Critical Reading, Sound Devices, and Figurative Language

Vocabulary flashcards covering critical reading strategies, sound devices, and various figures of speech presented in the lecture notes.

Critique

A detailed analysis and evaluation of something.

Argument

A set of reasons presented to prove a statement or stance.

Critical Reading

An active, analytical approach to reading that infers an author’s purpose, tone, and bias.

Author’s Purpose

The writer’s underlying reason for selecting specific content and language.

Tone (in writing)

The attitude or feeling conveyed through an author’s language choices.

Bias

A preference or inclination that alters an author’s language and pattern of ideas.

Previewing

Skimming a text beforehand to gather key information and obtain an overview.

Annotating

Marking a text with highlights, notes, questions, and symbols to capture important ideas.

Contextualizing

Considering the historical, cultural, or biographical background in which a text was written.

Outlining

Mapping the structure of a text by listing main ideas and their supporting details.

Summarizing

Restating a text’s essential ideas in one’s own words after reading.

Analyzing (a text)

Examining evidence, sources, and bias to evaluate an author’s argument.

Rereading

Reading a text multiple times to improve comprehension and notice overlooked points.

Responding

Expressing one’s thoughts, feelings, or evaluations of a text in writing or discussion.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant or vowel sounds in closely placed words.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words to create internal rhyme.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the ends of words.

Cacophony

Use of harsh, jarring sounds to convey disorder or tension.

Euphony

Use of pleasing sounds (e.g., alliteration, rhyme) to create a smooth effect.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the natural sounds they describe (e.g., buzz, hiss).

Repetition (sound device)

Intentional reuse of words or phrases for rhythm or emphasis.

Rhyme

Repetition of identical or similar sounds, often at line endings in poetry.

Full Rhyme

Rhyme in which both consonant and vowel sounds of syllables match perfectly.

Slant (Half) Rhyme

Rhyme with matching final consonant sounds but different vowels or initials.

Near Rhyme

Rhyme with matching final vowel sounds but different final consonants.

Sight Rhyme

Words that look alike in spelling but are pronounced differently.

Figurative Language

Language that departs from literal meaning to create vivid or persuasive effects.

Analogy

A comparison highlighting similarities between two ideas or objects.

Cliché

An overused expression that has lost its originality and impact.

Connotation

The implied or emotional meaning associated with a word.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Euphemism

A mild or indirect term substituted for one considered harsh or blunt.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or humor.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.

Metonymy

Substitution of a term with another that is closely associated with it.

Oxymoron

A pairing of two contradictory words or ideas (e.g., ‘deafening silence’).

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to animals, objects, or abstract ideas.

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.

Synecdoche

Figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or the whole represents a part.