Better Techniques Flashcards
To learn lots of advanced techniques
1
Q
What is Accumulation?
A
A listing of words embodying similar qualities either physical or abstract with the intent of emphasising to the reader the quality that they hold in common.
2
Q
Define Adynaton.
A
A form of hyperbole which involves magnification of an event by reference to the impossible or unattainable.
3
Q
What is an Allegory?
A
A story in prose or in verse which has one surface or literal meaning co-existing with metaphorical interpretations.
4
Q
What does Alliteration refer to?
A
The repetition of a single consonant sound at either the beginning of words or on stressed syllables.
5
Q
What is an Allusion?
A
An implicit reference to another work of literature or art, to a person, to an event, or to a modern meme.
6
Q
What is Amblysia?
A
A noticeable modification of language to prepare for the announcement of something tragic, alarming, or shocking.
7
Q
Define Amphiboly.
A
An ambiguity in the meaning of a sentence caused by grammatical looseness to produce a double meaning.
8
Q
What is an Anachronism?
A
The misplacement of an action, character, phrase, or setting in time.
9
Q
What is an Anacoluthon?
A
A sentence that is begun in one way, but then ended in a different way, usually with a hyphen linking two disparate clauses.
10
Q
Define Anadiplosis.
A
The repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause.
11
Q
What is an Analogue?
A
A word or thing that is similar or parallel to another, to the point that most salient features are alike.
12
Q
What is Anaphora?
A
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences or clauses.
13
Q
Define Anastrophe.
A
An inversion of the normal word order, where elements of a sentence are completely back to front from convention.
14
Q
What is an Anecdote?
A
A brief account of or a story about an individual or an incident, usually used with the rhetorical intent of reinforcing a point.
15
Q
What does Anesis refer to?
A
A rhetorical device in which a concluding sentence, clause, or phrase is used to deliberately diminish or discredit the previous statements.
16
Q
Define Antanaclasis.
A
The usage of a word multiple times, where each usage uses a different denotation of the word.
17
Q
What is Anthropomorphism?
A
The attribution of human characteristics to anything which is non-human.
18
Q
What does Anthimeria mean?
A
The substitution of one part of speech for another in the sense of making the prose more decorative.
19
Q
What is Antipophora?
A
A character asks a question of themself, and then answers by themself.
20
Q
Define Antimetabole.
A
The repetition of words in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order.
21
Q
What is Antiphrasis?
A
The use of the word in the opposite sense to its proper denotation.
22
Q
What is Antithesis?
A
A set of contrasting ideas sharpened by the use of opposite or noticeably different meanings.
23
Q
Define Antonomasia.
A
The substitution of a proper noun for an epithet, title, occupation associated with that object or person.
24
Q
What is an Aphorism?
A
A terse statement of a truth or dogma; a pithy generalisation, which may or may not be witty.
25
What does Aposiopesis mean?
The abrupt breaking off of speech with the sentence being left unfinished.
26
What is an Apostrophe?
A figure of speech in which a thing, a place, an abstract quality, an idea, a dead or absent person is addressed as if they were present.
27
Define Archaism.
A word, phrase, or idiom which is old or obsolete at its time of usage.
28
What does Assonance refer to?
The repetition of similar vowel sounds close together in order to achieve a form of euphony.
29
What is Asyndeton?
The omission of conjunctions, articles, and often pronouns for the sake of speed and economy.
30
What is an Aside?
A few words or a short passage spoken in an undertone or to the audience.
31
Define Bathos.
A sensation achieved when the writer strives at the sublime and overreaches himself and topples into the absurd.
32
What is Black comedy?
A form of humour which uses the shocking, horrific or macabre to create comedy.
33
What is Blank verse?
Verse which consists of unrhymed five stress lines in iambic pentameter.
34
What does Blazon refer to?
Verses of an overall work which dwell on and describe in detail the various parts of a woman’s body.
35
What is Bombast?
The use of inflated or extravagant language.
36
Define Burlesque.
A derisive imitation or exaggerated ‘sending up’ of a literary or musical work.
37
What is Cacophony?
The effect achieved through the use of harsh or contrasting sounds.
38
What does Caesura mean?
A break or pause in a line of poetry dictated by the natural rhythm of the language.
39
What is Catachresis?
The misapplication of a word or metaphor, particularly when used in a mixed metaphor.
40
Define Catalexis.
The omission of the last syllable or syllables in a regular metrical line.
41
What is Catharsis?
A mode of writing in which the composer writes to gain a sense of relief from tension for therapeutic effect.
42
What does Chiasmus refer to?
A reversal of grammatical structure in subsequent clauses or phrases with different words.
43
What is Circumlocution?
In speech, the use of many words where a few will suffice to make a roundabout point.
44
What is a Cliché?
An expression which has become formulaic and stale through overuse.
45
What does Conceit mean?
An elaborate figurative device of a fanciful kind which can incorporate metaphor, simile, or hyperbole.
46
Define Connotation.
The suggestion or implication evoked by a word or a phrase, over and above what the literal denotation is defined as.
47
What is Consonance?
