Honors English Vocab

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Honors English I Terms to Know

Rhetoric

  • Definition: The art of using language effectively.

  • Key Components:

    1. Writer’s purpose: The reason an author writes.

    2. Writer’s consideration of audience: How the audience influences the writing.

    3. Exploration of subject: Delving into the topic at hand.

    4. Arrangement and organization of ideas: Structuring the content logically.

    5. Style and tone of expression: The unique way an author conveys their message.

    6. Form: The format the writing takes.

Literary Terms

Diction

  • Definition: Word choice in writing.

Syntax

  • Definition: Sentence structure and how it affects meaning.

Tone

  • Definition: The attitude of the author toward the subject, characters, and/or audience.

Mood

  • Definition: The feeling or vibe that the reader gets from the author’s use of words and descriptions.

Literary Devices

Term

Definition

Example

Imagery

Using words and phrases to appeal to the five senses.

He whiffed the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee.

Simile

Comparison between 2 different things using “like” or “as.”

She is as slow as a snail.

Metaphor

One thing is referred to as another (no like or as).

He is the black sheep of the family.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to non-human things.

The flowers danced in the breeze.

Anecdote

Short, simple narrative of an incident; often used for humorous effect or to make a point.

Varied.

Hyperbole

Overstatement; exaggeration for effect.

It’s a million degrees in here!

Understatement

Minimizing something for effect.

“It was a bit cold today.” (When the temperature is -20).

Irony

When the actual outcome/meaning of something is opposite to what is expected.

Paradox

Seemingly contradictory statement with underlying truth.

“I can resist anything but temptation.” –Oscar Wilde.

Allusion

Reference to another work or famous figure well-known enough to be recognized by the reader.

“Don’t unlock that Pandora’s box!”

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word.

Wall: physical barrier

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning of a word because of its association in a reader’s mind.

Wall: emotional barrier

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.

“Five years have passed; / Five summers with the length of / Five long winters! and again I hear these waters . . .”

Rhetorical Strategies

  • Quote: "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice."

  • Purpose of Repetition: Repeating the same words or phrases to emphasize a point.

    • Example: "Because I do not hope to turn again / Because I do not hope / Because I do not hope to turn…" --“Ash Wednesday” by T.S. Eliot.

Poetic Terms

Key Elements in Poetry

Speaker

  • Definition: The voice of a poem; distinct from the author.

Stanza

  • Definition: The sections of a poem, made up of any number of lines.

Couplet

  • Definition: Grouping of two lines in a poem.

    • Example: "For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings / That then I scorn to change my state with kings."

Quatrain

  • Definition: Grouping of four lines in a poem.

    • Example: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/ Thou art more lovely and more temperate:/ Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,/ And summer's lease hath all too short a date:"

Iambic Pentameter

  • Definition: A rhythmic pattern of poetry consisting of five iambs (unstressed/stressed) per line leading to ten syllables total.

    • Example Structure: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (u / u / u / u / u /)

Prose vs. Poetry

  • Comparison: Prose is written in sentences; poetry is written in lines.

    • Example of Prose: "My girlfriend has beautiful eyes."

    • Example of Poetry: "My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun."

Rhetorical Devices

Definitions and Examples

  • Antithesis: Balancing contrasting ideas in writing or speech.

  • Colloquialism: Use of informal words, phrases, or slang (e.g., “Gonna;” “wanna;” “ya’ll”).

  • Parallelism: Technique of using same structure in sentences or phrases.

    • Example: "Like father, like son."

    • Example: "To err is human; to forgive divine."

  • Repetition: Reiterating words or phrases to emphasize an idea.

Appeals in Rhetoric

  • Logos: Use of logic, facts, and statistics to persuade an audience.

  • Ethos: Establishing credibility or character to persuade.

    • Examples: Citing personal experiences, educational background, or reputable sources.

  • Pathos: Appeal to audience’s emotions to evoke feelings such as pity or sympathy.

Figures of Speech

  • Asyndeton: Omission of conjunctions between words or phrases.

    • Example: "He eats, sleeps, drinks."

  • Polysyndeton: Use of conjunctions instead of commas to connect items in a series.

    • Example: "He eats and sleeps and drinks."

  • Metonymy: Substituting a related term for an object or idea.

    • Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword."

  • Synecdoche: Using a part of something to represent the whole.

    • Examples: "Nice wheels!" or "All hands on deck!"

  • Litotes: A form of understatement in which a negative is used to express a positive.

    • Examples: "Hey Stretch!" (to a short person). "I’m not entirely without appetite."