Glossary terms

Terms needed to know for English 20-1 and 30-1

Abstract

 _______ terms ;and concepts name things that are not knowable through the senses; examples are love, justice, guilt and honour.

Allegory

A story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden.  It involves a continuous parallel between two or more levels of meaning so that its persons and events correspond to their equivalents in a system of ideas or chain of events external to the story .

Alliteration

A poetic device, consisting of a repetition of the same consonant sounds in two or more closely related words.

Ex. The moan of doves in immemorial elms and murmuring of innumerable bees.

Note:  The repeating sounds do not have to be one right after the other and do not have to

be at the beginning of words.This is a sound literary device.  To find these in literature, it

is a good idea to read out loud.

Allusion

Don’t get this mixed up with illusion.  An allusion is a figure of speech involving a reference to a person, place or thing taken from a mythological, historical, biblical or literary source.

Examples:

Biblical: John was a Good Samaritan – a reference to the Biblical parable, “The Good Samaritan”

Historical: If you think you’re the short man with his hand tucked in his breast pocket trampling

through Europe… - the short man is an reference to Napoleon

Mythological: David displayed Herculean strength when he lifted the car – reference to the mythical

character Hercules

Literary: Grandfather stood at the porch rail surveying the neighbourhood like Ahab on the deck of

his ship – an reference to Captain Ahab in the novel Moby Dick

Analogy

 A likeness shown between two things which are otherwise unlike.

Example:

Love has much in common with war.  It seems both are battles of sorts and  it seems that

in battle, all tactics are fair.

Anecdote

 a brief story of an interesting incident.  Used sometime to persuade in an essay.

Antagonist

Any force or forces working against the Protagonist.

Antecedent Action

 action that takes place before the story opens

Anthology

 A collection of work.  These could be musical or literary

Antithesis

a contrast or opposition of ideas

Anti-climax

A point in a literary work where a climax is expected but what happens is surprising because it is a “let down.”

Example:

We expect a murder scene after hearing the spooky music and hear the footsteps nearing

the closed door.  The door springs open and it’s a friendly neighbour wondering what all

the noise has been. 

Note: ______ are what cause us to laugh at our fears and expectations.  An

________ can also be a situation in which our expectations have been let down because

everything that has preceded a particular point has been disappointing.

Anti-hero

A main character that is a rogue or scoundrel.

Apathy

lack of interest

Apostrophe

 a speech addressed to a dead or absent person or to an inanimate object (do not confuse this with the punctuation mark.  A figure of speech used by the speaker when under deep emotional stress, to address someone absent as though present, to address someone dead as though alive, or to address something inanimate as though animate.

Archaic

belonging to an earlier time; words or expressions that have passed out of use are said to ne ________.

Aside

  You’ll run into this in your study of Shakespeare.  An ______ takes place when a character on the stage speaks to the audience.  As an audience, we are to imagine that the other characters on the stage cannot hear what the character is saying to us.  It is the dramatist’s way of letting the audience know of the characters innermost thoughts and emotions.

Assonance

a similarity in the sounds of the vowels within words.

Example:

Pathetically, manic, madmen worked the earth

Atmosphere

The prevailing (dominant) mood in a piece of writing

Example: Humorous, serious, nostalgic, etc.

Have you ever walked into a room and realized you wished you hadn’t?  Maybe you’ve

walked into a room your “friends” are sitting in, and although you haven’t heard the

conversation, you can tell it was probably about you; you can sense the tension and know

that what they were saying wasn’t flattering.  What you have felt is the _______.

Autobiography

  A person’s life story written by himself.

Ballad

This is a type of narrative poem.  As a type of narrative, we know it must tell a story.  We know that to tell a story, it must be fairly long and that it will have all the elements of a short story (plot, character, setting, theme).  The “teller” of a ______ is called a narrator.  _______s will have a very obvious beat (rhythm) and rhyme.  ______s tend to tell about a famous event, person, or place.  They may be real or legendary

Bibliography

  This is a list of all the books, newspaper articles, interviews, records, or anything else you used to help yourself with an essay or report.  The list goes on a page at the very end of your report or essay.  It must be done in a very special way.  So whenever you use one, be sure to use your _______ instruction book (FIT TO PRINT).  The reason you make a ________ is to help your reader find the things you used to help you.  He or she may be very interested in your topic and want to read more about it.

Blank Verse

This is poetry that does not rhyme but has a set beat pattern.  The pattern is called iambic pentameter.  This means that each line of this type of poetry has five sets of unstressed/stressed beats.  Much of Shakespeare’s dramatic work is written in this pattern.

