English Literary Terms Definitions

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Allegory

Back 1

a symbolic extended metaphor

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alliteration

Back 2

repetition of same sounds/same kinds of sounds at beginning of words/stressed syllables

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allusion

Back 3

when someone uses a commonly known subject as a reference

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analogy

Back 4

a similarity between like features of 2 things

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anecdote

Back 5

a short story usually written in the 1st person in the beginning of an essay to draw in the reader

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aphorism

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a brief statement containing a biased truth/observation cleverly/wittily written

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apostrophe

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speaking about something that doesn’t talk back

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assonance

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resemblance of sounds, similarity in the sounding of certain words or similar vowel/sounds

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cacophony

Back 9

harsh discordance of sound

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connotation

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emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word, beyond literal

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denotation

Back 11

dictionary meaning of the word

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couplet

Back 12

a pair of lines that are similar and have rhyme

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double entendre

Back 13

word/sentence that has a double meaning

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epic

Back 14

a great story about a great person and their hardships

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epic hero

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main character in an epic, does heroic actions to save people

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epigraph

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an opposite quotation at the beginning of a book/chapter, etc; sets theme

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epiphany

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a sudden realization

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epithet

Back 18

a word/phrase used as a substitute for name/title of person

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euphemism

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a phrase thought to be offensive is replaced by a different person

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euphony

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something pleasing to hear, especially a melodic combination of words formed

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flashback

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when a writer brings up previous actions during the present

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foil

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a character who serves as a contrast to another main character to highlight the traits of the main character

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foreshadowing

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to show or indicate beforehand

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hubris

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overbearing pride and presumption, arrogance

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hyperbole

Back 25

exaggeration used for emphasis or affect that is not meant to be taken literally

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What are the three types of irony?

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dramatic, situational, verbal

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dramatic irony

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characters do not recognize irony but audience does

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situational irony

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irony that is different from what is expected

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verbal irony

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figure of speech where what it said opposes the true meaning of the words

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malapropism

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the incorrect use of a word mainly because it sounds similar to the intended word (incorrect use but used for humor)

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metaphor

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a figure of speech where something is used to represent something else

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meter

Back 32

type of rhythm one can tap their foot to; arranged pattern of rhythm

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metonymy

Back 33

have a word and replace it with other word that is closely related (not a synonym)

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motif

Back 34

a repeating feature found in text, art and music

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leitmotif

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a motif in a play towards a specific character during a specific time

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myth

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1) a legendary story passed down through generations a hero or idea 2) a common but incorrect belief

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onomatopoeia

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a figure of speech where words are used to imitate sounds

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oxymoron

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2 contradictory terms appear together for emphasis

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parable

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a short story that ends with an important, meaningful lesson

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paradox

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a statement that is contrasting but makes sense (2 contradictory ideas)

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personification

Back 41

giving human characteristics to an animal or thing

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pun

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use of a word/phrase to suggest other meanings

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rhetorical question

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a question that is not meant to be answered and is used more to express ones emotion at the moment

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rhyme scheme

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rhyming words occurring every other line at the end of the line

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scansion

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written marks on a poem showing pattern's and syllables

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simile

Back 46

comparison using the words like or as

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soliloquy

Back 47

talking as if the person is alone

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sonnet

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a poem of 14 lines in any of several fixed verses/rhyme scheme to express a single idea, rhymed in iambiac pentameter

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What are the two types of sonnets?

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elizabethan and italian

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elizebethan sonnet

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has 3 quartains and a couplet
rhyming scheme: abab cdcd efef gg

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italian

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has an octave and a sestet rhyming scheme
abbaabba cdecde

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symbol

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something used to represent something else

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symbolism

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the practice of representing things by symbols

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synecdoche

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a less specific term used to describe the general whole or vice versa

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theme

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the universal and dominant ideas that are explained in a composition

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tone

Back 56

the way the author tries to create a mood for the reader

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tragedy

Back 57

a story begins with a happy, positive tone and ends with unhappy, negative conclusion

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tragic hero

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a character who becomes the victim of a catastrophe due to his/her decisions

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understatement

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a statement that decreases the value of something