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AP Literature, Mashburn > Glossary Of Literary Terms > Flashcards

Glossary Of Literary Terms Flashcards

0
Q

A familiar proverb or wise saying

A

Adage

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1
Q

A word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique”)

A

Absolute

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2
Q

Argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his position on an issue

A

Ad hominem argument

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3
Q

Literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions

A

Allegory

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4
Q

Repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words

A

Alliteration

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5
Q

Reference to something historical, literary, or mythological

A

Allusion

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6
Q

Comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

A

Analogy

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7
Q

Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences

A

Anaphora

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8
Q

Brief narrative that focuses on a specific event; often witty or quirky

A

Anecdote

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9
Q

Word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

A

Antecedent

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10
Q

Statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced

A

Antithesis

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11
Q

Concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using balance or rhyme

A

Aphorism

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12
Q

Figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or some abstraction

A

Apostrophe

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13
Q

Detail, image, or character type that appears frequently in literature

A

Archetype

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14
Q

A statement if the meaning or main point of a literary work

A

Argument

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15
Q

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions (think WITHOUT)

A

Asyndeton

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16
Q

Sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast

A

Balanced sentence

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17
Q

Insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

A

Bathos

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18
Q

A statement consisting of two parallels parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.)

A

Chiasmus

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19
Q

An expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off

A

Cliché

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20
Q

The point of highest interest in a literary work

A

Climax

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21
Q

Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing; informal diction

A

Colloquialism

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22
Q

Sentence with on independent clause and at least one dependent clause

A

Complex sentence

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23
Q

A sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

A

Compound sentence

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24
Q

A fanciful and clever extended metaphor

A

Conceit

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25
Q

Details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events

A

Concrete details

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26
Q

Implied or associative meaning of a word

A

Connotation

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27
Q

A sentence in which the main independent clauses is all orated by successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases

A

Cumulative sentence

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28
Q

Sentence that makes a statement or declaration

A

Declarative sentence

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29
Q

Reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (the sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning)
General–> specific

A

Deductive reasoning

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30
Q

The literal dictionary definition of a word

A

Denotation

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31
Q

Variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation

A

Dialect

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32
Q

Conversation between two or more people

A

Dialogue

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33
Q

Word choices made by a writer

A

Diction

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34
Q

Having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

A

Didactic

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35
Q

Situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives

A

Dilemma

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36
Q

Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds

A

Dissonance

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37
Q

Formal poem presenting a meditation in death or another solemn them

A

Elegy

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38
Q

The omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (“some people prefer cats; others, dogs”); otherwise, ‘…’

A

Ellipsis

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39
Q

Long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position

A

Epic

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40
Q

A brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying

A

Epigram

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41
Q

Saying or statement in the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work

A

Epigraph

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42
Q

Moment of sudden revelation or insight

A

Epiphany

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43
Q

Inscription on a tombstone

A

Epitaph

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44
Q

Term used to point out a characteristic of a person (“swift-footed Achilles,” “The Rocket”)

A

Epithet

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45
Q

Formal speech praising a person who has died

A

Eulogy

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46
Q

Indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

A

Euphemism

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47
Q

Sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark

A

Exclamatory sentence

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48
Q

Interjection to lend emphasis, sometimes a profanity

A

Expletive

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49
Q

A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters

A

Fable

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50
Q

Story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters

A

Fantasy

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51
Q

Language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)

A

Figurative language

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52
Q

The insertion Of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative

A

Flashback

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53
Q

Character who embodies a single quality and does not develop

A

Flat/static character

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54
Q

Presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work; points toward what is to come

A

Foreshadowing

55
Q

Story within a story

A

Frame device

56
Q

A major category or type of lit.

A

Genre

57
Q

Sermon or moralistic lecture

A

Homily

58
Q

Excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy

A

Hubris

59
Q

Intentional exaggeration to create an effect

A

Hyperbole

60
Q

Question that raises a hypothesis or supposition or poses a situation

A

Hypothetical question

61
Q

Expression in a given language that cannot be understood from literal meaning of the words in the expression

A

Idiom

62
Q

Use of figures or speech to create vivid images that appeal to one’s senses

A

Imagery

63
Q

A suggestion an author or speaker makes without stating it directly

A

Implication

64
Q

Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (opposite of deductive reasoning) for example: (“every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four legged animals”)

