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English > Key Words Deffinitions > Flashcards

Key Words Deffinitions Flashcards

1
Q

What does hamartia mean?

A

A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero

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2
Q

What does aside mean?

A

A remark made by the character that only the audience can hear, not the other characters

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3
Q

What is a soliloquy?

A

An act if speaking ones thoughts aloud, heard by everyone

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4
Q

What is motif?

A

A recurring element that has symbol significance in a story, that produces a theme or mood

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5
Q

What does foreshadow mean?

A

A warning or indication of a future event

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6
Q

What does resolution mean?

A

A firm decision to do or not to do something

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7
Q

What does climax mean?

A

The peak, most intense point of something

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8
Q

What does catharsis mean?

A

The process of releasing repressed or strong emotions

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9
Q

What does peripeteia mean?

A

A sudden reversal in fortune or change in circumstance

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10
Q

What is a pentameter?

A

A line of verse consisting of 5 feet, a foot being a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables

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11
Q

What is pathetic fallacy?

A

The use of weather to set a mood or atmosphere in a story/play

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12
Q

What is the protagonist?

A

The leading role in a novel/play

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13
Q

What is dramatic irony?

A

A form of irony expressed through structure/ expression of what one said and using language to signify the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect

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14
Q

What is regicide?

A

The killing of a king

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15
Q

What does autocratic mean?

A

In relation to an absolute ruler

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16
Q

What does hubris mean?

A

Excessive pride or self confidence, like arrogance, vanity, pride

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17
Q

What does infanticide mean?

A

The crime of a person who kills an infant, possibly their own child

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18
Q

What is a massacre?

A

An indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of many people

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19
Q

What is another word for a flashback?

A

Analepsis

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20
Q

What is another word for a flash-forward?

A

Prolepsis

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21
Q

What does maternal mean?

A

Of or relating to the feelings of a caring mother

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22
Q

What does paternal mean?

A

Of or related to a caring father, opposite to maternal

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23
Q

What does morality mean?

A

Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong, system of ones values and ethics

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24
Q

What does purgatory mean?

A

In catholic theology it is the state between physical death and going to heaven where sinners suffer as you are being ‘purified’

25
Q

What is regicide?

A

The action of killing a king

26
Q

What is tragedy?

A

An event that causes a immense destruction, suffering and distress, it is a type of play that often doesn’t have a happy ending

27
Q

What does treason mean?

A

The act of betraying someone or something, often ones country when changing allegiance

28
Q

What is a tyrant?

A

A cruel and oppressive ruler who people want to , and do, remove

29
Q

What is an uprising?

A

The act of resistance or rebellion, a revolt against something a group of people are against

30
Q

What does usurp mean?

A

To take something (usually a position of power) illegally or by force

31
Q

What is symbolism?

A

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

32
Q

What is a semantic field?

A

A set of semantically related ideas

33
Q

What does euphemism mean?

A

When a harsh or blunt word is replaced by an indirect one referring to something unpleasant

34
Q

What does Bildungsroman mean

A

A novel dealing with ones younger years and becoming an adult

35
Q

What does aberration mean?

A

Typically an unwelcome departure from what is normal, usual or expected. An unwelcome change

36
Q

What does abhorrent mean?

A

Inspiring disgust or loathing

37
Q

What is an allegory?

A

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

38
Q

What is an allusion?

A

An expression that calls something to the audiences mind without mentioning it explicitly (often about society)

39
Q

What does anxiety mean?

A

A feeling of worry or unease about something with an uncertain outcome

40
Q

What does atavism mean?

A

The reappearance of a characteristic from an old ancestor, reversion to a primitive type

41
Q

What does consciousness mean?

A

The state of being aware and responsible of one surroundings

42
Q

What does debased mean?

A

Reduced in quality or value

43
Q

What does degenerate mean?

A

Having lost the physical, mental or moral qualities considered normal

44
Q

What does depraved mean?

A

Morally corrupt or wicked

45
Q

What does duality mean?

A

The quality or condition of being dual

46
Q

What does duplicity mean?

A

Deceitfulness, deceptive and dishonest

47
Q

What does epistolary mean?

A

A literary work in the form of letters

48
Q

What is ethics?

A

Moral principles that govern a persons behaviour, their sense of right and wrong

49
Q

What are eugenics?

A

The science of improving a population via genes

50
Q

What does feral mean?

A

In a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication

51
Q

What is a genre?

A

A style or category of art, music or literature

52
Q

What does metamorphosis mean?

A

The process/ change of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in 2 or more distinct stages

53
Q

What does perversion mean?

A

Distortion or corruption of the original cause, meaning or state of something

54
Q

What does respectability mean?

A

The quality of being socially acceptable, valued

55
Q

What does professional mean?

A

Relating or belonging to a profession, a paid occupation

56
Q

What does colloquialism mean?

A

Phrases that are not formal, used in ordinary conversation

57
Q

What is an antagonist? Who is the main antagonistic character in NLMG?

A

A person who actively opposes someone or is hostile, such as Ruth in NLMG

58
Q

What is personification?

A

The attribution of human characteristics to something non human

English (8 decks)

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