical question posed for dramatic effect

euphemism

substituting a harsh term with a kinder one

exposition

introduction and opening scenes in a literature piece

falling action

events following the climax leading to resolution

flashback

interrupting current action to go to past events

foil character

a character contrasting with another to highlight traits

foreshadowing

hints of future outcomes in a narrative

genre

major categories a literary work fits into

gustatory imagery

taste imagery

historical allusion

a reference to a historical event

hubris

excessive pride leading to downfall

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration for effect

imagery

words that appeal to the five senses

inference

conclusions drawn from details in a story

interjection

a part of speech showing emotion

irony

contrast between appearance and reality