DEFINITION / PART OF SPEECH

Question 1

ALLEGORY

Answer 1

a literary device that is a metaphor in which a character, place, or event is used to deliver a broader message; hidden message, meaning ( moral, spiritual, or political )

part of speech: noun

origin: Greek to Latin to old french to late middle English

Question 2

ALLITERATION

Answer 2

series of words that have the same letter or sound at the beginning ( consonant sound )

part of speech: noun

origin: Latin to medieval Latin to early 17th century

Question 3

ALLUSION

Answer 3

a figure of speech that is a brief and either indirect or direct REFERENCE of something/someone historical, cultural, literary, or political significance

part of speech: noun

origin: late Latin to mid 16th century

Question 4

AMBIGUITY

Answer 4

word, phrase, or statement that contains more than one meaning

part of speech: noun

origin: Latin to middle English

Question 5

ANALOGY

Answer 5

comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another that is quite different from it

part of speech: noun

origin: Greek to Latin to late middle English

Question 6

ANTITHESIS

Answer 6

a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. ( antithesis translates to “opposite” )

part of speech: noun

origin: Greek to late Latin to late middle English

Question 7

COLLOQUIALISM

Answer 7

the uses of informal words, phrases, or even slang in a piece of writing; these expressions show a sense of realism; can also add uniqueness in characters

part of speech: noun

origin: Latin

Question 8

CONNOTATION

Answer 8

meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly

part of speech: noun

origin: medieval Latin to mid 16th century

Question 9

DENOTATION

Answer 9

literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings

part of speech: noun

origin: late Latin

Question 10

DICTION

Answer 10

style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer

part of speech: noun

origin: Latin to mid 16th century

Question 11

EXTENDED METAPHOR

Answer 11

comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem

part of speech: noun

origin: Greek to Latin to French to late 15th century

Question 12

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Answer 12

when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, the literal meaning

part of speech: noun

origin: late Latin to middle English

Question 13

FIGURE OF SPEECH

Answer 13

a word or phrase using figurative language—language that has other meaning

part of speech: noun

origin: Latin to old French to middle English

Question 14

GENRE

Answer 14

type of art, literature, or music characterized by a specific form, content, and style

part of speech : noun

origin: french/english; early 19th century

Question 15

IMAGERY

Answer 15

literary term used for language and description that appeals to our five senses

part of speech : noun

origin: old french to midde english

Question 16

INFERENCE / INFER

Answer 16

an idea or conclusion that’s drawn from evidence and reasoning; educated guess

part of speech : noun/verb

origin: medieval latin to late 16th century

Question 17

IRONY / IRONICAL

verbal, situational, dramatic

Answer 17

contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality

• verbal : when a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to say
• situational : actions or events have the opposite result from what is expected or what is intended
• dramatic : an audience watching a play understands what’s going on in a situation while the characters are unaware of what is happening

part of speech : noun/adjective

origin: greek to latin to early 16th century

Question 18

PERSONIFICATION

Answer 18

something that is not human is given human characteristics

part of speech : noun

origin: french to early 18th century

Question 19

POINT OF VIEW

Answer 19

refers to who is telling or narrating a story

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to french

Question 20

PROSE

Answer 20

form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure, rather than rhythmic structure

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to old french to middle english

Question 21

REPETITION

Answer 21

repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to old french to late middle english

Question 22

RHETORIC

Answer 22

technique of using language effectively and PERSUASIVELY in spoken or written form

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to latin to old french to middle english

Question 23

SATIRE

Answer 23

technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to french to early 16th century

Question 24

SEMANTICS

Answer 24

study and analysis of how language is used figuratively and literally to produce meaning

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to french

Question 25

SYMBOLISM

Answer 25

use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to latin to late middle english

Question 26

THEME

Answer 26

underlying message, or big idea; what the author is trying to convey

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to latin to old french to middle english

Question 27

THESIS

Answer 27

statement in a non-fiction or a fiction work that a writer intends to support and prove; explains your purpose of your writing

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to late latin to late middle english

Question 28

TONE

Answer 28

attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience; conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject

part of speech : noun

origin: greek to latin to old french to middle english

Question 29

TRANSITION

Answer 29

words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences, and paragraphs; help to make a piece of writing flow better

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to french to mid 16th century

Question 30

VOICE

Answer 30

the individual style in which a certain author writes his or her works; conveys the author’s attitude, personality, character, and thought patterns; includes many different literary devices and stylistic techniques

part of speech : noun

origin: latin to old french to middle english