A-E Vocab

Abstract (style) - (in writing) this is typically complex, discusses intangible qualities like good

and evil, and seldom uses examples to support its points.

Academic (style) - dry and theoretical writing. When a piece of writing seems to be sucking all

the life out of its subject with analysis.

Accent - in poetry, refers to the stressed portion of a word.

Aesthetic - used as an adjective meaning "appealing to the senses."

Allegory - a literary work in which the characters represent abstract ideas; a symbolic repre-

sentation

Alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion - a reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Anachronism - something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred

Analogy - a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Anecdote - a short narrative

Antecedent - the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.

Anthropomorphism - the attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate ob-

jects

Anticlimax - a disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events

Antihero - a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a

heroine)

Aphorism - a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life.

Apostrophe - address to an absent or imaginary person

Archaism - the use of deliberately old-fashioned language.

Aside - a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage

Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds

Atmosphere - the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene.

Ballad - any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form.

Black humor - the use of disturbing themes in comedy.

Bombast - speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning

Burlesque - a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor

Cacophony - harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

Cadence - rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words

Canto - a major division of a long poem

Caricature - drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or

defects

Catharsis - an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal

Chorus - in Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and

comment on it.

Colloquialism - informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

Conceit - a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising

analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

Connotation - the implied or associative meaning of a word

Consonance - repetition of consonant sounds

Couplet - two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Decorum - conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior

Denotation - the dictionary definition of a word

Diction - a writer's or speaker's choice of words

Dirge - a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

Dissonance - harsh or grating sounds that do not go together

Doggerel - badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm

Dramatic Irony - (theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood

by the audience but not by the characters in the play

Dramatic monologue - when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience.

Elegy - a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme

Enjambment - the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line

without a pause

Epic - a long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of charac-

ters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation

Epitaph - a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone

Euphemism - a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term

Euphony - any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds