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Literary Terms II
2nd semester literary terms for English class.
50
English
10th Grade
02/10/2010

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Term
alliteration
Definition
repetition of initial consonant sounds: Peter, Piper, picked a peck of pickled pepper
Term
2. allusion
Definition
reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art: Zeus, Noah’s Ark, Eiffel Tower
Term
3. anachronism
Definition
something out of its normal time and place—velcro tennis shoes during World War II
Term
4. analogy
Definition
comparison between two unlike things: steering wheel is to a car as handlebars are to a bike
Term
5. anaphora
Definition
repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of sentences, clauses, or phrases: “Good words will not give me back…” “Good words will not make good…” “Good words will not give my…” “Good words will not get my…”
Term
6. apostrophe
Definition
figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person or a personified quality: “Oh, God, wherefore art thou!” “Twinkle, twinkle, little star…”
Term
7. assonance
Definition
repetition of similar vowel sounds inside words that are close together: “Thou foster child of silence and slow time…”
Term
8. characterization
Definition
all types—review: direct and indirect
Term
9. comedy
Definition
work, especially a play, that has a happy ending
Term
10. connotation
Definition
meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests: apple pie—All-American, common, homey.
Term
11. consonance
Definition
repetition of two or more words of final consonants: hid, head, lad, rod
Term
12. denotation
Definition
dictionary definition: Apple pie—pastry crust with a fruit filling
Term
13. drama
Definition
story written to be ACTED out for an audience
Term
14. epiphany
Definition
sudden understanding/realization which prior to this was not thought of or understood; a light-bulb moment goes off.
Term
15. euphemism
Definition
device where being indirect replaces directness to avoid unpleasantness (politically correct choice of phrases): passed away instead of died
Term
16. expository essay
Definition
writing/speech that explains, informs, or presents information.
Term
17. figurative language
Definition
writing/speech not meant to be interpreted literally: 3 main ones—simile, metaphor, personification
Term
18. foil
Definition
character used as a contrast to another character: McDreamy/McSteamy; Dwight/Jim (The Office); Kramer/Seinfeld; heros/Sylar
Term
19. genre
Definition
division or type of literature: tragedy, comedy, epic, lyric, pastoral; also, novel, short story, essay, movies, TV plays
Term
20. hero/heroine
Definition
character whose actions are inspiring or noble: Achilles
Term
21. hyperbole
Definition
overstatement, deliberate exaggeration: I told you a million times to clean up your room
Term
22. iambic pentameter
Definition
line of poetry that contains five iambs: But soft! what light through yonder window breaks?”
Term
23. image
Definition
a word or phrase that appeals to one or more of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)
Term
24. imagery
Definition
descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader
Term
25. irony
Definition
all types review
Term
26. juxtaposition
Definition
positioned side by side
Term
27. literal language
Definition
uses words in the ordinary senses—what they really mean
Term
28. monologue
Definition
speech by one character in a play, story, or poem
Term
29. motif
Definition
a recurring feature in the work; especially any recurrent image, symbol, theme: women weaving—The Odyssey
Term
30. narrative essay
Definition
composition/essay that tells a true story
Term
31. narrator
Definition
outside speaker or character in a story that tells the story.
Term
32. novel
Definition
long work of fiction (usually more than 50,000 words)
Term
33. onomatopoeia
Definition
use of words that imitate sounds: humming, swishing, crackle, chirp
Term
34. oxymoron
Definition
two opposite or apparently different words: jumbo shrimp, extreme moderation, cold heat.
Term
35. paradox
Definition
statement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but reveals a truth: “Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear.”
Term
36. parallelism
Definition
repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that have the same grammatical structure or that state a similar idea: “It was the best of times…It was the worst of times…It was the age of wisdom…It was the age of foolishness…It was the epoch of belief…It was the season…”
Term
37. persuasion
Definition
attempts to convince the reader to adopt a particular opinion or course of action
Term
38. persuasive essay
Definition
a composition/essay which tries to convince the reader to do something or accept a point of view
Term
39. prologue
Definition
introductory or opening section of a play
Term
40. prose
Definition
ordinary form of written language
Term
41. pun
Definition
play on words based on different meaning of words that sound alike:
Term
42. repetition
Definition
the use, more than once, of ANY element of language—a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence.
Term
43. sensory language
Definition
essay/speech that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell
Term
44. style
Definition
how writers say something
Term
45. subplot
Definition
a second, less important plot within a story
Term
46. symbol
Definition
anything that stands for or represents something else: six-pointed star = Judaism; Gator = Univ. of Florida; yellow triangle = yield
Term
47. syntax
Definition
sentence structure: John is going to the beach. Is John going to the beach? To the beach John is going
Term
48. theme
Definition
central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work. Not a summary but a generalization about human beings or life. Must be in sentence format.
Term
49. tragedy
Definition
work of literature that results in a catastrophe for the main character.
Term
50. understatement—LITOTE
Definition
saying less than is actually meant (generally ironic): The state of Texas is a fairly large state in the U.S. Bill Gates is worth a small amount of money
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