| Term | Definition |
|---|
| simile | comparison using like or as |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| meter | the planned rhythm in a piece of verse |
| Homeric epithet | a short,descriptive phrase that follows a character's name |
| tercet | a group of 3 lines of verse |
| paradox | a statement that is seemingly contradictory oand yet is perhaps true |
| sustained metaphor/simile | a metaphor or simile that is expanded upon through the course of the work |
| dramatic irony | when a character is blind to something the reader can clearly see |
| idiom | an expression whose meaning transcends the actual meaning of the words |
| sonnet | 14 lines of iambic pentameter. ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme. |
| alliteration | repeated consonant sounds at the begining of words |
| groundling | an Elizabethan theater-goer who stood for the entire performance |
| dialect | a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties |
| connotation | the emotional meaning of words |
| i.e. | id est (that is) |
| metaphor | a comparison without using like or as |
| iambic pentameter | 2 sylables per foot with the accent on the 2nd sylable. 5 feet per line. |
| rhyme scheme | the pattern of line ending rhymes. Described by letters of the alphabet |
| equivocation | to use equivocal language |
| oxymoron | a combination of contradictory or incongruous words |
| protagonist | the main character in a story |
| rhetorical question | a question posed for effect, not for want of an answer |
| sibilance | alliteration of S sonds |
| onomatopoeia | a word that emulates the sound it describes |
| assonance | reptitition of vowel sounds |
| archetype | the original and perfect example from which all following are modeled |
| strophe | 2 or more lines repeated as a unit |
| epic poem | the story of a hero, typically in the form of verse |
| e.g. | exempli gratia (for example) |
| allusion | a reference to another literary work or historical event |
| iamb | 1 imabic foot |
| bard | a poet/storyteller who would recite his poems/stories aloud |
| anti-hero | a protagonist who is either unlikable or has characteristics which are not to be emulated |
| irony | the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning |
| aside | when a character speaks for the benefit of the audience - the other characters can't hear it |
| soliloquy | when a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud; typically alone on stage and in a long speech |
| personification | describing an inanimate object in a human way |
| couplet | 2 rhymed lines |
| free verse | poetry with no metrical form |
| quatrain | a unit of 4 lines of verse |
| explication | a detailed explanation of something (esp. a poem) |
| antecedent | the word or phrase referred to by a pronoun |
| pun | a play on words |
| comma splice | joining 2 independent clauses with a comma |
| equivocal | subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse |
| Waterloo | allusion to Nepolian's final battle which refers more generally to a person's last stand |
Combine with other sets
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