English Vocabulary Flashcards
relies more on emotional appeals than on facts.
Persuasion
a narrator who is totally impersonal and objective tells the story, with no comment on any characters or events.
Objective Point of View
The repetition of the same or similar consonant or vowel sounds at the beginning of closely positioned words.
Alliteration
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer’s point more coherent
Anaphora
Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. Often difficult for a reader to follow.
Syntactic Permutation
a twentieth century term used to describe poetry that uses intimate material from the poet’s life.
Confessional Poetry
A line of poetry or verse that ends in a full pause usually indicated by a mark of punctuation.
End Stopped Line
A meter consisting of five metrical feet per line
Pentameter
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. Example: Animal Farm, Dante’s Inferno, and Lord of the Flies
Allegory
reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture. An indirect reference to something (usually from literature, etc.)
Allusion
deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way– this is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work.
Ambiguity
Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Analogy
Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual
Anecdote
Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story.
Antagonist
Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. may lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples.
Antihero
a figure of speech in which human specific characteristics are attributed to animals other than humans.
Anthropomorphism
brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or accepted general truth.
Aphorism
calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea. If the character is asking a god or goddess for inspiration it is called an invocation.
Apostrophe
A recurring symbol, character, landscape, or event found throughout myth and literature across different cultures and eras. In terms of structure, it merely serves as a model from which writers create different versions and copies.
Archetype
the repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds especially in words that are together.
Assonance
Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally
Asyndeton
The dominant feeling that is created by a particular setting.
Atmosphere
A German term for “novel of growth and development”. They generally depict a youth who struggles toward maturity, forming a worldview or philosophy of life and leaving behind the concerns of adolescence.
Bildungsroman
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Cacophony
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.
Characterization
the author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character’s private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people (showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature.
Indirect Characterization
the author tells us directly what the character is like: sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on
Direct Characterization
is one who does not change much in the course of a story.
Static Character
is one who changes in some important way as a result of the story’s action.
Dynamic Character
has only one or two personality traits. They are one dimensional, like a piece of cardboard. They can be summed up in one phrase.
Flat Character
has more dimensions to their personalities—they are complex, just as real people are.
Round Character
is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse.
Cliche
the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story.
Conflict
conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine or between a person a whole society.
External Conflict
a conflict can be internal, involving opposing forces within a person’s mind.
Internal Conflict
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.
Connotation
A more micro level variety of a language (specifically, often a spoken variety) that is characteristic of a particular area, community or group, often with relatively minor differences in vocabulary, style, spelling and pronunciation.
Dialect
a speaker or writer’s choice of words.
Diction
form of fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Didactic
a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations.
Colloquialism
in general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character or characters.
Comedy
a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.
Epigraph
an adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing that is frequently used to emphasize a characteristic quality.
Epithet
a short piece of nonfiction prose in which the writer discusses some aspect of a subject..
Essay
one of the four forms of discourse which uses logic, ethics, and emotional appeals to develop an effective means to convince the reader to think or act in a certain way.
Argumentation
form of persuasion that appeals to reason instead of emotion to convince an audience to think or act in a certain way.
Argument
Form of argumentation in which the writer claims that one thing results from another, often used as part of a logical argument.
Causal Relationship
a form of discourse that uses language to create a mood or emotion.
Description
one of the four major forms of discourse, in which something is explained or “set forth.”.
Exposition
the form of discourse that tells about a series of events..
Narrative
act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.
Explication
A great praise or commendation, a laudatory speech, often about someone who has died.
Eulogy
Agreeableness of sound, pleasing effect to the ear, especially a pleasant sounding or harmonious combination or succession of words.
Euphony
A very short story told in prose or poetry that uses anthropomorphism and, or, personification to teach a practical lesson about how to succeed in life.
Fable
a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched situations.
Farce
Words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe.
Figurative Language
a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time.
Flashback
A character who acts as contrast to another character.
Foil
the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot.
Foreshadowing
A negative term that implies both arrogant, excessive self-pride or self-confidence, and a lack of some important perception or insight due to pride in one’s abilities. This overwhelming pride inevitably leads to a downfall.
