Flashcard Term Meanings
Terms - Meanings
Question
Answer
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds within words.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect.
Oxymoron
Contradictory terms placed together.
Juxtaposition
Placing contrasting ideas or images next to each other.
Irony
When the opposite of what is expected occurs.
Mood
The atmosphere created by the text.
Colloquialism
Use of informal language or slang.
Anecdote
A short, personal story.
Allusion
A reference to another text, event, or person.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect way of saying something harsh.
Antithesis
Contrasting ideas placed side by side.
Emotive Language
Words used to provoke an emotional response.
First-Person Narration
Story is told from the narrator’s perspective using “I”.
Third-Person Narration
The narrator describes events using “he,” “she,” or “they”.
Motif
A recurring element that has symbolic significance.
Anaphora
Repetition of words at the beginning of successive sentences.
Epistrophe
Repetition of words at the end of successive sentences.
In Medias Res
Beginning a narrative in the middle of action.
Foil
A character who contrasts with another character.
Monologue
A long speech by one character.
Soliloquy
A speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud.
Pun
A play on words, often humorous.
Cliché
An overused phrase or idea.
Tricolon
Three parallel clauses, phrases, or words.
Polyptoton
Repetition of the same root word in different forms.
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases.
Polysyndeton
Repetition of conjunctions in quick succession.
Asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions between phrases or clauses.
Derogatory
Language used to belittle or insult someone or something.
Cumulative Listing
Listing items to build up information or detail.
Collective Pronouns
Pronouns like “we”, “our”, “us” that group people together.
Characterisation
The process by which a writer develops a character.
Diction
The choice of words used by the writer.
Ethos
Appeal to the writer’s credibility or character.
Jargon
Specialized language used by a particular group.
Logos
Appeal to logic and reason.
Modality
The degree of certainty expressed in language (high or low modality).
Pathos
Appeal to emotions.
Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.
Plosives
Harsh consonant sounds (p, b, t, d).
Sensory Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
Truncated Sentences
Short, incomplete sentences.
Zoomorphism
Attributing animal characteristics to humans.
Anadiplosis
Repetition of the last word of a sentence at the beginning of the next.
Asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions in a list.
Epigraph
A short quotation at the beginning of a text, hinting at its theme.
Hyperbaton
Inversion of the normal order of words.
Hypophora
Asking a question and then immediately answering it.
Metonymy
Replacing the name of something with something closely related.
Synaesthesia
Describing one sense in terms of another.
Synecdoche
A part is used to represent the whole.
