how it's said Flashcards
adage
A familiar proverb or saying
ambiguity
Result of something being stated in such a way that its meaning cannot be definitely determined
colloquialism
Informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
comedic relief
A humorous scene or passage inserted into an otherwise serious work intended to provide an emotional outlet and change of pace; creates a contrast that further emphasizes the seriousness of the work
euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
hyperbole
A figure of speech that uses deliberate exaggeration to achieve an effect; sometimes called overstatement
idiom
An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect
interior monologue
A mode of narrative intended to reveal to the reader the subjective thoughts, emotions, and fleeting sensations experienced by a character
irony
A contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality
verbal irony
a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant
situational irony
a discrepancy between expectation and reality
dramatic irony
an incongruity between what a character says/thinks and what the reader knows to be true
romantic irony
works whose authors/speakers at some point reveal their narration to be the fabrication of an idiosyncratic and highly self-conscious creator; wreaks havoc with reader/audience as usual suspension of disbelief, debunking as illusion the normal operating assumption that the narration is a believable representation of reality
jargon
The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession
mood
The general feeling created in the reader at a given point
point of view
the vantage point from which a narrative is told
first person POV
a narrator who is a character in the story
third person limited POV
a 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
third person omniscient POV
a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters
pun
a play on words that capitalizes on a similarity of spelling and/or pronunciation between words that have different meanings; may also employ one word that has multiple meanings
rhetorical question
a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
sarcasm
bitter or cutting speech; intended to insult the person addressed
stream of consciousness
A particular type of interior monologue, is an attempt to represent the inner workings of a character’s mind, to recreate the continuous, chaotic flow of half-formed and discontinuous thoughts, memories, sense impressions, random associations, images, feelings, and reflections
tone
The writer or speaker’s attitude towards the subject; the emotional coloring or meaning of a work
understatement
A figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means, or of saying what one means with less force than what the occasion warrants; often used for humorous, ironic, or even satiric effect
vernacular
the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage