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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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adage
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A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language.
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apostrophe
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A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present. "Oh cruel streets of Manhattan, how I detest you!"
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bard
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A poet; in olden times, a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment
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bathos
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Insincere or overdone sentimentality
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belle-lettres
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A French term for the world of books, criticism, and literature in general
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burlesque
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A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotestque imitation
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deductive reasoning
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A method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions and theorems are drawn for general principles
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deus ex machina
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In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem
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epigram
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A concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement
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epithet
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An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing (sun-bright topaz)
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eponymous
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A term for the title character of a work of literature
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exegesis
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A detailed analysis or interpretation of prose or poetry
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harangue
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A forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade
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homily
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A lecture or sermon on religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior
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hubris
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Exessive pride that often affects tone
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humanism
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A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
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inductive reasoning
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A method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization
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invective
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A direct verbal assualt;a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something
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kenning
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A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities as in "ring-giver" for king and "whale-road" for ocean
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lampoon
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A mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation
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litotes
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A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to acheive emphasis or intensity. EX: He is not a bad dancer.
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loose sentence
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A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses
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malapropism
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A confused use of words in which the appropriate word is replaced by one with a similar sound but inappropriate meaning
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maxim
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A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth
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metonymy
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A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated (ex: The White House says..."
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parable
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A story consisting of events from which a moral or spirtual truth may be derived
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pathos
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The element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow
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pendantic
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Narrowly academic instead of broad and humane; excessively petty and meticulous
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periodic sentence
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A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main thought only at the end. In other words, the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support.
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pulp fiction
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Novels written for mass consumption, often emphasizing exciting and titilalating plots
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synecdoche
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A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole (fifty masts for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part(days for life as in "he lived his days under the African skies). Material can stand for the thing itself as well
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trope
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The generic name for a figure of speech such as image, symbol, similie, and metaphor
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euphony
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pleasing, harmonious sounds
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subject complement
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The name of a grammatical unit that is comprised of predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives
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arch
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Characterized by clever or sly humor, often saucy, playful and somewhat irreverent
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