The repetition of identical consonant sounds before or after different vowels.
48
What is a Couplet?
Two successive rhyming lines.
49
Define Defamiliarisation.
The modification of a reader’s habitual perceptions by drawing attention to the artifice of the text.
50
What does Denotation refer to?
The most literal and limited meaning of a word.
51
What is Depitation?
The use of overly complex words in order to appear more intelligent.
52
Define Dissonance.
The arrangement of cacophonous sounds in words or rhythms for effect.
53
What is a Double entendre?
A word or expression used to have two meanings, one of which is usually frivolous or bawdy.
54
What is Dramatic irony?
The effect created when the audience understand the implication and meaning of a situation in a text, but the characters do not.
55
Define Dysphemism.
The use of a phrase which emphasises negative qualities or unpleasantness.
56
What does Ecphonema mean?
An exclamation of joy, woe, or amazement.
57
What is Ekphrasis?
The intense pictorial description of an object.
58
What is an Elegy?
A poem or prose passage which mourns for an individual or lament a tragic event.
59
Define Elision.
The omission or slurring of a syllable, usually to preserve the meter of a line in verse.
60
What does Ellipsis refer to?
The omission of several words from a sentence for effect.
61
What is Enjambment?
The spacing of lines of verse so that the ends of sentences do not stop at the ends of lines.
62
Define Epanados.
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and middle, or middle and end of a sentence.
63
What is Epanalepsis?
The repetition of words or a phrase after other words have come in between them.
64
What does Epexegesis mean?
An explanation of what has been said in the immediately preceding statements.
65
What is Epideictic oratory?
A rhetorical device which praises or blames somebody or something in public.
66
What is Epistrophe?
The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
67
Define Epitasis.
The section of a story or narrative where the climax is approaching and when the plot thickens.
68
What is Epizeuxis?
The repetition of a word or phrase emphatically to produce a special effect.
69
What does Euphemism mean?
The substitution of a mild and palatable expression for a harsh and blunt one.
70
What is Euphony?
The use of pleasing, mellifluous sounds.
71
Define Farce.
A style of work which provokes mirth of the simplest and basic kind.
72
What is Feminine rhyme?
A rhyme between two words with more than one syllable when all syllables rhyme and the final syllable is unstressed.
73
What does Flyting refer to?
A cursing match in verse between two characters who hurl abuse at each other.
74
What is Foreshadowing?
The arrangement of events and information in such a way as to prepare the responder for later events.
75
Define Free verse.
Verse which has no regular meter, line length, or rhyme.
76
What is Hamartia?
A fatal flaw or error which causes a character’s downfall.
77
What does Hemistich mean?
A term for half of a metrical line which has been divided by a caesura.
78
What is Hendiadys?
An idea expressed through the use of two substantives or a substantive and noun joined by a conjunction.
79
What is a Homonym?
A word written in the same way as another, but with a different origin and meaning.
80
Define Homophone.
A word pronounced the same way as another, but with a different spelling and meaning.
81
What is Hubris?
Excessive pride which is brought about by a shortcoming or a defect in the hero.
82
What does Hypallage mean?
An epithet which is transferred from one noun to modify another related noun.
83
What is Hyperbaton?
The transposition of words out of their conventional grammatical order.
84
Define Hyperbole.
Exaggeration of a situation or quality for emphasis.
85
What is Hypocorism?
The use of familiar or endearing terms in place of proper nouns.
86
What does Hypostatisation refer to?
A form of personification in which an abstract quality is spoken of as something human.
87
What is Hypotyposis?
An object or person is represented as if it were present through description.
88
What does Hypozeuxis mean?
The repetition of the same verbs with different nouns and the same subject.
89
What is an Idiom?
A form of expression, construction or phrase peculiar to the language.
90
What is Imagery?
The use of language to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, ideas, states of mind, and any sensory experience.
91
What does Invective refer to?
A tone of speech or writing which is denunciatory, abusive, or vituperative.
92
Define Inversion.
In prosody, reversing the stress of a syllable by substitution.
93
What is Invocation?
A call for help given by a character to a supernatural being for aid.
94
What is Irony?
An incongruity between the words and their actual meaning.
95
What does Isocolon mean?
A sequence of clauses of identical length.
96
What is Jargon?
A set of words or phrases which use vocabulary that is peculiar to a particular profession or trade.
97
Define Kenning.
The use of two nouns together to describe a single thing.
98
What is Light rhyme?
A rhyme where one or both of the rhyming syllables are unstressed.
99
What does Litotes refer to?
A descriptive statement that deliberately understates something in order to emphasise it.
100
What is Malapropism?
The unintentional incorrect use of complex words by a character.
101
Define Masculine rhyme.
A single monosyllabic rhyme at the end of a line.
102
What is Meiosis?
A statement which understates for emphasis and the attainment of simplicity.
103
What does Melodrama mean?
A form of sensational entertainment in which the main characters are excessively virtuous or exceptionally evil.
104
What is Metalepsis?
A form of metonymy in which the general idea substituted is considerable removed from the particular detail.
105
What is a Metaphor?
