| Term | Definition |
|---|
| alliteration | the repetition of the same initial sound of two adjacent words |
| allusion | a reference to history, current events, literature or others that the writer expects the reader to know about |
| ambiguity | a word or phrase that has more than one legitimate interpretation |
| climax | highest point in a conflict, after which the tension lessens |
| conflict | a struggle between two forces; man vs. man, man vs. nature |
| connotation | the pos. or neg. emotional associations a word may have beyond the dictionary def. |
| denotation | the factual, dictionary definition of a word without emotional associations |
| denouement | tying together of loose ends after the climax(falling action) |
| exaggeration | the magnification of certain aspects of a character, object, situation or event in order to emphasize those aspects |
| explicit | directly, clearly stated |
| exposition | essential background info or the act of relaying such info |
| falling action | the lessening of tension after the climax |
| figurative language | language that must be interpreted to understand it meaning, opposite of literal |
| foil characters | characters that are similar but act very differently |
| foreshadowing | hinting of what is to come in literature or the use of such hints |
| hyperbole | exaggeration for emphasis |
| image | impression or mental picture created by concrete, vivid language |
| implication | the act of suggesting indirectly rather than saying something explicitly |
| implicit | suggested implicitly |
| infer | to conclude on a basis of indirect evidence rather than a direct statement |
| inference | a conclusion based on indirect evidence |
| irony | applied to words or actions involving opposites |
| dramatic irony | the creation of scene that is the opposite of what the reader expected |
| situational irony | combination of circumstances that leads to an outcome that is unexpected |
| verbal irony | the act of saying one thing and meaning another |
| sarcasm | heavy-handed, malicious verbal irony |
| literal | narrowly factual or physical |
| metaphor | an imaginative comparion in which two things arre identified without using like or asg |
| metonymy | the use of the name of one thing for another thing with which it is associated(white house, president) |
| onomatopoeia | a word or phrase that imitates the sound it describes |
| oxymoron | a combination of contradictory terms |
| paradox | an apparent contradiction that points to the truth |
| personification | the assigning of human characteristics to animals, ideas or objects |
| poetry | condensed, rhythmic writing using figurative language |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is being told from |
| prose | ordinary language, not rhythmic |
| resolution | falling action after climax, final outcome |
| rising action | the series of events that lead up to the climax |
| rhyme | the repetition of the same of similar sound or sounds at the end of words |
| rhythm | the rise and fall of sounds, a regular accent or emphasis pattern |
| simile | a comparison of two unlike things using like or as |
| soliloquy | a monologue where the speaker is the only one onstage |
| stage directions | the part of the script that describes the set and the physical appearance pr actions of the characters |
| subtext | the unvoiced thoughts, feeling, meanings and motives that underlie the spoken words |
| suspense | uncertainty about what will happen next in the plot |
| symbol | a concrete object or action that stands for something larger like an idea or emotion |
| tone | the author's emotional attitude toward the characters and the events |
| hideous | ugly |
| despise | hate |
| hospitable | gregarious |
| tranquil | peaceful |
| liberate | free from bondage |
| humane | compassionate |
| asylum | shelter |
| affliction | a thing that causes suffering |
| sundry | various |
| countenance | facial expression |
| adoration | devoted love |
| source | origin |
| obliterate | destroy |
| glisten | shine |
| anticipation | expecting beforehand a future event |
| panorama | a full and unobstructed view |
| trite | unoriginal |
| listless | bored |
| bliss | ecstasy |
| crafty | sly |
| malicious | cruel |
| devise | think up |
| corpulent | fat |
| harvest | reap |
| retain | keep |
| jovial | cheery |
| affected | fake |
| allay | alleviate |
| craving | yearning |
| extreme | the furthest or highest degree of something |
| gnawing | Persistent pain in stomach |
| nutritious | nourishing |
| recede | retreat, fall back |
| shrivel | wither |
| sullenly | gloomily |
| sustain | hold up |
| furtive | sly |
| petulantly | stubbornly |
| subsequent | following |
| defer | yield |
| supercilious | malicious |
| exultation | joyous celebration |
| sociable | gregarious |
| abominable | detestable |
| ooze | drip slowly |
| contagious | communicable by contact |
| hostile | mean |
| clamor | loud noise |
| frenzy | brief period of frantic energy |
| panic | terror |
| grim | unyielding |
| dispirited | sullen |
| solemnly | seriously |
| retaliate | fight back |
| altercation | angry dispute |
| impending | about to happen |
| monotonous | lacking variety |
| ultimate | last |
| prey | animal hunted for food |
| valor | courage |
| lavish | extravagant |
| strut | swagger |
| compliment | praise |
| crisis | emergency |
| sonnet | 14 line poem |
| shakespearean sonnet | ababcdcdefefgg |
Combine with other sets
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