LIT vocab quiz

types of fig lang

ALLUSION

A reference to a canonical work of literature, usually the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology (not a magic trick, “illusion”).

ALLITERATION

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words.

AMBIGUITY

When an author leaves out details or is unclear so the reader must interpret meaning.

ANAPHORA

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses.

ANECDOTE

A short story or joke used to engage an audience and illustrate a point.

ANTAGONIST

The character or force that opposes the protagonist.

ANTITHESIS

A rhetorical device that places opposing ideas together for contrast.

APOSTROPHE

Addressing a person, object, or idea that is absent or unable to respond.

ASSONANCE

Repetition of vowel sounds within words or phrases.

ASYNTDETON

The omission of conjunctions for emphasis or rhythm.

BILDUNGSROMAN

A coming-of-age novel focused on growth and personal development.

BLANK VERSE

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, commonly used by Shakespeare.

CAESURA

A pause within a line of poetry created by punctuation or natural speech rhythm.

CATHARSIS

Emotional release experienced by the audience through a character’s suffering.

CLIMAX

The turning point or moment of greatest tension in a narrative.

COLLOQUIALISM

Informal, conversational language often tied to region or culture.

CONNOTATION

The emotional or cultural associations of a word beyond its dictionary meaning.

CONSONANCE

Repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within words.

COUPLET

Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.

DICTION

An author’s word choice that shapes tone and meaning.

ENJAMBMENT

A line of poetry that continues onto the next line without pause.

EPIGRAPH

A quotation placed at the beginning of a work to introduce a theme.

EPIPHANY

A sudden realization or insight gained by a character.

EPISTROPHE

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

EUPHEMISM

Substituting a mild or indirect term for something harsh or offensive.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Language that departs from literal meaning to create effect or meaning.

FOIL

A character whose traits contrast with another to highlight differences.

FREE VERSE

Poetry without consistent rhyme or meter.

HYPERBOLE

Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

IMAGERY

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

INVERSION

Reversal of normal word order for emphasis or meter.

METAPHOR

A comparison between unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

METONYMY

Replacing something with a closely associated term.

MOTIF

A recurring idea, image, or theme in a work.

NARRATOR

The voice that tells the story.

FIRST PERSON

The narrator is a character in the story.

THIRD PERSON OBJECTIVE

The narrator reports only observable actions.

THIRD PERSON LIMITED

The narrator reveals the thoughts of one character.

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

The narrator knows the thoughts of all characters.

ONOMATOPOEIA

Words that imitate natural sounds.

PARADOX

A statement that appears contradictory but reveals truth.

PERSONIFICATION

Giving human qualities to inanimate objects or ideas.

POLYSYNDETON

Use of multiple conjunctions for emphasis or rhythm.

PROSE

Ordinary written language without meter or rhyme.

PROTAGONIST

The main character in a literary work.

QUATRAIN

A four-line stanza.

REPETITION

Reuse of words or phrases for emphasis or rhythm.

RHYME

Repetition of similar sounds in words.

END RHYME

Rhyming words at the ends of lines.

INTERNAL RHYME

Rhyming words within a single line.

SLANT RHYME

An imperfect or near rhyme.

PERFECT RHYME

Words that share identical ending sounds.

RHYME SCHEME

The pattern of rhymes in a poem.

SATIRE

A work that critiques human flaws using humor or irony.

SIMILE

A comparison using “like” or “as.”

SONNET

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter.

PETRARCHAN SONNET

An Italian sonnet with an octave and sestet separated by a volta.

SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET

An English sonnet with three quatrains and a concluding couplet.

STANZA FORMS

Named groupings of lines in poetry based on structure.

STYLE

An author’s distinctive way of writing.

SYMBOL

An object that represents an abstract idea.

SYNECDOCHE

Referring to a whole by a part or a part by the whole.

SYNTAX

The arrangement of words and phrases in sentences.

TERCET

A three-line stanza.

TONE

The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience.