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fervent

passionate

vitriolic

filled with bitter criticism or malice

candid

honest; frank

contentious

quarrelsome

precarious

dangerously unstable

prudent

careful; cautious

daunting

intimidating; discouraging

inclined

tending toward one direction

unprecedented

occurring for the first time; novel; never seen before

heartfelt

deeply felt

lucid

clear; easy to understand

provincial

narrow-minded; unsophisticated

didactic

intended to teach

eccentric

odd; unusual; quirky

vehement

urgent; forceful; passionate

epic

a long, dignified narrative poem, which gives the account of a hero important to his nation or race

ballad

a type of narrative poem, often set to music, that tells a story in a simple, straightforward manner, frequently focusing on a central dramatic event or character

lyric

subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and which reveals the poet's thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression

narrative

on-dramatic, objective verse with regular rhyme scheme and meter, which relates a story or narrative

sonnet

a rigid 14 line verse form, with variable structure and scheme according to type

ode

elaborate lyric verse, which deals seriously with a dignified theme—usually in praise of someone or something

blank verse

unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter

elegy

a poem of lament, meditating on the death of an individual

rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhyme, usually indicated by assigning a letter of the alphabet to each rhyme at the end of a line of poetry

end rhyme

The rhyming of words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry

exact rhyme

occurs when two or more words, usually but not always at the end of their respective lines of a poem, rhyme perfectly

slant rhyme

a type of rhyme with words that have similar, but not identical sounds.

free verse

Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme

enjambment

The running over of a sentence or thought from one line of poetry to another

stanza

A division of poetry named for the number of lines it contains

couplet

Two lines of verse the same length that usually rhyme

alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words

assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds without the repetition of consonants

awkward

hard to understand; a statement is difficult to understand because it might have a grammatical or punctuation mistakes or be unnecessarily complicated

focus

the controlling idea, main point, or guiding principle of your writing. Strong writing has a very clear focus with secondary and related ideas positioned in order to supplement or support it. The focus is usually first articulated in your claim

cohesion

the action or fact of forming a united whole; in an essay, when the big ideas are laced throughout the composition

clarity

the quality of being clear and easily understood by others

concise

giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive

coherence

the quality of being logical and consistent; united, as of forming a whole

ambiguity

the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; not easy to understand

nuance

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound

articulate

express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently

indifference

not caring

integrity

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness

diligent

careful and persistent work or effort; hard working

meticulous

paying extreme attention to detail; industrious

inquisitive

curious or inquiring

sus

giving the impression that something is questionable or dishonest; suspicious

devious

showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals

serpentine

of or resembling a serpent (as in form or movement)

unscrupulous

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair

proleptic

able to anticipate something in the future—an event or an argument

wavering

undecided between two opinions or courses of action

vacillating

alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive

prophetic

accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future

contemptuous

showing contempt; scornful

celestial

belonging or relating to heaven; supremely good

disdain

consider to be unworthy of one's consideration

duplicitous

deceitful; having alternative intentions

transformative

causing a marked change in someone or something

construe

interpret (a word or action) in a particular way

fashion

to make or shape something

derisive

expressing contempt or ridicule

cunning

having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion

pervasive

spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people—usually something negative

emphatically

with great emphasis

contemplative

expressing or involving prolonged thought

erudite

having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying or calculating

drama

work designed to be represented on a stage by actors. More strictly, a serious play (though it may end either happily or unhappily) dealing with a problem of importance.

dramatis personae

The list of characters in a play so the audience knows who is who before the action begins. Provided at the beginning of the play’s script.

act

A chunk of the play’s action

scene

A division of action within an act.

aside

When a character says something privately to another character while other characters are also on stage. The line(s) are meant for one character’s ears alone.

soliloquy

When a character speaks his/her true thoughts and feelings while alone on stage.

comic relief

A humorous scene, incident, or remark within an essentially serious or even tragic drama.

comedy

a type of drama that primarily aims to amuse the audience, often highlighting the follies and absurdities of human behavior—and usually (but not always) ending on a positive or uplifting note.

tragedy

a serious drama that depicts the downfall or destruction of a central character, often someone of noble stature, triggered by a combination of factors like character flaws, external forces, or fate, and typically resulting in a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion.

tragic hero

a person of high estate who has the potential for greatness. The person is pre-eminently virtuous and just, but his/her misfortune is brought about

tragic flaw (hamartia)

The tragic figure suffers from this in character. As a result of this s/he makes errors of judgment that are later directly responsible for the hero/ine’s tragic downfall, leading to the catastrophe of the play

crisis/climax

This is the turning point in the fortunes of the tragic protagonist, the consequence(s) of tragic flaw serving to compound the tragic situation

hubris

In traditional Greek tragedies, the tragic hero’s tragic flaw is often pride to excess

catharsis

The terror and pity felt by the audience of a tragedy produce this, a cleansing or purifying of emotion.