Caricature

a distorted representation to produce a comic or ridiculous effect

Catharsis

  This is a process that an audience experiences when it watches a play that is a tragedy.  A very famous Greek philosopher said that when people watch tragedy they feel pity and fear and that feeling these emotions helps them get these feelings out of themselves.  Today, “_______” can mean a healing process, something that helps us to feel better emotionally.  The Ancient Greeks realized that watching people act out scenes of great sadness was actually good for the people watching.  You may have experienced ________ yourself.  Have you ever felt really down and gone to a very sad movie, had a really good cry, and then afterwards felt better?  Then you have experienced ________.

Character

A person in a literary selection who may be identified as being:

1. Flat- can be summed up with one or two traits

2. Round- complex, many-sided

3. Static- undergoes no change in ______

4. Dynamic (developing)- undergoes a permanent change in character

5. Stock- stereotype, whose ______ is immediately recognizable

Characterization

 The methods a writer uses to present his characters to his audience

1. Direct ________ -the writer tells his reader what the characters are like.

2. Indirect _________

-What the character says

-What the character does

-What other characters say about him

-How other characters react to him

Chronological

 in order of time

Cliché

  Don’t use them!!!  They are those useless, stale expressions that have been used so much they have no effect anymore.

Example: 

“Dead as a doornail”

“Black as coal”

Climax

 The point of highest suspense, or more often, the point at which the final confrontation between the opposing forces takes place.

Colloquial

 informal; suitable for everyday speech but not for formal Writing

Comedy

  A form of drama that:

1. Has amusing dialogue

2. Has real and believable characters and situation

3. Has a happy ending

Comic Relief

A humorous episode or scene in a serious story or tragedy.  Authors use it to give the audience some relief from the stress or tension that is being caused by the seriousness of the story.

Complication

This comprises all the parts of a story that form the ________s that make a conflict exist.  Think of a conflict in your life; some problems you cannot resolve.  If the parts of the problem were simple and easy to untangle and figure out, you wouldn’t have conflict. Instead, you will find that your problem is made up of a number of confusing parts that you can’t seem you unravel, at least initially.  These parts coming together and stopping you from solving the problem are called the _______.  It is the same in a story.

Concrete

 a _______ thing exists in a solid, physical; and is knowable through the sense; treese, copper, and kangaroos are all examples of concrete things

Conflict

Struggles faced by a character in a story.

Types:

1. Man vs. Man

2. Man vs. Himself

3. Man vs. his Environment (society, nature, fate, technology)

Connotation

implied or additional meaning that a word or phrase imparts.  Such meaning is often subject.

Consonance

  The repeating of identical consonant sounds after different vowels 

Examples:

-Yellow and Shallow

-Click and Flock

Deduction

 a conclusion reached by logic or reasoning, or by examining all the available information

Denotation

Dictionary definition.  The explicit or direct meaning of a word or expression, aside from the impression it creates.  

Denouement

 This is the part of the story that is the final unravelling of the plot; the solving of the mystery, the explanation of the outcome.

Description

 Don’t confuse this with Explanation.  Just because you have explained something does not mean that you have ______ it.  If you ______ something, your reader or listener should know what is sounds like, or feels like, or tastes like, or looks like.  In other words, _______ helps our senses (hearing, touch, taste, sight, smell).  Good ______ needs the use of adjectives and adverbs.  Certain literary devices such as similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia also help.

Dialogue

  a Conversation between two or more characters.

Diction

  A speaker or writer’s choice of words.  It is different than vocabulary.  Vocabulary is the words that you know and have at your disposal.  ______, on the other hand, is your selection/choice form among those words.  It is your _______ that helps get across your attitude or tone.

for example could be something like the word “walk.”  It really doesn’t communicate much.  You could use words like strolled, or stomped, or marched, or sauntered.   Each of these words indicates movement; yet, each conveys a very specific kind of movement.

_______ can sharpen your meaning and communicate plenty of information.

Discrepancy

Distinct differences between two things that should not be different, or that should correspond

Dissonance

harsh sound or discordance;in poetry, a harsh jarring combination of sounds

Dramatis Personae

  This is just a list of characters in a play

Editorial

 This is an opinion piece that appears either in print in a newspaper or magazine, or in electronic form in news show.  You must understand that it is not a news story.  Good news stories try to be unbiased.  Good ______s should clearly show bias (the personal opinion of the writer).

Endings

 May be of three types

1. Happy-the protagonist solves the conflict successfully; he defeats the               antagonist

2. Unhappy-the protagonist is defeated (can be tragic)

3. Indeterminate-the conflict is not solved

Elizabethan Drama

 Drama written in the Elizabethan period.  This is the period in which Shakespeare lived and wrote.

Ellipses

  When a word or group of words is left out and three dots are put in their place to show they are missing.

Example:  Mary had a little lamb/whose fleece was white…and everywhere that Mary went/The lamb was sure to go.  

The ______ are often used when quoting out of context. 