Hubris
a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect.
Hyperbole
the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person , a thing, a place, or an experience.
Imagery
a discrepancy between appearances and reality.
Irony
occurs when someone says one thing but really means something else.
Verbal Irony
takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen
Situational Irony
is so called because it is often used on stage. A character in the play or story thinks one thing is true, but the audience or reader knows better.
Dramatic Irony
is a form of understatement in which the positive form is emphasized through the negation of a negative form
Litotes
a term applied to fiction or poetry which tends to place special emphasis on a particular setting, including its customs, clothing, dialect and landscape.
Local Color
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.
Metaphor
does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison
Implied Metaphor
is a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it.
Extended Metaphor
is a metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid
Dead Metaphor
is a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible.
Mixed Metaphor
a figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something closely associated with it.
Metonymy
An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction and the details selected.
Mood
a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by one author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme.
Motif
the reasons for a character’s behavior.
Motivation
the use of words whose sounds echo their sense.
Onomatopoeia
a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.
Oxymoron
A relatively short story that teaches a moral, or lesson without the use of anthropomorphism and, or, personification about how to lead a good life.
Parable
a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth.
Paradox
a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.
Parody
a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.
Personification
the series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the storyline.
Plot
introduces characters, situation, and setting
Exposition
complications in conflict and situations (may introduce new ones as well)
Rising Action
that point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest.
Climax
the point in the plot where the conflicts begin to resolve
Falling Action
the conclusion of a story, when all or most of the conflicts have been settled, often called the denouement.
Resolution
the vantage point from which the writer tells the story.
Point of View
one of the characters tells the story.
First Person Point of View
the narrator instructs the reader as if they are telling the reader what they are to experience.
Second Person Point of View
an unknown narrator, tells the story, but this narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
Third Person Point of View
an omniscient or all-knowing narrator tells the story, also using the third person pronouns. This narrator, instead of focusing on one character only, often tells us everything about many characters.
Omniscient Point of View
the central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action.
Protagonist
a “play on words” based on the multiple meanings of a single word or on words that sound alike but mean different things.
Pun
Art of effective communication, especially persuasive discourse.
Rhetoric
a question asked for an effect, and not actually requiring an answer.
Rhetorical Question
in general, a story in which an idealized hero or heroine undertakes a quest and is successful.
Romance
a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about a change.
Satire
characterized by a hissing sound noting sounds like those spelled with s in this
Sibilance
a figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using words such as like, as , than, or resembles.
Simile
a fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea which does not allow for any individuality, often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices.
Stereotype
a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character’s mind.
Stream of Consciousness
the distinctive way in which a writer uses language: a writer’s distinctive use of diction, tone, and syntax.
Style
a feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story.
Suspense
a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself
Symbol
a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole.
Synecdoche
an outrageously exaggerated, humorous story that is obviously unbelievable.
Tall Tale
the insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.
Theme
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization.
Tone
in general, a story in which a heroic character either dies or comes to some other unhappy end.
Tragedy
A fatal weakness or ignorance in a character that brings them to their end.
Tragic Flaw
a statement that says less than what is meant.
Understatement
A narrator who, intentionally or unintentionally, relates events of a story is a subjective and distorted manner. The author usually provides an indication early in the story that the narrator is not to be completely trusted.
Unreliable Narrator
The macro level language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality. The vernacular of the United States is English.
Vernacular
Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. Purpose is rhythm or emphasis or euphony. It is a fancy word for inversion.
Anastrophe
Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical order.
Antimetabole
Balancing words, phrases, or ideas that are strongly contrasted, often by means of grammatical structure.
Antithesis
Placing in immediately succeeding order of two or more coordinate elements, the latter of which is an explanation, qualification, or modification of the first
Apposition
Constructing a sentence so that both halves are about the same length and importance.
Balance
device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated both at the beginning and at the end of the line, clause, or sentence.
Epanalepsis
Device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences
Epistrophe
sentence marked by the use of connecting words between clauses or sentences, explicitly showing the logical or other relationships between them.
Hypotactic Sentence
the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase.
Inversion
poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit.
