English B final

ablution

act of cleansing

appended

to add as a supplement; to attach

appraise

to estimate the value of

appreciable

noticeable

attrition

a wearing down over time

cavernous

deep and empty, like a cavern

communal

used or shared in common by everyone in a group

conflagration

a large destructive fire

converge

to come together

crevasse

a large, deep crack; chasm

crevice

a narrow crack

decorous

proper, manerly

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

demerit

a fault or flaw

deracinate

to uproot; to remove from one's homeland

desultory

wandering from subject to subject

detritus

debris

distill

purify; refine; concentrate

distorted

twisted out of shape

eradicate

to wipe out; to destroy

excavated

to dig out and remove

excommunicated

to exclude a person from church membership

expendable

not necessary; dispensable

flagrant

glaringly bad; outrageous

flamboyant

Excessively showy; unrestrained

florid

excessively decorated or embellished

flourish

thrive

fluctuating

rise and fall irregularly in number or amount

fluent

able to express oneself easily and clearly

formality

something done only for show or ceremony

formulaic

done according to an overused method; trite

formulated

devised; invented; prepared

fulminated

ranted; criticized in an energetic way

germane

relevant

hiatus

to break

illustrative

descriptive; representative

illustrious

very famous; outstanding

impending

about to happen

implicit

implied though not plainly expressed

incendiary

combustible, flammable, burning easily

incensed

very angry; enraged

incommunicado

unable or not allowed to communicate with others

inexplicable

unexplainable

inordinate

excessive

insinuated

suggested by hints; implied

instill

to add gradually

interjecting

to put or throw in to a conversation

inundated

flooded

lavish

extravagant

lenient

not strict

luster

shiny and reflective

lachrymose

tearful; sad

meander

to wander aimlessly

mereticulous

cheap, gaudy, tawdry, flashy, showy; attracting by false show

meritorious

deserving reward or praise

mollify

to soothe

munificent

very generous

ominous

threatening

ordain

to establish by law

ornate

elaborately decorated

orotund

full and rich in sound (in speech)

paraphrase

to restate in other words

phraseology

the way in which something is expressed

proclivity

a natural inclination

resilient

quick to recover

rudimentary

basic

sematic

having to do with the meaning of words or language

seminal

original, important, creating a field

semiotic

relating to signs or symbols

suborn

bribe

trite

overused

undulate

to move in waves

allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Allusion

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

ambiguity

uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language

archetype

a very typical example of a certain person or thing

Metaphore

comparison not using like or as

1st person

the narrator is a character in the story

third person limited

the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character

autobiography

An account of a person's life written by that person

Elements of Writers style

word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, rhythm

Parallelism

Phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other

context clues

Information from the reading that hints at a word's meaning.

Etymology

the study of word origins

External Conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force

Internal Conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality

Situational Irony

An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

Verbal Irony

sarcasm

Dramatic Irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

Motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

historical context

the historical period that shapes a work of literature and allows the reader to understand important issues in a given time period

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Foreshadowing

A warning or indication of a future event

Repitition

Repeating a word, phrase, or idea for emphasis or rhythmic effect

Synonym

A word that means the same as another word

antonym

a word that means the opposite of another word

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

Protagonist

main character