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65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Allegory |
Noun. a story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or a generalization about life; often have a strong moral or lesson. Ex: C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. |
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Alliteration |
Noun. the same sound or letter occurring at the beginning of adjacent or close to adjacent words Ex: Does doth dilly-dally during dire, dangerous days? |
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Allusion |
Noun. a literary reference to history, religion, art, or culture Ex: He's a real Romeo with the ladies. |
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Ambiguity |
Noun. no single exact or certain meaning |
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Analogy |
Noun. comparison of two of more objects, suggesting similarity for the purpose of clarification or as an explanation Ex: A sword is to a warrior just as a pen is to an author. |
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Anaphora |
Noun. the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses Ex: "And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strew flowers in his way That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?Be gone!" Julius Caesar Act 1, Scene 1. Shakespeare |
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Anecdote |
Noun. a short story about an incident or person, usually amusing or interesting |
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Antecedent |
Noun. an event or thing that logically precedes another Ex: The egg has now been proven to be an antecedent to the chicken. |
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Aphorism |
Noun. an expressive observation that contains a universal truth Ex: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." |
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Apostrophe |
Noun. an exclamatory figure of speech used when a speaker or writer breaks off and directs speech to an imaginary person or abstract quality of idea Ex: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are..." -Jane Taylor. |
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Clause |
Noun. a section of words that contain a subject and a verb/predicate Ex: James went to sleep when we finished the movie. |
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Colloquial |
Adj. a word to describe friendly or familiar conversation Ex: How come we, like, never go to the arcade like when we were kids? (Rather than "Why don't" and "children".) |
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Coherence |
Noun. a consistent or logical quality |
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Conceit |
Noun. a far-fetched expression aka an elaborate metaphor Ex: The winds sing a sweet song straight into my sorrowful soul. |
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Connotation |
Noun. the feelings or ideas a word implies Ex: Villainous implies evil-doing, menacing, overall a more severe version of bad. |
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Denotation |
Noun. the exact or literal definition of a word Ex: "denotation noun.- the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests." -Goggle |
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Diction |
Noun. the choice of words or phrases that create a specific style of speaking or writing |
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Didactic |
Adj. teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson as an ulterior motive |
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Euphamism |
Noun. an indirect word or expression used in place of one too strong when referring to something uncomfortable Ex: Knocking boots, horizontal jig, dance with no pants, aggressive cuddling. |
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Exposition |
Noun. a complete explanation or description of an idea or theory |
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Extended Metaphor |
Noun. just as it sounds, a metaphor that is introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work Ex: "The Road Not Taken." Robert Frost. |
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Figurative Language |
Noun. the umbrella term for language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation Ex: Hyperbole, idiom, metaphor, personification, simile, symbolism, etc. |
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Figure of Speech |
Noun. a non-literal word or phrase added to speech or writing that can add eloquent force |
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Genre |
Noun. a category in literature or music in which similar characteristics are grouped together Ex: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Biographies, Reference. |
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Homily |
Noun. a discourse or lecture of a moral theme |
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Hyperbole |
Noun. greatly exaggerated declaration or claim not meant to be taken literally Ex: That cat weighs a ton. |
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Imagery |
Noun. figurative language that describes a place, person, or thing visually Ex: The brilliant yellow sun shone lovingly into her wide, almond green eyes while caressing her ebony hair flowing effortlessly around her heart-shaped face. |
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Inference |
Noun. a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning Ex: That is the last blueberry muffin left since there seems to be no more in the tin. |
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Invective |
Noun. a highly critical expression or speech Ex: Tone-deaf much? |
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Ironic/Irony |
Noun. the use of words to convey the opposite of the actual meaning of the words for an emphatic or humorous effect Ex: "It's like rain on your wedding day. It's a free ride when you've already paid. It's the good advice that you just didn't take." -Alanis Morissette |
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Loose Sentence |
