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homework flashcards

1
Q

adventure

A

an unusual and exciting or daring experience

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2
Q

allegory

A

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

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3
Q

allusion

A

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

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4
Q

amplification

A

the action of making something more marked or intense.

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5
Q

anadiplosis

A

a device in which the last word or phrase of one clause, sentence, or line is repeated at the beginning of the next.

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6
Q

anaphora

A

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

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7
Q

analogy

A

a comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

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8
Q

anastrophe

A

the inversion of the usual order of words or clauses

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9
Q

anecdote

A

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

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10
Q

anthropomorphism

A

the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object

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11
Q

antithesis

A

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

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12
Q

aphorism

A

a pithy observation which contains a general truth

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13
Q

aposiopesis

A

the device of suddenly breaking off in speech

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14
Q

archetype

A

a very typical example of a certain person or thing

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15
Q

asyndeton

A

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence, as in I came, I saw, I conquered

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16
Q

authorial intrusion

A

literary device that occurs when the writer inserts their opinion, commentary, or judgments into a story

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17
Q

bildungsroman

A

coming of age story

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18
Q

cacophony

A

a harsh discordant mixture of sounds

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19
Q

catachresis

A

the use of a word in an incorrect way

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20
Q

characterisation

A

the creation or construction of a fictional character.

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21
Q

chiasmus

A

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order

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22
Q

conflict

A

a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one

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23
Q

connotation

A

a word associated with another

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24
Q

denotation

A

the literal meaning of a word

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25
deus ex machina
a person or thing that appears or is introduced into a situation suddenly and unexpectedly and provides an artificial or contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty.
26
diacope
a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of words, separated by a small number of intervening words
27
diction
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
28
doppelganger
an apparition or double of a living person
29
epanalepsis
Figure of emphasis in which the same word or words both begin(s) and end(s) a phrase, clause, or sentence
30
epilogue
a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.
31
epistrophe
the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences
32
epizeuxis
a form of repetition in which a word is repeated immediately for emphasis
33
euphemism
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
34
flashback
looking back in time at a certain event prior to that point in the novel
35
foil
character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character
36
folklore
the expressive body of culture shared by a particular group of people;
37
foregrounding
make (something) the most prominent or important feature
38
foreshadowing
hinting to something that'll happen later on in the text
39
hendiadys
the expression of a single idea by two words connected with
40
hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence.
41
hyperbaton
an inversion of the normal order of words, especially for the sake of emphasis,
42
hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
43
imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
44
in medias res
into the middle of a narrative
45
irony
a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
46
isocolon
a rhetorical scheme in which parallel elements possess the same number of words or syllables
47
juxtaposition
the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect
48
litotes
ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary
49
malapropism
the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with an amusing effect
50
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable
51
metonymy
the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant
52
mood
the atmosphere or pervading tone of something
53
motif
a decorative image or design, especially a repeated one forming a pattern
54
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
55
paradox
a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true
56
pathetic fallacy
when the weather reflects the mood
57
periphrasis
the use of indirect and circumlocutory speech or writing
58
personification
giving an inanimate object life or personality
59
plot
the main events of a story
60
point of view
the position from which something or someone is observed.
61
polyptoton
a figure of speech that involves the repetition of words derived from the same root
62
polysyndeton
a list or series of words, phrases, or clauses that is connected with the repeated use of the same conjunction
63
portmanteau
a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others
64
prologue
a separate introductory section of a literary, dramatic, or musical work
65
puns
a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.
66
satire
the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues
67
setting
the surroundings in which the events take place
68
simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid
69
spoonerism
a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect
70
stream of consciousness
a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator.
71
suspense
a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.
72
symbol
a thing that represents or stands for something else
73
synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
74
synaesthesia
the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body
75
syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language
76
theme
the subject of a talk, piece of writing, exhibition, etc
77
tone
the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation
78
tragedy
a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
79
understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller or less good or important than it really is
80
verisimilitude
the appearance of being true or real.
81
zeugma
a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses

English lit (4 decks)

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