Juxtaposition
one in which the main clause comes first, followed by further dependent grammatical units.
Loose Sentence
simply juxtaposes clauses or sentences
Paratactic Sentence
sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements.
Periodic Sentence
sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series.
Polysyndeton
Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length.
Syntactic Fluency
The manner in which words are arranged to form sentences
Syntax
A sentence shorter than five words in length.
Telegraphic Sentence
Sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses.
Tricolon
Unified parts of the writing are related to one central idea or organizing principle.
Unity
The major structural division in a drama. They are divided into scenes. They may contain shifts in time and place.
Act
In drama, a few words or short passage spoke in an undertone or to the audience. By convention, other characters onstage are deaf to it.
Aside
The purging of the feelings of pity and fear.
Catharsis
In a classical drama, this is a group of characters placed on stage to comment upon the action and express traditional wisdom.
Chorus
The imaginary wall that separates the spectator/audience from the action taking place on stage.
Fourth Wall
A speech by a single character without another character’s response. The character however, is speaking to someone else or even a group of people.
Monologue
A traditional segment in a play. They are used to indicate (1) a change in time (2) a change in location, (3) provides a jump from one subplot to another, (4) introduces new characters (5) rearrange the actors on the stage.
Scene
a long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.
Soliloquy
A playwright’s descriptive or interpretive comments that provide readers (as well as actors and directors) with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play.
Stage Direction
A postwar European genre of drama that depicts the grotesque common plight of human beings thrown by accident into an irrational and meaningless world.
Theater of the Absurd
A pause within a line of poetry. They usually appear in the middle of a line with the use of a comma or period.
Caesura
In poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed.
Chiasmus
an elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different.
Conceit
Two rhymed lines that contain and independent and complete thought or statement.
Closed Couplet
two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.
Couplet
A poem written as a speech made by a character. Typically the persona will reveal private desires, weaknesses, crimes, or maybe in wrongdoings.
Dramatic Monologue
a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died.
Elegy
A line of poetry that does not end will a full pause (punctuation) which should then be read in conjunction with the next line of poetry without pausing.
Enjambment
a long narrative poem, written in heightened language , which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society.
Epic
poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
Free Verse
a poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker.
Lyric Poem
The count of rhythmic patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
Meter
A meter consisting of two metrical feet per line
Dimeter
A meter consisting of seven metrical feet per line
Heptameter
A meter consisting of six metrical feet per line
Hexameter
A meter consisting of one metrical foot per line
Monometer
A meter consisting of eight metrical feet per line
Octameter
A meter consisting of four metrical feet per line
Tetrameter
A meter consisting of three metrical feet per line
Trimeter
The basic unit of measurement of metrical poetry that counts the stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.
Metrical Foot
a metrical foot that contains two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable
Anapest
a metrical foot that contains one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
Dactyl
a metrical foot that contains one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
Iamb
a metrical foot that contains two stressed syllables and is used generally for emphasis
Spondee
a metrical foot that contains one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable
Trochee
four lines of a poem that can be considered as a stanza or a poem consisting of four lines.
Quartrain
a word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several times in a poem.
Refrain
a rise and fall of the voice produced by the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in language. If this is fixed in a poem it is considered a meter.
Rhythm
Two or more words that contain an identical or similar sounds that are repeated.
Rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the ends of lines of poetry rather than within.
End Rhyme
Rhyme that consists of words that are identical in sound
Exact Rhyme
A rhyme of two or more syllables with a stress on a syllable other than the last
Feminine Rhyme
Rhyme that occurs within lines of poetry rather than at the end
Internal Rhyme
Rhyme that consists of stressed syllables- either one syllable words or words whose final syllable is stressed
Masculine Rhyme
A rhyme in which the final consonant sounds are the same but the vowels are slightly different
Slant Rhyme
The method used to determine the rhythm or meter in a poem.
Scansion
Six lines of a poem that can be considered as a stanza or a poem consisting of six lines
Sestet
Three lines of a poem that are formed into one stanza that usually rhymes.
Tercet
the repetition of similar consonant sounds anywhere within words that are placed close together.
Consonance
