ENG I - Dec EXAM Review

Setting

The time and place in which a story unfolds.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what will happen later in a story.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

Climax

The most intense point of the story, often a turning point.

Simile

A comparison between two different things using 'like' or 'as'.

Anti-climax

A disappointing resolution or outcome after a build-up.

Symbol

An object, character, figure, or color used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces, which drives the plot.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares one thing to another without using 'like' or 'as'.

Omniscient

A narrative perspective where the narrator knows all thoughts and feelings of the characters.

Limited omniscient

A narrative perspective where the narrator knows some thoughts and feelings of one character.

Omnipotent

Having unlimited power; able to do anything; often referring to a deity.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often a hero or anti-hero.

Antagonist

A character or force that opposes the protagonist.

Foil character

A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist.

Static character

A character who does not undergo significant change throughout the story.

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes significant development or change during the story.

Point of view

The perspective from which a story is told.

Theme

The central message or insight expressed in a literary work.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks to themselves, revealing thoughts and feelings.

Motif

A recurring element or idea in a literary work.

Objectification

The treatment of a person as an object or a thing.

Leitmotif

A recurring theme throughout a piece of literature.

Mechanization

The process of making something mechanical; can also refer to the reduction of human elements.

Imply/implication

To suggest or express indirectly.

Infer/inference

To deduce or conclude information from evidence and reasoning.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Dialect vs dialogue

Dialect refers to a form of language specific to a particular region; dialogue is the spoken exchanges between characters.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side to highlight their differences.

Monologue

A long speech by one character, typically revealing thoughts and feelings.

Zoomorphism

Attributing animal characteristics to humans or objects.

Aside

A remark by a character that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters.

Trochaic Tetrameter

A line of verse consisting of four trochees, a metrical foot of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.

Iambic Pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five iambs, a metrical foot of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.

Dactylic Hexameter

A line of verse composed of six dactyls, a metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Subject

The main noun or pronoun that the sentence is about.

Predicate nominative

A noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject.

Direct object

The noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb.

Indirect object

The noun or pronoun that indirectly receives the action of the verb.

Object of the preposition

The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition.

Subject of the infinitive

The noun or pronoun that is carrying out the action of an infinitive.

Verbal

A word derived from a verb that functions in a sentence as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

Participle

A verbal form that functions as an adjective, typically ending in -ing or -ed.

Gerund

A verbal noun ending in -ing.

Infinitive

The base form of a verb preceded by 'to'.

Phrase

A group of words that act as a single unit in a sentence but do not contain both a subject and a verb.

Clause

A group of words that contains a subject and a verb.

Relative pronoun

A pronoun that introduces a relative clause, such as who, which, or that.

Reflexive pronoun

A pronoun that refers back to the subject of the sentence, often ending in -self.

Simple sentence

A sentence consisting of a single independent clause.

Compound sentence

A sentence that contains two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction.

Complex sentence

A sentence that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Elliptical construction

A construction in which some words have been omitted but the meaning is still clear.

Independent Clause

A group of words that can stand alone as a sentence.

Dependent (or subordinate) clause

A group of words that cannot stand alone as a sentence and depends on the independent clause.

Subordinate conjunction

A conjunction that introduces a dependent clause.

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause that a pronoun refers back to.

Run-on sentence

A sentence in which two or more independent clauses are improperly joined.

Person and number

Refers to the grammatical categories that indicate the speaker's perspective and the count of nouns.

Collective noun

A noun that represents a group of individuals or things as a single entity.

Colon and semicolon

A colon introduces a list or explanation; a semicolon connects closely related independent clauses.

Appositive

A noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it.