Empathy

 The ability to know exactly how another person feels usually because you have experienced similar emotions yourself.  Unlike Sympathy where you try to feel the same emotions someone else is feeling so that you can understand how he feels.

Epic (Poetry)

An extremely long narrative poem.  These poems can be as long as 300 pages.  Because they are narrative, they tell a story.  The action usually takes place over a fairly long period of time.  The characters are “larger than life” superhero/villain types.  The action is beyond what is believable.  These poems have long descriptions of warfare and battles, and use the supernatural.  ______s start with the poet talking to a spirit who is responsible for inspiring poets.  Calling out to this spirit for help is called the invocation.  The spirit is called a muse.  So this part of the poem is called the invocation of the muse.

Examples:  Beowolf (author unknown), The Illiad, and The Odyssey (both by the Greek poet, Homer) and Paradise Lost (John Milton).

Epilogue

a final address to the audience, often delivered by a character in a drama

Epiphany

 A sudden realization about oneself or about life when in the presence of a

common, ordinary object or scene.

Essay

A composition on any subject and using any style, which to varying degrees, Reveals the personality/attitude of the author.

1. Formal ______:  A serious, logical, well organized, ______, written to inform or persuade.  In formal essays the writer may not use first person singular (I, Me, Myself, etc.); may not use contractions (can’t, won’t etc>); may not use colloquialisms (he figured he could do it [instead of: her thought he could do it); may not use slang (he thought it was real rad [instead of he thought it was inspiring]).  For more details on how to set up a formal _____, be sure to check your copy of Fit to Print.

2. Informal Essay:  This is set up the same way as a formal ______.  IT may also do the same jobs such as persuading but it can also be used to entertain.  It may contain first person singular (I, me), and second person (you) and may contain contractions.  Informal ______s do not require references, quotations, and works cited pages.

Euphemism

 Use of a mild, indirect expression instead of a more straightforward or harsh expression.

Examples: 

“passed away”, instead of “dead”

“Inebriated”, instead of “drunk”

Exposition

An explanation

1. Essay:  an explanation of a process, idea or thing

2. Short Story: an explanation, usually found at the beginning but may be revealed throughout, which gives the reader such information as character, setting, and background information antecedent to the story.

Fallacy

a) Affective ________-the error of evaluating/judging a piece of literature by its effects-especially its emotional effects–upon the reader.  The critic describes the effects of the literature upon himself instead of concentrating upon the analysis of the specific attributes and devices of the work by which such effects are achieved.

b) Intentional _______-the error of interpreting or evaluating literature by reference to the intention-the design or plan-of the author in writing the work.  Instead, the intention of the author (whether stated or inferred by the reader) is irrelevant because the meaning and value is to be found in the actual text, which is the finished and freestanding work itself.

c) Pathetic ______-the false belief (_____) that nature mirrors what is going on in the lives, minds or hearts of people. 

Examples:

Lovers are often depicted as meeting on warm spring days, but breaking up on cold winter nights

 Murder or heinous crimes are usually described as being planned or committed on dark and stormy evenings.

Fantasy

 a literary genre; generally contains events, characters, or settings that would not be possible in real life

Farce

 A piece of literature in which the characters and actions are not real and believable.

Fiction

  Narrative writing that is not true.  Types of fiction are novels, short stories, fables, and dramas.

Figurative Language

  Language using figures of speech.

Figures of Speech

  Expressions such as similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc. That, add color and vigour to writing.

Flashback

  A literary device in which the author will interrupt the present action of the story in order to relate something that happened in the past.

Foil

  A ____ character is one who is the opposite of another character in a piece of literature.  Because this character is an opposite, he or she helps to make clearer the qualities of the other character.  For example, in Snow White, the wicked stepmother is the ____ of Snow White.  The stepmother’s evil qualities make Snow White’s good qualities more obvious than they would be on their own

Foreshadowing

  A hint or clue given beforehand, suggestion something that will happen later on.

Form

  This is the shape or structure of a literary work.  For example, the fact that a literary piece is a poem instead of a story has to do with its ____.  Being divided into four line stanzas instead of being just one big stanza also has to do with its ____.

Free Verse

  Do not confuse this term with Blank Verse.  The two are completely different.  __________ is a type of lyric poem that has no beat and no rhythm.

Genre

  This means Type.  For example if a literary work is a short story, this is its ______.  If it is a poem, this is its _____.

Hyperbole

  A figure of speech using exaggeration for effect.

Illusion

  A false impression or belief, or something you think you see that is not real, like a ghost.  Be careful not to confuse this with Allusion.

Image

  This is when an author uses words to create a clear picture of something.  Through his or her words we can actually “see” the place, person, or thing about which he or she is writing.

Imagery

  Descriptive expressions, such as figures of speech, that Appeal to the senses.

Inciting Incident

  An event that gets the story going.  It is the moment the protagonist knows he or she must become involved.

