Semester Exam Terms Review - English Honors 2

Adjective

A word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it.

Allegory

A narrative, poem, or picture where characters, events, and objects symbolize abstract ideas, representing a deeper moral, spiritual, or political meaning, essentially telling two stories at once.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words ("wild and whispering wind").

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, event, text, or idea outside the work.

Aphorism

A brief, memorable statement expressing a general truth or principle ("If it ain't broke, don't fix it").

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent person, object, or abstract idea.

Author's Purpose

The reason an author writes (to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.).

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces (internal or external).

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and form a unit.

End Rhyme

Rhymes occurring at the ends of lines in poetry.

Entertain

A purpose for writing that aims to amuse or engage the reader emotionally.

Epic

A long narrative poem about heroic deeds and events significant to a culture (normally Greek culture).

Epithet

A descriptive phrase that highlights a quality of a person or thing ("swift-footed Achilles").

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events in a story.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used for emphasis or rhetorical effect.

Iambic Pentameter

A poetic meter with five iambs (unstressed-stressed pairs) per line.

Infer

To draw a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning rather than explicit statements.

Inform

A purpose for writing that seeks to explain, describe, or give facts.

Verbal Irony

A speaker says one thing but means the opposite, or uses words to convey a meaning that is different from their literal interpretation.

Dramatic Irony

The audience or reader knows something that a character in the story does not.

Situational Irony

The outcome of a situation is the direct opposite of what was expected or intended (ex., a fire station burning down).

Kenning

A poetic metaphor from Anglo-Saxon literature replacing a noun with a descriptive compound ("whale-road" for ocean). Think of it as a metaphor for Anglo-Saxon literature.

Legend

A traditional story often rooted in historical events but exaggerated over time.

Main Idea

The central point or most important concept of a passage.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things ("time is a thief").

Metrical Pattern

The rhythmic structure of lines in a poem, based on stressed and unstressed syllables (ex., Iambic Pentameter).

Myth

A story involving gods or supernatural forces used to explain natural or cultural phenomena.

Narrative

A story or account of events.

Novelette

A short novel, longer than a short story but shorter than a full novel.

Onomatopeoia

A word that imitates a natural sound ("buzz," "thud").

Paradox

A statement that at first seems contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.

Personification

Giving human qualities to nonhuman objects or abstract ideas.

Rhythm

The repetition of similar sounds in words, often at line endings.

Scop

An Anglo-Saxon poet responsible for reciting and preserving oral tradition; an Anglo-Saxon oral storyteller.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Symbol

An object, character, or image that represents a larger idea.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to convey deeper meanings in a text.

Theme

The central message or underlying idea of a literary work.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and style.

The Muses

The nine Greek goddesses of inspiration for arts and sciences, invoked by poets (like Homer) for divine guidance, representing concepts like epic poetry (Calliope), history (Clio), and music (Euterpe).

Ciphers

A person who seems insignificant or powerless (no importance or influence).

Rising Action

The part of the story, after the exposition, where events build tension and conflict through a series of complications, leading to the story's climax.

Falling Action

The part of the story after the climax (the peak of tension) and before the resolution, where the tension winds down, loose ends start to tie up, characters deal with the consequences of the climax, and the story moves toward its final conclusion.

Prose

Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

Blank Verse

Poetry written in a consistent meter but without a rhyme scheme, most commonly using (unrhymed) iambic pentameter.

Free Verse

Poetry that abandons traditional rules of meter, rhyme, and consistent rhythm, allowing for the natural flow of speech and greater freedom in structure, line length, and sound, though poets still use techniques.

Rhyming Couplets

Two consecutive lines that rhyme with each other, usually forming a complete thought, idea, or sense unit, and often sharing the same rhythm (meter).

Alliterative Verse

A poetic structure using repeated initial consonant sounds (alliteration) to create rhythm and unity.

Extended Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things that is developed in detail over several lines, paragraphs, or even an entire work, going beyond a single sentence to explore multiple shared qualities, making abstract ideas tangible and revealing deeper themes.

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional setting an author creates to make the reader feel a certain way.

Attitude

The author's or character's feelings, emotions, or opinions towards a subject are conveyed through elements like word choice, sentence subject, and figurative language.