Noun. a sentence that does not end with the completion of its main clause, but continues with one or more secondary clauses or other modifiers Ex: She decided to major in journalism, even though she really wanted to study art, literature, and psychology. |
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Metaphor |
Noun. a figure of speech comparing two or more dissimilar objects or actions to suggest similarity Ex: "Papa's lungs were full of the sky." -The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. |
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Metonymy |
Noun. the exchange of a name of something for an attribute that describes that same thing Ex: "Your grandpa is a silver fox." "Gross, he's an old man more than twice your age." |
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Mood |
Noun. the feelings within the reader when absorbing a narrative |
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Narrative |
Noun. a story really Ex: Any novel, short story, play, poem ever is a narrative. |
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Onomatopoeia |
Noun. the forming of a word by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with a thing or action Ex: "Bang bang. He shot me down. Bang bang. I hit the ground. Bang bang. That awful sound. Bang bang. My baby shot me down." -Cher. |
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Oxymoron |
Noun. a figure of speech in which two terms create a contradictory statement Ex: Her villainous glare was painfully beautiful. |
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Paradox |
Noun. a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory |
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Parallelism |
Noun. a device used by comparing one instance to another more memorable one for recognition Ex: "From a moral standpoint, 6/26 is now our 9/11." -Notorious racist/sexist/homophobe Bryan Fischer. |
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Parody |
Noun. a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious genre or specific piece of literature/writing Ex: "Scots on the Rocks" parody to Shakespeare's "Macbeth". |
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Pedantic |
Noun. very attentive to minute details |
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Periodic Sentence |
Noun. a sentence that ends on the main clause or predicate Ex: In spite of heavy rain and strong wind, the game continued. |
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Personification |
Noun. attributes of human character used to describe a non-human thing Ex: The trees whistled softly as the birds conversed with each other. |
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Plot |
Noun. the main events of a story, play, novel, movie, etc. devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence |
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Point of View |
Noun. the narrator's position in relation to the story being told |
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Prose |
Noun. the ordinary form in which it is first written or spoken |
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Pun |
Noun. a joke that exploits two different meanings of a word or phrase Ex: I bought myself a camouflage shirt yesterday, only problem is I can't find it now. |
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Repitition |
Noun. repeating something that has already been said or written Ex: Noun. repeating something that has already been said or written. |
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Rhetoric |
Noun. language with a persuasive or impressive effect on it's audience |
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Sarcasm |
Noun. the use of irony to mock or convey disrespect Ex: School, hell with fluorescent lighting. |
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Satire |
Noun. a literary work utilizing humor, irony, or exaggeration to ridicule or scorn |
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Semantics |
Noun. the study of language development by examining changes in meaning and form |
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Setting |
Noun. the place or type of surroundings where a narrative takes place |
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Significance |
Noun. meaning found in words or events |
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Slave Narrative |
Noun. an account of the life, or major portion of the life, of an oppressed person who is the legal "property" of another |
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Syllogism |
Noun. deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions, each of which share a term with the conclusion Ex: All homosexuals are alive. All people alive deserve love. Therefore, all homosexuals deserve love. |
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Symbolism |
Noun. a concrete thing used to represent an abstract quality or idea Ex: The conch in Lord of the Flies symbolizes power. |
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Syntax |
Noun. the order of phrases or words that create an elegant sentence |
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Theme |
Noun. the central idea or lesson in a piece of literature or narrative |
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Thesis |
Noun. the main statement or theory that is put forward as a proposition to be maintained or proved |
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Tone |
Noun. the general attitude an author attempts to invoke within a piece of work |
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Understatement |
Noun. to represent something as weaker, worse, smaller, or less important than it actually is |
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Undertone |
Noun. an underlying quality or element |
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Wit |
Noun. a natural flair for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humor |
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Zeugma |
Noun. the use of a singular word or phrase to describe two others in either a different sense or when it only suits one's denotation Ex: "She looked at the object with suspicion and a magnifying glass." |
