English Vocab Mrs. Carroll

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ad hominim argument

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from Latin meaning to or against the argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect

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allegory

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device of using characters or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to literal meaning; the allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or generalization about human existence

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alliteration

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repetition of sounds especially initial consonant sounds in 2 or more neighboring words; the repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and supply a musical sound

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allusion

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a direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art

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ambiguity

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the multiple meanings either intentional or unintentional of a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph

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analogy

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a similarity or comparison bw 2 different things or the relationship bw them; analogies make writing more vivid, imaginative, and intellectually engaging

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antecedent

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the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

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antithesis

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a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure, the resulting parallelism serves to emphasize opposition of ideas

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aphorism

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a terse statement of KNOWN authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle

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apostrophe

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a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction such as liberty or love; the effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity

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atmosphere

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the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described; frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events

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charicature

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a representation pictorial or literary in which the subjects distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect; synonymous words include satire, travesty, lampoon, parody, and burlesque

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colloqualism

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slang or informality in seech or writing

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conceit

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a fanciful expression usually in the form of and extended metaphor or surprising analogy bw seemingly dissimilar objects

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connotation

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the non literal associative meaning of a word; the implied suggested meaning may involve ideas emotions or attitudes

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denotation

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the strict literal defintion of a word

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diction

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a writer's word chioces; a component of an author's style

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didactic

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instructive; they have primarily the aim of teaching or instructing especially on moral or ethical principles

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euphemism

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a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts; ued to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement

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figure of speech

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a device used to produce figurative language that may compare dissimilar things

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genre

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the major category into which a literary work fits; prose, poetry, drama

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homily

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a sermon; any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

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invective

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an emotionally violent verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

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irony

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contrast bw what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; verbal; situational; dramatic=audience knows what characters don't

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juxtaposition

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placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side especially for comparison or contrast