ELA exam Vocab Flashcards
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Irony
3 Types
Verbal Irony- When a character says something but means something else
Dramatic Irony- When the reader knows something the character doesn’t ( typically said or preformed )
Situational Irony- Plot twist
Couplet
A pair of rhyming lines ( any pattern )
Apostrophe
People speaking to dead people or inanimate objects in a personified way
Synecdoche
A symbol represent a whole ( The White House meaning the president )
Symbol
A symbol standing for itself and something bigger than itself ( family crest )
Ellipsis
The purposeful omission of words that are already implied by the context ( when a character is about to say something but doesn’t express it out loud )
Anaphora
The repetition of the same word ( or group of words ) at the beginning or successive clause
Connotation / Denotation
Connotation- The idea or feeling of a word (sun - warm, bright, cheerful )
Denotation - The literal meaning of a word (sun - the star around which the earth orbits. )
Syntax
The way an author chooses to write a sentence
Allusion
A reference to a mythological, literal, or historical person, place, or thing. (cupid or Abraham Lincoln )
Conceit
A fancy / clever metaphor
Comic Relief
A humorous moment to break the tension after a serious moment
Character Foil
2 characters whose traits are the exact opposite of one another. ( Tybalt and Benvolio )
Litotes
An understatement where an idea is expressed by negating its opposite ( a insane horrific scene described as “not a pretty picture” )
Monologue
A long speech spoken by a character TO another character
Soliloquy
A speech where a character speaks aloud about their feelings, thoughts but NOT to another character or the audience
Paradox
An absurd, illogical, or impossible statement that reveals a hidden truth
Prologue
A passage at the beginning explaining the background of the story
Anecdote
a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event.
Hyperbole
A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration.
Juxtaposition
Unassociated words or ideas put together (sweet and sour sauce )
Oxymoron
A form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression ( love + hate, sickness + health
Metaphor / Simile
Metaphor - doesn’t use like or as
Simile- Uses like or as
Aside
A short speech spoken by a character to the audience
Assonance
The repetition of accented vowel sounds in a series of words.
Catharsis
Release of emotion (pity and fear) from the audience’s perspective.
Consonance
The repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect.
Elegy
a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme.
Hamartia
The tragic flaw that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall.
Prose
Poetry
Hubris
Exaggerated pride or self-confidence, many times toward god(s).
Tone / Mood
Tone: The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience, and it is conveyed through the author’s choice of words and detail. ( the feeling the author wants to convey )
Mood: The atmosphere or predominant emotion in a literary work. ( what the reader feels )
Point of View / Narration
-The perspective from which a narrative is told. (1st , 2nd, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient)
3rd limited- narrator knows the thoughts of one character
3rd omniscient- narrator knows the thoughts of all characters
-the way that a story is told
Setting
The time and place in which events in a short story, novel, or narrative poem takes place.
Theme
The central message of a literary work. It is not the same as a motif or subject ( always a sentence “ love is powerful “ )
Motif
A one word “theme” ( love, hate, peace )
Conflict
The tension between opposing forces in a work of literature and an essential element of the plot. ( the main problem in the story )
Common conflicts: man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society.
Climax
the moment of highest tension in a story that leads to the resolution of the conflict
Sarcasm
the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say, especially in order to insult someone, or to show irritation, or just to be funny
Parallelism
a grammatical technique that involves repeating similar words, phrases, or grammatical elements to emphasize similar ideas in a sentence
Dialogue
conversation between two or more characters
Stage Direction
describe where and when a scene takes place, how an actor should deliver their lines, and how the actor should move on stage.
Tragic hero
A character with traits that make the audience like them, but who eventually experience ruin or disaster due to their personality.
Tragic flaw
The character trait that directly leads to the suffering or even destruction of the character
