English FINAL lit terms

Denotation

Literal dictionary definition

Connotation

A better way of saying something (vintage vs. old)

Pathetic Fallacy

A fancier phrase for “personification” used to give a mood (giving animals human thoughts/traits)

Irony

Opposite meaning (titanic is an unsinkable ship)

Verbal Irony

Opposite of a literal meaning

Situational Irony

exactly opposite of intention

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows a mistake

Aposiopesis

A breaking off of speech because of rising emotion or excitement (showed with : — …)

Euphemism

Nice sounding language to soften harsh statements (ex:pass away)

Euphony

A pleasing arrangement of sounds (ex: cellar door)

Litotes

A form of figurative speech to convey irony “not a bad actor” really means a good actor

Interior Monologue

Narrative technique that shares internal thoughts

Soliloquy

Long solo speech

Meiosis

Intentional understatement and the opposite of a hyperbole

Periphrasis

An elaborate manner of speech that uses more words than necessary

Trope

Say one thing but means another used to convey common storytelling elements (ex: enemies to lovers)

Storytelling trope

Common theme in a genre

Literary trope

Different meaning than intended

Anaphora

Repetition of a phrase/word in 2 or more sentences in a row

Juxtaposition

Placing 2 very different items near each other to emphasize how they are different (ex: good and evil — life and death)

Allegory

Extended metaphor

Paradox

Self contradictory but true (chocolate ice cream is so good but evil)

Ethos

Ethic (credible sources)

Pathos

Pity (touching readers emotions)

Logos

logic (logical facts to prove a point)