Lang&Lit Vocab Terms Flashcards
Contains vocabulary that may or may not be used again, but best to know it just in case.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. (i.e. “I live on the corner in the middle of the street”, “Bittersweet”, “a deafening silence”)
Praxis
action or practice, as opposed to theory
Polysyndeton
the repeated use of conjunctions (“neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”
Verisimilitude
the semblance of truth (a.k.a. the appearance). This is found in a work of fiction where situations, dialogue, & characters are portrayed authentically despite being made-up elements (i.e.; Beg. - thunderclouds form, end - rain begins to pour)
Verbal Irony
Words express something contrary to truth or someone says the opposite of what they really feel or mean.
“My day is going great! Thanks for asking” (it’s really not)
- often aligned with sarcasm
Syntax
the set of rules that determines the arrangement of words in a sentence (think: subject-verb-object word order)
Synecdoche
- type of metonymy
- a figure of speech in which a term for part of something is used to refer to the whole, or vice versa
- used to emphasize the symbolic importance of a specific part of a whole
“Check out my new wheels!”
“Offer your hand in marriage.”
“Hungry mouths to feed.”
All synecdoches are metonymies, but not all metonymies are synecdoches.
Situational Irony
- found in the plot (or storyline) of a book, story, or movie
- usually for humorous purposes
- the opposite of what is expected actually happen
- an event that mocks the circumstances
Simple Sentence
A simple sentence is a sentence with one independent clause with no conjunction or dependent clause.
Active Voice
- subject of the sentence performs the action
- more direct and preferred style of writing
- opposite to passive voice
Examples: “Adrian drove while Tony searched the house.”
“Cathy stuffed her face with cake.”
Allusion
occurs when the text references or responds to an earlier person, place, artistic work, or historical event but does not explain the connection; instead, it relies on the reader’s assumed knowledge and it’s a shorthand way to refer to or lean on important history without spending time outlining it.
Example: Works of literature often allude to well-known parts of the bible, such as when calling someone a “good Samaritan,” (Luke 10:29-37) or to Greek Mythology, such as in T.S. Eliot’s allusion to Tiresias in The Wasteland)
Aphorism
- a concise, terse, iconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principal
“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
“a man is a child of his father”
Anaphora
repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses.
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right!”
“Ein Volk! Ein Reich! Ein Fuhrer!”
Apostrophe
An apostrophe is a speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object.
(Atrophy is in name, along with post)
Antithesis
A contrast or opposite. (Two contrasting subjects, items, adjectives, and verbs).
Example: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Anachronism
- expression used to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; indirect
- a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned
Assonance
- the repetition of a vowel sound in adjacent or closely connected words
- often used in poetry
“Hear the mellow wedding bells”
“The rain is Spain falls mainly on the plain”
Asyndeton
conjunctions (and, but, or) are intentionally omitted to change a sentence’s tone
(Live, Laugh, Love)
Catharsis
The purification or purgation of emotions (especially pity and fear) primarily through art.
Chiasmus
- a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses, but with no repetition of words
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“I flee who chases me & chase who flees me.”
Connotation
- an additional idea or emotion that is connected with a word, as opposed to its dictionary definition
- opposite of denotation
- often implies somethin unsaid
“Will work for food” = Hunger - can be used to make a noun sound positive or negative
([my inexpensive Valentine’s] vs. [my cheap Valentine’s gift])
Compound Sentence
- a sentence w/ 2 independent clauses joined by a conjunction
- Remember FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
- “Evan likes Decathlon, and he will always put in work (be like Evan).”
Compound-Complex Sentence
- a sentence w/ multiple independent clauses & at least one dependent clause
- “Although reading the binder requires a great amount of time & effort, Evan likes winning competitions so he willingly puts forth the required effort.” (again, be like Evan)
Complex Sentence
- a sentence w/ one independent clause & at least one dependent clause
- “Although reading the binder requires a great amount of time & effort, Evan thinks winning medals is worth it.” (be like Evan)
Denotation
The objective meaning of the word (literal dictionary definition).
- OPPOSITE of connotation > remember the “d” in denotation as the dictionary/literal meaning.
Ex: The boy was pushy! (he literally pushed people. connotation would have been excessively assertive.)
Dramatic Irony
- expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite
- typically for humorous or emphatic effect
- audience has information the character is unaware of
Foil
- a character that contrasts with another character (usually used to highlight certain qualities of the protagonist, which also often turns out to be the antagonist)
Ex: Yin and Yang (the Taijitu)
Irony
When a moment of dialogue or plot contradicts the audience’s expectations of what it is supposed to mean or what the audience expects to occur, especially when the opposite happens
Juxtaposition
Placing two or more ideas, images, or people side by side for contrast.
Litotes
- figure of speech and form of understatement in which sentiment is expressed ironically by negating its contrary
- deliberately makes something sound less intense or extreme than it really is (often as form of comedy or irony)
“she’s not ugly”
“I am not unfamiliar with poetry” - opposite of hyperbole
Maxim
- a short, easily remembered expression of a basic principal, truth, or rule of conduct
“Birds of a feather flock together”
“Actions speak louder than words”
“Time and tide wait for no man”
Metonymy
- figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept
“I need a hand” (hand -assistance)
“Look at that fat suit!” (suit -business executive)
“Swear loyalty to the crown.” (crown - royal family)
Passive Voice
- often overused, resulting in lifeless writing
- the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action expressed by the verb (agent performing the action may appear in a “by the…”
“My homework is being done.”
“The house was painted by Anna”
Phenomenology
A philosophy that interrogates the meaning of the lived experience of human beings, especially the study of consciousness from a first-person perspective.