A

Inductive reasoning

65
Q

Conclusion one infers based on premises or evidence

A

Inference

66
Q

Intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack

A

Invective

67
Q

Use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs

A

Irony

68
Q

Specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

A

Jargon

69
Q

Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

A

Juxtaposition

70
Q

A narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements

A

Legend

71
Q

Light verse consisting of five line of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of three feet) rhyme, and the second and third lines (each consisting of two feet) rhyme

A

Limerick

72
Q

Narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought or felt by that one character

A

Limited narrator

73
Q

Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments, for instance)

A

Literary license

74
Q

A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, “it was not a pretty picture”)

A

Litotes

75
Q

Mistaken submit ion of one word for another word that sounds similar (“the doctor wrote a subscription”)

A

Malapropism

76
Q

A concise statement, often offering advice

A

Maxim

77
Q

A direct comparison of two different things (“He is a rock in tough times”)

A

Metaphor

78
Q

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it; (“the pen (writing) is mightier than the sword (war)”)

A

Metonym

79
Q

Emotional atmosphere of a work

A

Mood

80
Q

A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works

A

Motif

81
Q

Character’s incentive or Ramon for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act

A

Motivation

82
Q

Traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episode that help explain natural events

A

Myth

83
Q

A story or narrated account

A

Narrative

84
Q

The one who tells the story

A

Narrator

85
Q

An inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, “does not follow”)

A

Non sequitur

86
Q

A narrator who is able to know,case, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters

A

Omniscient character

87
Q

A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds (boom, smash)

A

Onomatopoeia

88
Q

Expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined (jumbo shrimp)

A

Oxymoron

89
Q

Simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

A

Parable

90
Q

An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

A

Paradox

91
Q

Use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms

A

Parallelism

92
Q

Humorous imitation of a serious work

A

Parody

93
Q

Comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain

A

Parenthetical

94
Q

Quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity

A

Pathos

95
Q

Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship

A

Pedantic

96
Q

Endowing non-human objects or creates with human qualities

A

Personification

97
Q

A strong verbal denunciation

A

Philippic

98
Q

Action of a narrative or drama

A

Plot

99
Q

Vantage point from which a story is told

A

Point of view

100
Q

The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

A

Polysyndeton

101
Q

Play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings

A

Pun

102
Q

Falling action of a narrative, events following the climax

A

Resolution

103
Q

Art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner

A

Rhetoric

104
Q

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

A

Rhetorical question

105
Q

Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression

A

Rhetorical devices

106
Q

A question requiring thought to answer or understand; puzzle

A

Riddle

107
Q

Term describing a character or literary work that reflects characteristics of romanticism, the literary movement beginning in the late 18th century that stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism

A

Romantic

108
Q

Character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work

A

Round character

109
Q

Harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule

A

Sarcasm

110
Q

Use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions

A

Satire

111
Q

A person of groups that bears the blame for another

A

Scapegoat

112
Q

A real or fictitious episode; a division of an act or play

A

Scene

113
Q

The time, place, and environment in which action takes place

A

Setting

114
Q

A comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

A

Simile

115
Q

A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause

A

Simple sentence

116
Q

Nonstandard grammatical usage; violation of grammatical rules

A

Solecism

117
Q

Arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work

A

Structure

118
Q

The choices a writer makes; combination of distinctive features of a literary work

A

Style

119
Q

A construction in which one word is used in two different ways (after he threw the ball, he threw a fit)

A

Syllepsis

120
Q

Three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise

A

Syllogism

121
Q

n object used to represent something else

A

Symbol

122
Q

Using one part of an object to represent the entire object (‘the crown’ to refer to the queen of England)

A

Synecdoche

123
Q

Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another (“a loud color,” “a sweet sound”)

A

Synesthesia

124
Q

The manner in which words are arranged into sentences

A

Syntax

125
Q

Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding (“free gift”)

A

Tautology

126
Q

Central idea of a work

A

Theme

127
Q

Primary position taken by a writer or speaker

A

Thesis

128
Q

The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience

A

Tone

129
Q

Subject treated in a paragraph or work

A

Topic

130
Q

A work in which the protagonist is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction

A

Tragedy

131
Q

A work in three parts (FSOG)

A

Trilogy

132
Q

Overused and hackneyed

A

Trite

133
Q

The point in which a very significant change occurs

A

Turning point

134
Q

The deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is (deliberate under-emphasis)

A

Understatement

135
Q

The customary way language or its elements are used

A

Usage

136
Q

The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage

A

Vernacular

AP Literature, Mashburn (1 decks)

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