Pre-AP English II Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for the Pre-AP English II Final Exam Study Guide, covering literary devices, narrative concepts, and techniques.

Allegory

A story in which characters, events, or settings represent abstract ideas.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Assonance

The repetition of same vowel sound in close proximity.

Cacophony

The combination of words with harsh, jarring, discordant sounds.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity.

Epigraph

A quotation or message at the beginning of a literary work, often used to preface a theme or commentary.

Epithet

A brief but descriptive literary phrase used to emphasize defining characteristics.

Foreshadowing

A hint at events that will happen later in the story.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Idiom

An expression with a figurative or metaphorical meaning that does not precisely match its literal delivery.

Imagery

The use of vivid or descriptive language to create a mental picture through sights, sounds, textures, smells, and/or tastes.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two elements side by side to highlight contrasts.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that compares two things without using "like" or "as."

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a text, as experienced by the reader.

Motif

An element, idea, or symbol that reoccurs throughout a text.

(Narrative) Shift

A change in perspective, voice, or focus within a text.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds.

Oxymoron

A combination of two contradictory or opposite words.

Paradox

An apparently contradictory idea that could hypothetically make sense.

Parallelism

The use of the same grammatical structure in 2 or more elements of a sentence or section of writing.

Personification

The provision of human traits to non-human things.

Point of View

The perspective from which a text is written.

Proverb

A brief, widely accepted saying that expresses a wise thought or states a general truth.

Setting

The time, location, and environment in which a text takes place.

Sibilance

The repetition of "S" sound in succession.

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

Tone

The attitude or approach of an author towards the theme or subject of a text; often informed by diction (connotation, too) and figurative language or lack thereof.

Genre

A defining category of literature

Foil

Two characters who can be compared and contrasted, thereby intensifying the characterization of each.

Ethos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the source’s credibility or authority

Pathos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the emotions of the audience, particularly sympathy, sadness, and/or anger

Logos

A persuasive technique that appeals to the logic and reason of the audience

Suspense

An author’s creation of anticipation, particularly as it relates to danger

Blank Verse

Unrhyming poetry written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables)