Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Literary Terms Elements and Devices
Mr. Egashira
75
English
10th Grade
12/12/2016

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Point Of View
Definition
point of view is the manner in which a story is narrated or depicted and who it is that tells the story
Term
Theme
Definition
Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly
Term
Diction
Definition
Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer
Term
Figurative Language
Definition
Figurative language uses words deviating from their proper definitions in order to achieve a more complicated understanding or heightened effect. Figurative language is often achieved by presenting words in order for them to be equated, compared, or associated with other normally unrelated words or meanings
Term
Similes
Definition
A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is a direct comparison
Term
Allusion
Definition
Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.
Term
Parallelism
Definition
Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parallelism examples are found in literary works as well as in ordinary conversations.
Term
Trochaic
Definition
Consisting of or employing a trochee or trochees
Term
Couplet
Definition
A couplet is a literary device, which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse, and has the same meter to form a complete thought. It is marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances.
Term
Caesura
Definition
Caesura Literary Term is a grammatical pause or break in a line of poetry like a question mark, usually near the middle of the line. A caesura is usually dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics.
Term
Motif
Definition
Motif is an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.
Term
Conceit
Definition
Conceit is a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors.
Term
Synecdoche
Definition
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.
Term
Narrator
Definition
Narrative is a report of related events presented to the listeners or readers in words arranged in a logical sequence.
Term
Ode
Definition
An ode is a form of poetry such as sonnet or elegy, etc. Ode is a literary technique that is lyrical in nature, but not very lengthy. You have often read odes in which poets praise people, natural scenes, and abstract ideas
Term
Parable
Definition
Parable is a figure of speech, which presents a short story typically with a moral lesson at the end.
Term
Fable
Definition
The word fable is derived from a Latin word “fibula” which means a story that is a derivative of a word “fari” which means to speak. Fable is a literary device which can be defined as a concise and brief story intended to provide a moral lesson at the end.
Term
Persona
Definition
Persona Literary Term refers to the narrator or speaker of the poem, not to be confused with the author-a narrative voice other than the poet tells the entire poem.
Term
Denotation
Definition
Denotation is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.
Term
Characterization
Definition
Characterization in literature refers the step by step process wherein an author introduces and then describes a character.
Term
Plot
Definition
Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story.
Term
Speaker
Definition
In writing, the speaker is the voice that speaks behind the scene.
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
Hyperbole derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
Term
Alliteration
Definition
Alliteration is derived from Latin’s “Latira”. It means “letters of alphabet”. It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.
Term
Onomatopoeia
Definition
Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.
Term
Denouement
Definition
Denouement is derived from a French word called “denoue” that means, “to untie”. The denouement is a literary device, which can be defined as the resolution of the issue of a complicated plot in fiction.
Term
Syntax
Definition
Syntax is a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought.
Term
Metonymy
Definition
It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy both from literature and in everyday life.
Term
Litotes
Definition
Litotes derived from a Greek word meaning “simple”, is a figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.
Term
Protagonist
Definition
A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a “hero” by the audience or readers.
Term
Juxtaposition
Definition
Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.
Term
Antithesis
Definition
Antithesis: literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
Term
Polysyndeton
Definition
Polysyndeton is a stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect.
Term
Irony
Definition
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.
Term
Turning Point
Definition
The point at which a very significant change occurs.
Term
Dialect
Definition
The language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them.
Term
Meter
Definition
Meter is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to be longer and unstressed shorter.
Term
Tragedy
Definition
Tragedy is kind of drama that presents a serious subject matter about human suffering and corresponding terrible events in a dignified manner.
Term
Setting
Definition
Setting is an environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place.
Term
Tone
Definition
Tone in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.
Term
Imagery
Definition
Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
Term
Personification
Definition
Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes.
Term
Assonance
Definition
Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
Term
Foreshadow
Definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
Term
Anaphora
Definition
In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora.
Term
Stanza
Definition
In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora.
Term
Consonance
Definition
Consonance refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession such as in pitter, patter.
Term
In medias res
Definition
The practice of beginning an epic or other narrative by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous events and will be developed in later action
Term
Antagonist
Definition
The principal opponent or foil of the main character, which is referred to as the protagonist, in a drama or narrative
Term
Structure
Definition
The relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature.
Term
Stereotype
Definition
a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Term
Satire
Definition
Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule.
Term
Caricature
Definition
Caricature is a device used in descriptive writing and visual arts where particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect.
Term
Soliloquy
Definition
A soliloquy is a popular literary device often used in drama to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character.
Term
Mood
Definition
Mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions.
Term
Colloquial
Definition
Colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing.
Term
Archetype
Definition
An archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.
Term
Conflict
Definition
In literature, a conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.
Term
Symbolism
Definition
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.
Term
Metaphor
Definition
Metaphor is a figure of speech, which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics
Term
Oxymoron
Definition
Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect.
Term
Rhyme
Definition
A rhyme is a repetition of similar-sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs.
Term
Iambic
Definition
consisting of or employing an iamb or iambs.
Term
Quatrain
Definition
A quatrain is a verse with four lines, or even a full poem containing four lines, having an independent and separate theme. Often one line consists of alternating rhyme.
Term
Rhythm
Definition
Rhythm is a literary device that demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form.
Term
Parody
Definition
Parody is an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect.
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
Parody is an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect.
Term
Asyndeton
Definition
Asyndeton refers to the omission of a conjunction such as “and” or “as” from a series of related clauses.
Term
Sarcasm
Definition
Sarcasm is derived from French word sarcasmor and also from a Greek word sarkazein that means, “tear flesh” or “grind the teeth”. Somehow, in simple words it means to speak bitterly.
Term
Jargon
Definition
Jargon is a literary term that is defined as a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade.
Term
Epic
Definition
The definition of a literary epic is a long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroines.
Term
Genre
Definition
Genre means the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style.
Term
Connotation
Definition
Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing, which it describes explicitly.
Term
Paradox
Definition
The term Paradox is from the Greek word “paradoxon” that means contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion.
Term
Allegory
Definition
Allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!