Interior Monologue

 Conversation-like thoughts of a character

Irony

 A literary device based on contrast.

1. Verbal _____:  The speaker says one thing and Means the opposite

2. Dramatic ______:  The audience or reader is aware of something one or more of the characters are not aware of 

3. Situational ______:  The opposite happens to what both the reader and the character were led to expect

Jargon

 this is language that is specific to a certain group of people.  They may be professionals who have a vocabulary they use to their work that people who are not involved in this type of work would not understand.  The terms that make up this vocabulary are called jargon.  It is deadly if we use it to try to communicate with people who are not in our field or area or work.  People who work with computers are well known for doing this.

Justification

the giving of reasons or support; for example, giving an argument or reason that shows that an action or belief is reasonable or true.

Juxtaposition

 The combining of improbable elements in close proximity to each other.  Its effectiveness comes from the shock created by the combination.  (see “Five Ways to Kill a Man”-__________ of  “Plague of rats” and the “Dozen Songs.”)

Legend

  A story handed down from the past.  A ______ is a little but different from a myth.  It has more truth in it than a myth and tends to have fewer supernatural elements.  Another meaning for the word _______ is a brief explanation or comment on a map.

Litotes

A figure of speech consisting of understatement, used for emphasis.

Example:  “it’s just a simple supper” when in fact what you had cooked was very fancy.

Lyric

  This is one of the two major forms of poetry.  A _____ poem may or may not  rhyme.  It may be versed or be free verse.  It does not tell a story.  Instead, it reveals the thoughts of feelings of the author or speaker about a person, place, thing, event, etc.  The other type of poetry is narrative (see “narrative poetry” in this glossary).

Melodrama

  A play, which depends on exaggerated characters and actions and which usually has a happy ending.

Metaphor

 A figure of speech, which indirectly compares two things by saying one is the other.

Example:  She is a lioness when her family is threatened.

Microcosm

  A community regarded as a miniature or epitome of society or the world.

Metamorphosis

 an alteration in appearance or character

Metonymy

  This is evident when an author or speaker substitutes the name of one thing for the thing he is really talking about.  He will use the name of something very commonly associated with the thing he is talking about.

Example:  He took his case to the crown.  Here the work “crown” stands for government or monarchy.

We are reading Shakespeare. Here, it is highly unlikely that you are actually “reading” Shakespeare unless you have dug him up and he has writing all over his bones.  Here the word “Shakespeare” refers to one of his works.

Meter

 Systematically arranged and measured rhythm in verse, such as rhythm that continuously repeats a single basic pattern (iambic pentameter) or recurrence of a basic pattern in a larger figure (ballad).

Metrical Poetry

 Is written in regular, repeating rhythms ands may be rhymed or unrhymed; when rhymes are used, they are generally regular, like the rhythm, and are often found at the end of the line.

Monologue

 A literary form; an oral or written composition in which only one person speaks.

Mood

 The atmosphere of a piece of literature.  when a writer orders the setting, action, and characters of a story so as to suggest a dominant emotion or patterns of emotions, this emotional pattern is the mood of the story.

Examples:  Pensive, reflective, angry, contented, hopeful, despairing, regretful, boasting, calm, agitated, inert, indifferent, benevolent, pitying.

Motif

 a recurring theme; situation, incident, ideam image, or character type that is found in literature.

Motivation

  This is the cause behind a character’s behavior, attitude, or actions.  _________s can take very many forms.  They can be positive or negative.  For example, a threat could be a ________ for someone to do something.  A bad family life could be a _________ for someone to behave the way he or she does.

Novel

  A type of prose that tells a story.  It is different than a short story in the following ways:

1. Takes place over a longer period of time

2. Tends to have more characters

3. Tends to have more than one conflict/sub-plots

4. Tends to have more than one climax

5. Tends to have more settings

6. Tends to have more detail

Ode

A type of lyric poem written in praise of someone or something.  These poems are usually quite formal and serious although there are some lighter ones.

Onomatopoeia

A poetic device, in which the word used mimics or imitates the sound.. Words like:  buzz, clip, clop, bang, hiss, sizzle.

Oxymoron

  This is evident when two opposite words are used to describe the same thing.  For example if you called someone a wise fool, you would be using ________.  Some other examples:  Sad joy, sounds of silence, burning cold.

Parable

 a short, often simple story that teachers or explains a lesson - often a moral or religious lesson

Paradox

  A two part statement which seems on its face to contradict itself, yet both parts are true.

Example:

 In my beginning is my

I was dead before I was born

He stood alone in the crowd

Paraphrase

 To rewrite or restate almost exactly what was already written or said but to do so by changing the words around slightly.  This is often done in taking notes.  The goal is to pull out the main idea, strip away all the extra “stuff”,and summarize it in a more direct manner.