Terms from English Packet

Terms for the Multiple Choice and Essay Sections

Ad Hominem Arguement

“To or against the man”

-appeals to emotion rather than reason

Allegory

Device that uses character and/or story elements

-to represent a deeper meaning with the literal meaning

Alliteration

Repetition of sounds

-to emphasize ideas or make a musical sound

Allusion

Direct/Indirect reference to something that is assumed to be known

-such as a literary work, event, or person

Ambiguity

multiple meanings (can be intentional or unintentional)

Analogy

Similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

Antecedent

Word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

(ex. Venus is odd. It rotates clockwise)

Antithesis

Figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure

-emphasizes the opposition of ideas

Aphorism

Terse statement that expresses a general truth/moral principle

Apostrophe

Figure of speech that directly addresses an absent/imaginary person/personified abstraction

-can add a familiar or emotional connection

(addresses it as if its capable of understanding)

Atmosphere

The emotional mood of the entire literary work

Caricature

The subject’s features/peculiarities are heavily exaggerated

-can produce a comic or grotesque effect

Chiasmus

Two clauses are related to each other through a reversal of terms

-A-B-B-A mirrored pattern

-Makes a larger point or to provide balance or order

Clause

Contains a subject and a verb

-can be independent or dependent

Colloquialism

Slang/informal language

-conversational tone

Conceit

A fanciful expression (comparison of two VERY different things)

-usually in a extended metaphor/analogy

Connotation

A non-literal/associative meaning

-implied/suggested to convey emotion, attitude or ideas

Denotation

Literal definition/meaning of the word (in the dictionary)

Diction

Word choice used to create a specific effect/convey a particular tone

Didactic

to teach/instruct

-mainly for moral/ethical principles

Euphemism

“good speech”

-to make harsh words or topics more agreeable/less offensive

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that occurs frequently throughout the literary work

Figurative Language

Writing/speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning

-used to illustrate an image

Figure of Speech

Devices used to produce figurative language

(ex. apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement)

Generic Conventions

Tradition for each genre

Differentiates works within a genre (Tells the difference between different literary works)

Genre

A major category into which a literary work fits in

(very broad boundaries + subdivisions exist)

Homily

“sermon”

-serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral/spiritual device

Hyperbole

Figure of speech that exaggerates or overstates

-Can have a comic effect (but a serious affect is also possible)

-Often produces irony at the same time

Imagery

Sensory details or figurative language that is used to describe a scene, make emotion, or represent abstraction

-Hearing, Visual, Touch, Sight, Taste

-One image can represent more than one thing

Inference/Infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information provided

Invective

Emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

Irony/Ironic

Contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant

(the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true)

-used to create humor or evoke deep sense of sadness

Verbal Irony

Words literally state the opposite of the writers true meaning

Situational Irony

Events turn out the opposite of what was expected

What the characters and readers think ought to happen does not actually happen

Dramatic Irony

Facts or events are unknown to a character in a play/piece of fiction but known to the reader/audience/other characters

Juxtaposition

Placing different items/descriptions/ideas close together/side by side

-For comparison or contrast

Loose Sentence

Type of sentence in which the main idea (independence clause) comes first, and then followed by dependent grammatical units (phrases and clauses)

-may seem informal. relaxed, conversational

Metaphor

Figure of speech using implied comparison between two unlike things

-makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, meaningful

Metonymy

“Changed label” “Substitute name”

Figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

(Ex. “the White House declared” rather than “the President declared”)

Mood

1.) grammatical

deals with verbal units and speakers attitude

(Indicative=actual, Subjunctive=doubtful/conditional attitude, Imperative=commands)

2.) literary

prevailing atmosphere/emotional aura of work

(setting, tone, and events can affect this)

Narrative

Telling of a story or an account of an event/series of events

Onomatopoeia

Figure of Speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sound of words

Oxymoron

“Pointedly Foolish”

Figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox

(Ex. '“Jumbo Shrimp” “Cruel Kindness”)

Paradox

Statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but when looking closer, it has some degree of truth

Parallelism

“Beside one another”

Grammatical or rhetorical framing of words/phrases/sentences/paragraphs to give structural similarity

-Can involve repetition of a grammatical element (preposition or verbal phrase)

-attracts attention, add emphasis and organization, or add musical rhythm

(Ex. “I came, I saw, I conquered” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity)

Parody

Work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the intent of comic effect/ridicule

Comedy-distorts/exaggerates distinctive features of the original

Ridicule-mimics the work by repeating/borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weakness in the original

Pedantic

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

Periodic Sentence

Sentence that presents its central meaning in the main clause at the end

-This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone

(Ex. Ecstatic with my AP scores, I let out a loud shout of joy!)

Personification

Figure of speech in which the author presents/describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes/emotions

Point of View

Perspective from which a story is told

1.)First Person

-uses a first person pronoun “I” and is a character in the story

-narrator can be the protagonist, a participant, or an observer

2.)Third-Person

-uses first person pronouns “he” “she” “it”

Omniscient (godlike/all knowing, presents thoughts and actions of any/all characters)

VS.

Limited Omniscient (presents the feelings/thoughts of only one character, only the actions of all remaining characters)

Predicate Adjectives

A type of subject complement (an adjective/group of adjectives/adjective clause that follows a linking verb

-in the predicate of the sentence + modifies/describes the subject

(ex. My boyfriend is tall, dark, and handsome. “tall, dark, and handsome” is the group of predicate adjectives)

Predicate Nominative

Second type of subject complement (a noun/group of nouns/noun clause that renames the subject + follows a linking verb

-in the predicate of the sentence

(ex. Abe Lincoln was a man of integrity. “man of integrity” is the predicate nominative, as it renames Lincoln)

Prose

written in ordinary language/everyday speech

-refers to non-fiction/ficion

-Technically anything that isn’t poetry/drama is prose

Repetition

The duplication (exact/approximate) of any element of language

-can be sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, grammatical pattern

-is able to link and emphasize ideas while allowing the reader the comfort of recognizing something familiar

Rhetoric

Describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

-Greek for “Orator”

Rhetorical Appeal

Persuasive device by which a writer tries to sway the audiences attention

LOGOS - appeals to logic/reasoning

ETHOS- establishes credibility in the speaker (commonality to build trust)

PATHOS- plays on the readers emotions/interests

Rhetorical Modes (Modes of Discourse)

Describes the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing

EXPOSITION - to explain+analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion

ARGUMENTATION - to prove the validity of an idea/point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, thoughtful discussion, and insightful argument that thoroughly convince the reader

DESCRIPTION - to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes the writer uses all 5 senses in description

NARRATION - to tell a story/narrate an event/series of events

Rhetorical Question

A question that is merely asked for the effect and does not expect a reply (answer is assumed)

Sarcasm

Involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone/something

-may use irony as device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic

-can be witty and insightful

-”to tear flesh” in greek