A description of one thing which is given in terms of another in the form of a direct comparison.
106
What does Meter refer to?
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse.
107
What is Metonymy?
A substitution of the name or attribute of a thing with the thing itself.
108
What is a Monologue?
A single speaking alone with or without an audience.
109
Define Motif.
A dominant idea in a work of literature which represents the main theme.
110
What is Mythopoeia?
The creation of a realm of mythical material or a ‘private’ mythology in a work of fiction.
111
What does Neologism mean?
A newly coined word or phrase in a text.
112
What is a Nonce-word?
A word which is created for one sole use, a form of neologism.
113
What is Onomatopoeia?
The use of words which mirror sounds.
114
What is an Oxymoron?
A combination of incongruous and contradictory words and meanings for effect.
115
Define Palilogy.
A deliberate repetition of words throughout a passage.
116
What is a Paradox?
A statement which is inherently self-contradictory.
117
What does Paralipsis refer to?
A deliberate exclusion of a topic in speech or writing in order to draw attention to it.
118
What is Parallelism?
Constructing consecutive sentences in a similar style in order to balance each other.
119
What does Parataxis mean?
Co-ordination of clauses close together without use of conjunctions.
120
What is Parenthesis?
Exclusion of words from the main body of a clause or sentence through parentheses, hyphens, dashes, or commas.
121
What is Paronomasia?
A play on words which uses similar sounds between words for effect.
122
Define Pathetic fallacy.
A belief that the nature or emotion of events is reflected in the natural world.
123
What does Periphrasis refer to?
The usage of many words in order to express a simple idea.
124
What is Personification?
The attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects.
125
Define Platitude.
A dull and commonplace remark which is trite and obvious.
126
What is Polyptoton?
The repetition of a word but with a different grammatical form each time.
127
What does Polysyndeton mean?
The repetition of conjunctions in order to link clauses and sentences.
128
What is Prolepsis?
A segment of a narrative which portrays future events before they have happened.
129
What is the definition of personification?
The attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects.
130
Define platitude.
A dull and commonplace remark which is trite and obvious.
131
What is polyptoton?
The repetition of a word but with a different grammatical form each time.
132
What does polysyndeton refer to?
The repetition of conjunctions in order to link clauses and sentences.
133
Explain prolepsis.
A segment of a narrative which portrays future events before they have happened with reference to the main sequence of the story.
134
What is prodiorthosis?
A statement intended to prepare the audience for a shocking or offensive statement succeeding the current one.
135
Define repartee.
A witty or clever rejoinder.
136
What is a rhetorical question?
A question not expecting an answer, or one to which the answer is more or less self-evident.
137
What are the different forms of rhyme?
* Internal: Rhymes which occur within a line.
* External: Rhyme which occurs between lines or other units.
* Half/Near/Slant: When the sounds following the last stressed vowel are not identical.
138
Define rhythm in the context of verse or prose.
The movement or sense of movement communicated by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables.
139
What is sentence structure?
Sentences can be constructed in different ways by changing the position of the clauses and the traditional grammatical structure.
140
What characterizes loose sentences?
The main clause comes first and is followed by its dependent clauses.
141
What are periodic sentences?
The main clause comes last, with dependent clauses preceding.
142
Define simile.
The indirect comparison of one thing to another, through the words ‘like’ and ‘as’.
143
What is stichomythia?
Alternating single lines of dialogue in drama indicating verbal sparring.
144
Explain stream of consciousness.
A writing style which seeks to depict the flow of thoughts and feelings through the mind.
145
What is symbolism?
An object, animate or inanimate, which represents or stands for something else.
146
Define synaesthesia.
The displacement and confusion of the sense in descriptive language, or the response of several senses to the stimulation of one.
147
What does syncope refer to?
The omission of a letter or a syllable within the middle of a word.
148
What is synecdoche?
A substitution where a part of an object stands for the whole.
149
Define tapinosis.
A figurative device which belittles by exaggeration.
150
What is tmesis?
The separation of the parts of a word through the insertion of another word.
151
What does tone reflect in a writer's work?
The writer’s attitude, manner, mood, and moral outlook.
152
Define topothesia.
A description of an imaginary place.
153
What is verisimilitude?
The appearance of being true even when clearly related to the fantastic.
154
What does voice refer to in literature?
The viewpoint of the narrator of the story.
155
What are the different voices used in literature?
* 1st person: The story is told from the perspective of one of the characters.
* 2nd person: The reader is the primary agent in the story.
* 3rd person omniscient: The narrator has access to all characters and situations in the story.
* 3rd person limited: The narrator tells the story of one character using information limited to that character.
156
What is zeugma?
A verb or noun which joins two or more clauses in a sentence.
157
What are the variations of zeugma?
* Prozeugma: A verb at the beginning of the sentence governs several later parallel clauses.
* Mesozeugma: A verb in the middle of a sentence governs several parallel adjacent clauses.
* Hypozeugma: A verb at the end of the sentence governs parallel preceding clauses.
* Diazeugma: Two or more verbs are governed by one noun.
* Syllepsis: A zeugma where the clauses disagree in grammar or semantics.
