Important Terms Flashcards
apostrophe
speech or address to someone who isn’t present or is an object
allegory
story with a hidden meaning
extended metaphor
a metaphor that is addressed multiple times
hyperbole
an extreme exaggeration
dramatic irony
when the reader knows something the characters do not
situational irony
when the opposite of what’s expected happens
verbal irony
when the opposite of what’s really meant is said (sarcasm)
metaphor
a comparison between two things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’
metonymy
an object or idea that isn’t identified by it’s own name BUT SOMETHING SIMILAR
onomatopoeia
a word that imitates the sound it represents
oxymoron
two contradictory ideas near each other
paradox
when a statement or idea contridicts itself
personification
giving an object or idea human traits
pun
similar/identical sounds with different meanings
rhetorical question
a question not meant to be answered
synecdoche
referring to a part of a larger object or idea
alliteration
the same sound at the beginning of multiple words in a phrase
anaphora
the same beginning word in a series of sentences or phrases
antimetabole
repetition of words but in a different order (ex the going gets tough, the tough gets going)
antithesis
opposites or strongly contrasting ideas are placed next to each other to create strong juxaposition
asyndeton
when words like “and” & “or” are removed from sentences
chiasmus
a type of antimetabole, second half of an expression is balanced against the first
parallelism
two or more parts of a sentence having the same structure
polysyndeton
when words like “and” & “or” are used in sentences
zeugma
a word used to convey two different definitions of the word at the same time
allusion
an expression that references another story or event
analogy
a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification
aphorism
concise and forcefully expressive observation that contains a general truth (ex if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it)
archaic diction
use of a word that’s out dated (ex Shakespeare’s lexicon)
caricature
an extreme exaggeration, is typically a physical piece of media but does not have to be
colloquialism
common way of speaking, slang
conceit
fanciful expression in sentences, it’s an elaborate metaphor (ex the wind sings through the high alp mountains)
connotation
emotional feeling of a word, idea or feeling that a word invokes as well as it’s actual meaning (ex the word “discipline”)
denotation
direct definition of the word, the actual meaning of a word, in contrast to the feeling or ideas that the word suggests (ex the word “Hollywood”)
epigram
short, witty saying that may rhyme (typically funny)
euphemism
watering down a word so that the meaning is not as harsh or blunt (ex “passed away” instead of “died”)
homily
the explanation of the gospel by the priest
juxtaposition
two things being placed close together that contrast each other (ex jumbo shrimp)
parody
an imitation of the style of some form of media with purposeful exaggeration for comic effect (ex Weird Al’s music videos)
satire
not as creative as a parody, use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose & criticize people’s stupidity or vices (ex SNL)
simile
a comparison using the word “like” or “as” (ex he was as cool as a cucumber)
symbol/ symbolism
a thing that represents or stands for something else (ex royal crown symbolizes royalty)
tone
general character or attitude of a piece of writing (ex cheerful, dry, & assertive)
understatement
making something seem less extreme, smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is (ex saying I didn’t sleep well when I didn’t sleep at all)
fragment
a small part broken or separated from the main object (ex the word “night” in “midnight”)
independent clause
a group of words that expresses a complete thought, a sentence that could be it’s own sentence
subordinate clause
a part of a sentence that is connected to the main clause of a sentence but could not stand alone as it’s own sentemce
periodic sentence
most important part is at the end of the sentence, complex sentence that has no subordinate or trailing elements following its principal clause
cumulative (loose) sentence
when the independent clause comes first in a sentence followed by dependent clauses & phrases (other details)
declarative sentence
a simple sentece structure, consists of a subject & a predicate (ex my dog is sick or it is a nice day)
interrogative sentence
a sentence that asks a question (ex Is your mom feeling well?)
horatory/ hortative
something that urges an action (ex let’s go now)
coordinating conjunction
conjunction placed between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences (ex all fanboys words)
subordinating conjunction
word that links a dependent clause to an independent clause (ex “than,” “whether,” or “still”)
simple sentence
sentence with a subject & a verb, could also have object modifiers (ex Joe waited for the (blue) train)
compound sentence
two or more separate clauses connected by a coordinate conjunction
complex sentence
sentence that has an independent clause with one or more subordinate clauses, used to provide more information
compound-complex sentence
sentence with at least two independent clauses or one or more dependent clauses, the first part cannot stand alone (ex although my friends begged me, I didn’t want to go to the class reunion)
subject complement
word or phrase that follows a linking verb and identifies or describes the subject (ex the box is colorful)
antecedent
a sentence that is put in chronological order (ex Mary saw John and called to him)
appositive
noun or a noun phrase that renames the noun next to it, adds information about another noun (ex the car, a gray SUV, was completely filled)
inversion
syntactic reversal of the normal order of the words & phrases in a sentence (ex “the form divine” rather than “the divine form”
predicate adjectives
adjectives that modify or describe the subject of a sentence or clause, linked to the subject by a linking verb (ex the joke was FUNNY)
predicate nominative
noun that completes a linking verb & renames the subject (ex Ben is a fireman means Ben is the same as a fireman, and can be described in that way, FIREMAN is the version of this device)
