English Flashcards
Allegory
noun
a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events.
EX: The Lion King
Middle English
Alliteration
noun
a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.
EX: American Apparel
Medieval Latin
Allusion
noun
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance; does not describe in detail
EX: “Don’t act like a Romeo in front of her.”
Late Latin
Analogy
noun
a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.
EX: Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.
Latin
Ambiguity
noun
a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.
EX: “A good life depends on a liver” – Liver may be an organ or simply a living person.
Late Middle English
Antithesis
noun
literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
EX: Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
Latin
Antecedent
noun
an earlier clause, phrase or word to which a pronoun, another word or a noun refers back to.
EX: “Jane lost a glove and she can’t find it.” Jane is the antecedent of she and glove is the antecedent of it.
Middle English
Aphorism
noun
a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
EX: The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
French
Apostrophe
noun
the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, whether unpronounced, as in o'er for over, to indicate the possessive case, as in man's; or to indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in several M.D.'s, 3's.
EX: O holy night! The stars are brightly shining!
Middle French
Atmosphere
noun
the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel
EX: It is an unspoken hunger we deflect with knives – one avocado between us, cut neatly in half, twisted then separated from the large wooden pit. With the green fleshy boats in hand, we slice vertical strips from one end to the other. Vegetable planks. We smother the avocado with salsa, hot chiles at noon in the desert. We look at each other and smile, eating avocados with sharp silver blades, risking the blood of our tongues repeatedly.
New Latin
Caricature
noun
a device used in descriptive writing and visual arts where particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect.
EX: The woman raised her hands and stared at them; stared through them.
Her voice was soft but tense. “Blood on his hands.” Her own hands were clean and pale.
Earlier(?)
Clause
noun
a collection of words that has a subject that is actively doing a verb.
EX: She laughs at different men.
Middle English
Conceit
noun
a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors.
EX: Marriage is like getting a root canal.
Middle English
Colloquial
adjective
the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing.
EX: wanna – want to
1745-1755
Connotation
noun
refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.
EX: “Halloween” - candy, trick-or-treat, ghosts
Late Middle English
Denotation
noun
generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.
EX: A dove is used to suggest peace or gentility.
Latin
Diction
noun
style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer.
EX: It is more formal to use “adieu” than to say “goodbye”.
Late Middle English
Didactic
adjective
teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.
EX: All animals are equal but a few are more equal than others.
Greek
Euphemism
noun
refers to polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.
EX: It may be in the form of abbreviations e.g. B.O. (body odor), W.C. (toilet) etc.
Greek
Extended Metaphor
noun
a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.
EX: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.”
Latin
Figurative Language
noun
using figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive and impactful.
EX: Figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give the readers new insights.
Middle English
Figure of Speech
noun
a phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings.
EX: Personification, Hyperbole, Simile, Metaphor, Etc.
Middle English
Generic Conventions
noun
the features shown by texts that allow them to be put into a specific genre.
EX: Almost all Westerns use the Iconography of cowboy hats, six shooters, horses and spurs to place them in their genre.
Late Middle English
Genre
noun
Genre means the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style.
EX: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
French
Homily
noun
Homily is a sermon or speech that a religious person or priest delivers before a group of people to offer them moral correction.
EX: Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion…All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab
Late Latin
Imagery
noun
Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
EX: On a starry winter night in Portugal
Middle English
Implication
noun
something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood
EX: Unmarried sex at a young age. The legal implications could be substantial if pregnancy results or, in the case of a male, if he is charged with statutory rape. The family implications would also be pretty obvious.
Late Middle English
Inference/Infer
noun/verb
Inference is a literary device used commonly in literature and in daily life where logical deductions are made based on premises assumed to be true.
EX: Sally arrives at home at 4:30 and knows that her mother does not get off of work until 5. Sally also sees that the lights are off in their house. Sally can infer that her mother is not yet home.
Medieval Latin
Invective
noun
denotes speech or writing that attacks, insults, or denounces a person, topic, or institution.
EX: Calling a person who is lazy, overweight and who never exercises a lard butt.
Late Middle English
Verbal Irony
noun
when a character uses statement with underlying meanings contrasting with its literal meanings
EX: Soft like a brick
Latin
Situational Irony
noun
occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead.
EX: A fire station burns down.
Latin
Dramatic Irony
noun
irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.
EX: Two people are engaged to be married but the audience knows that the man is planning to run away with another woman.
Latin
Anaphora
noun
a rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in
EX: O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
Late Latin
Parody
noun
a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing
EX: The ever popular “Saturday Night Live” where there is a live broadcast of satirical sketches that ridicule the latest celebrity or reality star in the headlines, or even what is going on in the news.
Latin
Pedantic
adjective
someone who is concerned with precision, formalism, accuracy, minute details in order to make an arrogant and ostentatious show of learning
EX:
Italian
Periodic Sentence
noun
a periodic sentence has the main clause or predicate at the end. This is used for emphasis and can be persuasive by putting reasons for something at the beginning before the final point is made. It can also create suspense or interest for the reader
Latin
Personification
noun
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
Middle English
Point of View
noun
a particular attitude or way of considering a matter
Late Middle English
Prose
noun
written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without poetic structure
Late Middle English
Repetition
noun
literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer
Late Middle English
Rhetoric
noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques
Latin
Rhetorical Modes
noun
describe the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of language-based communication, particularly writing and speaking. Four of the most common rhetorical modes and their purpose are narration, description, exposition, and argumentation
Latin
Sarcasm
noun
the use of irony to mock or convey contempt
Late Latin
Satire
noun
technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule
Latin
Semantics
noun
the study of the meaning of language
Greek
Style
noun
literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words
Middle English
Subject Complement
noun
is the adjective, noun, or pronoun that follows a linking verb.
Latin
Subordinate Clause
noun
a clause, typically introduced by a conjunction, that forms part of and is dependent on a main clause
Late Middle English
Syllogism
noun
a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion
Latin
Symbolism
noun
A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story.
late Middle English
Synecdoche
noun
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
Medieval Latin
Synthesia
noun
refers to a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time.
New Latin
Syntax
noun
determines how the chosen words are used to form a sentence
Late Latin
Theme
noun
main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.
Middle English
Thesis
noun
a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence
Middle English
Tone
noun
is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience
Middle English
Transition
noun
words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences and paragraphs
Latin
Understatement
noun
when a writer or speaker attributes less importance or conveys less passion than the subject would seem to demand
Middle English
Verb
noun any member of a class of words that function as the main elements of predicates, that typically express action, state, or a relation between two things, and that may be inflected for tense, aspect, voice, mood, and to show agreement with their subject or object
Middle English
Voice
noun
the individual writing style of an author, a combination of idiotypical usage of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text
Middle English
Wit
noun
form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny
Middle English
Zeugma
noun
literary term for using one word to modify two other words, in two different ways
Greek
