Vocabularyyyyy
Dilettante
A person who takes up an activity in a superficial or casual way; an admirer of the arts without deep knowledge.
Fatuous
Silly and pointless; foolishly complacent or self-satisfied
Sycophant
A person who flatters others for personal gain; a self-serving flatterer
Vicarious
Experienced through the feelings or actions of anothers; secondhand or indirect
Transcend
To go beyond limits or boundaries; to surpass or exceed
Avarice
Extreme greed for wealth or material gain; insatiable desire for more
Caprice
A sudden, impulsive change of mind or behavior; a whim
Incipient
Beginning to exist or appear; in the early stages of development
Mundane
Lacking interest or excitement; ordinary or commonplace
Venerate
To regard with great respect; to honor or rever
Iambic pentameter
A meter pattern where each line is made up of five iambs (ten syllables); most common type of meter in English drama and poetry, mimics the way we naturally speak
Iamb
A poetic foot of two syllables with the stress on the second syllable like the word “again” or “by far”
Spondee
A set of two syllables where both syllables are stressed/emphasized. Ex. maday, racecar, heartbreak
Trochee
Opposite of an iamb. Foot of poetry where the first syllable is stressed and the second is usntressed. Ex. teacher, birthday, poet
Blank Verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter; many of Shakespeare’s plays are written in this structure
Epitome
A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type
Zephyr
A gentle, mild breeze
Wraith
A ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death
Volatile
Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse; explosive
Tenebrous
Dark, shadowy, or obscure; not easily
Inexorable
Impossible to stop or prevent; relentless
Ephemeral
Lasting for a very short time; fleeting
Depravity
Moral corruption or wickedness
Subterfuge
Deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal; a trick
Perturb
To disturb or disquiet greatly; to throw into confusion
Caesura
A pause within a line of poetry, sometimes punctuated, sometimes not, often mirroring natural speech
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a “comin r ironic” effect; an overstatement to make a point
Understatement
Opposite of hyperbole. The presentation or framing of something as less important than it actually is; usually for comedic or satirical effect
Inversion
When the normal word order of a sentence or phrase (subject, verb, object) is inverted to emphasize a point or aid in a rhyme scheme
Syntax
Sentence structure including punctuation, capitalization
Coquette
A flirtatious woman
Sibilant
Marked or characterized by a hissing sound
Agnostic
A person who believes/the belief that nothing can be known of the existence or nature of God
Inextricable
Impossible to disentangle or separate
Dispensation
Exemption from a rule or requirement
Martyr
A person who sacrifices something of great value, often for a cause
Apathy
Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
Spectacle
A visually striking performance or display
Renunciation
The formal rejection of something, often a belief or claim
Sustenance
Food and drink regarded as a source of strength
Connotation
Meanings or associations readers have with a word or an item beyond its dictionary definition. Affects symbolism, tone, and overall meaning.
Denotation
The literal definition of a word. Dictionary definition
Third person limited
A narrator that relates the action using third person pronouns but usually only through th ethoughts and feelings of one character
Third person omniscient
A narrator using third person pronouns to narrate the events of the story but knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters
Catharsis
The moment of emotional release that occurs when the major conflict or conflicts of a plot resolve
Usurp
To seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right.
Folly
Lack of good sense; foolishness.
Dote
To show excessive love or fondness for someone.
Countenance
A person’s face or facial expression; can also refer to support or approval.
Bounty
Generosity; also refers to a reward or payment, often for a deed.
Elysium
A place or state of ideal happiness; often used in literature to describe a blissful afterlife.
Obscure
Not discovered or known about; not clearly expressed or easily understood.
Allegiance
Loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause.
Wit
The ability to think quickly and express ideas in a clever and humorous way.
Fetter
A chain or manacle used to restrain a prisoner, metaphorically used to describe restrictions or limitations
Slant Rhyme
A rhyme that pairs sounds that are similar but not exactly the same; sometimes called a near rhyme
Archetype
A cultural symbol that has ecome universally understood and recognized can be plot. Character, setting, etc.
Static/Flat Character
A character that lacks development over the course of a story, only has a couple of distinct traits; one-dimensional
Stock Character
A type of static character based on a stereotype; character archetype
Dynamic Character
A character who evolves/changes/develops over the course of a story and shows a range of traits and emotions