English Language Exam Terms

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allegory

Back 1

using character and/or elements symbollicaly to represent an abstraction to the literal meaning.

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alliteration

Back 2

repetition of sounds. Ex: she sells seashells

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allusion

Back 3

directo or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known. Ex refering to Hitler

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ambiguity

Back 4

multiple meaning eather intentional or unintetional, word phrase or sentence

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analogy

Back 5

comparison b/t two different things or a relationship between them

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antecedent

Back 6

word, phrase, or clause reffered to by pronoun

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aphorism

Back 7

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

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clause

Back 8

A grammatic unit that contains both a subject and a verb

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colloquial/ colloguialism

Back 9

use of slang or informalities in writing

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connotation

Back 10

Nonliteral, associative meaning of word, implied meaning

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diction

Back 11

writers word choice, correctness, clearness

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euphemism

Back 12

"good speech" more agreeable or less offecive subtitute for a different word

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hyperbole

Back 13

A figure of speech using deliberate exageration or overstatement.

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loose sentence

Back 14

Main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrase and clause

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metaphor

Back 15

implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or subtitution of one for the other

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metonymy

Back 16

"changed name" or substitute name, figure os speech in which a name of one object is substituded for that of another closely related

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paradox

Back 17

statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sence

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parallelism

Back 18

parralel construction, gramatical or rhetorical framing of words phrases, sentences or paragraphs that give structure similarity

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pedantic

Back 19

words, phrases, or general tone that is very academic or bookish

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personification

Back 20

animals, objects that have human atributes and emotions

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predicate adjective

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an adjective, or adjective clause that renames a subject Ex: my boyfriend is tall, dark and handsome

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predicate nominative

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noun, group of nouns or noun clause that renames a subject Ex Abe Linkoln was a man of integrity

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rhetoric

Back 23

principles of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively

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thetorical modes

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variety, the conventions, and the purposes of major kinds of writing.

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satire

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work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for ridicule

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style

Back 26

evaluation of blending syntax, figurative language and other literalry devices or classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors

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subordinate clause

Back 27

clause that cannot stand alone, it does not express complete thought

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symbol/symbolism

Back 28

anything that represents or stands for something else

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syntax

Back 29

the way an aouthor chooses to join words in phrases, clauses and sentences

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thesis

Back 30

sentence of a group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion purpose, meaning or posiotn...main idea

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tone

Back 31

author's atittude toward his or her material, the audience or both.

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understatement

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ironic minimizing of fact, represents something as less signinficant than it is

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adverbial clause

Back 33

clause that functions as an adverb

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antithesis

Back 34

direct contrast or exact opposition to something

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appositive

Back 35

noun phrase that renames or describes another noun phrase

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balanced sentence

Back 36

not shure......... ?????

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didactic

Back 37

morally instructive

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epigram

Back 38

short whitty poem expressing a single thought or observation

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exposition

Back 39

information is conveyed about events that occured prior to the novel

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invertion

Back 40

reversal of order

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juxtaposition

Back 41

act or instance of placing two things close together

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synechdoche

Back 42

fugure of speech that presents akind of metaphor in which part of something is used as a whole

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tropes

Back 43

familiar and repeated symbol