vocabulary #1-100
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Created by:
carlie_fassey on November 11, 2010
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100 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Absolute | a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best", "all", "unique", "perfect") |
| Adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying |
| ad hominem argument | an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue |
| Allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions |
| Alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words |
| Allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize |
| Analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| Anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences |
| Anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event |
| Antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers |
| Antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced |
| Aphorism | A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance |
| Apostrophe | a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction |
| Archetype | a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response |
| Argument | a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work |
| Asyndeton | a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions |
| Balanced Sentence | a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast |
| Bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity |
| Chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary") |
| Cliche | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off |
| Climax | the point of highest interest in a literary work |
| colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| complex sentence | a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause |
| compound sentence | a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions |
| conceit | a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor |
| concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events |
| connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word |
| cumulative sentence | a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases |
| declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement or declaration |
| deductive reasoning | reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case |
| denotation | the literal meaning of a word |
| dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region |
| dialogue | conversation between two or more people |
| diction | the word choices made by a writer |
| didactic | having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing |
| dilemma | a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives |
| dissonance | harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds |
| elegy | a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme |
| ellipsis | the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deducted from the context |
| epic | a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation |
| epigram | a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying |
| epigraph | a saying or statement on the title of a page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work |
| epiphany | a moment of sudden revelation or insight |
| epitaph | an inscription on a tombstone or burial place |
| epithet | a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric ones are often compound adjectives that become an almost formulaic part of a name. They can be offensive or abusive but are not so by definition. |
| eulogy | a formal speech praising a person who has died |
| euphemism | an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant |
| exclamatory sentence | a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark |
| expletive | an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes a profanity |
| fable | a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters |
| fantasy | a story that concerns an unreal world or characters; it may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point |
| figurative language | language employing one or more figures of speech |
| flashback | the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative |
| flat character | a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story |
| foreshadowing | the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work |
| frame device | a story within a story |
| genre | a major category or type of literature |
| homily | a sermon, or a moralistic lecture |
| hubris | excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy |
| hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
| hypothetical question | a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition |
| idiom | an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect. |
| imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses. |
| implication | a suggestion an author or speaker makes without stating it directly. |
| inductive reasoning | deriving general principles from particular facts or instances |
| inference | a conclusion one draws based on premises or evidence |
| invective | an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack |
| irony | the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs |
| jargon | the specialized language or vocab of a particular group or profession |
| juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
| legend | a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements |
| limerick | light verse consisting of 5 lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of 3 ft) rhyme, and the 3rd and 4th lines (each consisting of 2 ft) rhyme |
| limited narrator | a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts info to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character |
| literary license | deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments) |
| litotes | a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture") |
| malaproprism | a mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (The food is malicious). |
| maxim | a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage GRAB THE BULL BY THE HORNS |
| metaphor | a direct comparison of 2 different things |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (the pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]). |
| mood | the emotion atmosphere of a work |
| motif | a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works |
| motivation | a character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which compels a character to act. |
| myth | a traditional story presenting supernatural characters in episodes that help explain natural events |
| narrative | a story or narrated account |
| narrator | the one who tells the story; may be the 1st or 3rd person, limited or omniscient. |
| non sequitur | an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally does not follow) |
| omniscient narrator | a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters |
| onomatopoeia | a word formed from the imitations of natural sounds |
| oxymoron | an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined |
| parable | a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson |
| paradox | an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth |
| parallelism | the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactic forms |
| paraphrase | a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity |
| Parody | a humorous imitation of a serious work |
| Parenthetical | a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain |
| Pathos | the quality in a work that prompts the readers to feel pity |
| Pedantic | characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship |
| Personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
| Philippic | a strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century |
| Plot | the action of a narrative or drama |
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