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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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ad hominem argument
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an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason.
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allegory
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using a character or story elements to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually reveals a moral truth about human existence.
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alliteration
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repeating sounds, esp. initial sounds in two or more neighboring words. Alliteration is used to reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and give a musical sound.
Example: She sells sea shells. |
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ambiguity
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when a word/phrase/passage has multiple meanings (intended or accidental)
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antecedent
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the word or phrase a pronoun refers to.
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antithesis
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a figure of speech involving contradicting ideas/words/sentences that have a balanced grammatical structure. The parallelism serves to emphasize the opposing ideas.
example: "Too black for heaven, and yet too white for hell." or "Man proposes, God disposes." |
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aphorism
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a short statement (of known authorship) that expresses a general truth or moral principle. If authorship is unknown, it is a folk proverb. Some authors use aphorisms to sum up their points.
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apostrophe
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a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent/imaginary person or personified abstraction (i.e. liberty or love). The effect is to add emotional intensity or familiarity.
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atmostphere
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the emotional mood created by a piece. It is est. partly by setting and what the author chooses to describes. Atmosphere is pretty much the same as mood.
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caricature
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A representation, esp. in literature or a picture, that exaggerates a person's particularities for a comic or grotesque effect. This is the same as parody, satire, lampoon, travesty, burlesque.
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chiasmus
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inverted paralellism. Its purpose is to make a larger point and to provide balance and order.
example: "Ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country." Or "His time a moment, and a point his space." |
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clause
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a grammatical unit that has a subject and a verb. Independent/main clauses can stand alone. Dependent/subordinate clauses can not stand alone.
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colloquialism
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Slang or informality in speech or writing.
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conceit
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a fanciful, super long metaphor/analogy between two seemingly unalike objects. It basically makes an unusual comparison.
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connotation
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the associative meaning of a word.
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denotation
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the dictionary definition of a word.
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diction
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a writer's word choices.
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didactic
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instructive, especially in teaching moral or ethical principals.
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euphemism
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a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word/concept.
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extended metaphor
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a metaphor that occurs frequently throughout a work.
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figurative speech
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writing that is not intended to have literal meaning and is meant to be imaginative and vivid.
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figure of speech
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a device used to produce figurative language: i.e. apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
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generic conventions
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traditions to each genre.
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genre
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the major category into which a literary work fits. Basic divisions are: prose, poetry, drama. However, genre is a flexible terms and there are many subdivisions that are also called genre w/in those three main groups.
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homily
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a serious talk that gives moral or spiritual advice (i.e. a sermon).
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hyperbole
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an exaggeration/overstatement that has a comic effect/produces irony. It can have a serious effect too if used in such a way.
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imagery
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sensory details of figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. Pay attention to how an author creates imagery an the effect of that imagery.
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inference/infer
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To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a MC question asks for an inference to be drawn from the passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. However, if the answer choice is directly stated, it is NOT inferred and is wrong.
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invective
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violent, verbal denunciation with abusive language.
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