Language/Literary Terms, Techniques and Devices Flashcards
Imagery
descriptive language that appeals to the senses and re-creates sensory experience
Imagery - visual
eg. “fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves”
Imagery - Auditory/sound
eg. “the deafening tic-tic-tic of the clock”
Imagery - Olfactory/smell
eg. “and lucent syrups, tinct with cinnamon”
Imagery - Tectile/touch
eg. “soft as a child’s nose”
Imagery - synthetic the effect of multiple senses
eg. “she stroked molten tones”
Simile
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using an explicit word such as: like, resembles, as or than.
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else
Mixed metaphor
the inconsistent mixture of two or more metaphors - (usually considered evidence of bad writing)
eg. “let’s set sail and get this show on the road”
dead metaphor
a metaphor that is so overused that it has become trite or cliché
eg. “the eye of the storm”
extended metaphor
a metaphor that is extended, or developed, over several lines of writing or even throughout an entire poem
synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to stand for the whole
eg. “and did those feet in ancient time/Walk upon England’s mountain green?”
antithesis
a figure of speech in which contrasting or opposite ideas are presented in parallel form
eg. “some praise at morning what they blame at night.”
hyperbole
a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
eg. “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”
personification
a figure of speech in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
eg. “a smiling mood”
apostrophe
a figure of speech in which the speaker directly and often emotionally addresses a person who is dead or otherwise not physically present, an imaginary person or entity, something inhuman, or a place or concept (usually an abstract idea or ideal)
eg. “death, be not proud’
irony
a contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality - between what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected to happen and what really does, or between what appears to be true and what really is.
Irony - Verbal
a writer/speaker says one thing but means another (often resembling sarcasm which is NOT a literary device)
eg. “you’re a real babe ruth”
Irony - situational
a contrast between what would seem appropriate and what really happens.
eg. dying the day after you win the lottery
Irony - dramatic
a discrepancy between a character’s perception and what the reader or audience knows to be true
eg. Romeo drinks poison because he thinks Juliet is dead, while the audience knows that she is merely drugged and not dead at all
rhetorical question
any question asked for a purpose other than to obtain the information the question asks
eg. “why are you so stupid?”
oxymoron
a figure of speech that fuses two contradictory or opposing ideas
eg. “darkness visible”
allusion
a reference to a statement, person, place, event or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or pop culture
eg. “sons of Adam and daughters of Eve”
Symbol
anything that stands for or represents something larger and more complex
symbolism
the serious and relatively sustained use of symbols to represent or suggest other things ideas
Alliteration
the repetition of initial consonant sounds, or simply the repetition of sounds in words
eg. “The bird’s fire-fangled feathers dangle down”
assonance
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds
(often produce effects known as half-rhyme, approximate thyme or slant rhyme)
eg “What large, dark hands are those at the window”
consonance
the repetition of a consonant sound in stressed syllables
(often produce effects known as half-rhyme, approximate thyme or slant rhyme)
eg. “Let the boy try along this bayonet blade”
repetition
the use, more than once, of any element of language - a sound, a word, a phrase, a clause, a sentence, a grammatical pattern or a rhythmical pattern.
pun
a play on words, either using a word or a phrase that has two different meanings or two different words or phrases with the same sound
eg. “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man”
ellipsis
three periods used to show a pause in dialogue due to hesitancy perhaps, or to show that words or sentences have been left out
eg “I’m going to finish this…”
anahora
repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences
eg. “it takes a man. it takes a dog. it takes love”
parallelism
the use of grammatically similar constructions, often repetition, to accentuate ideas or images
onomatopoeia
the use of words whose sounds imitate or suggest their meanings
eg “quack” “tic-tic-tic”
paradox
a statement that seems to be contradictory but that actually presents a truth
eg. “what is the sound of one hand clapping”
Allegory
story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities
ambiguity
Deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work
Analogy
Comparison made between two things to show how they are alike
Anaphora
A deliberate repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the beginning of two or more sentence in a row to help make the writer’s point more coherent
Anatrophe
Inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence in order to create rhythm, emphasis or euphony
Abecdote
Brief story, told to illustrate a point or serve as an example of something, often shows character of an individual
Abtagonist
Opponent who struggles against or blocks the protagonist in a story; not always human
Antimetabole
A figure of speech in which worlds or clauses from the first half of a sentence are repeated in the second half of the sentence in reverse order
eg. “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
Antithesis
Figure of speech in which a thought is balanced with a contrasting thought in parallel arrangement
eg “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Antihero
Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes
Anthropomorphism
A type of personification where human characterists are attributed to an animal
Aphorism
also known as maxim or epigram
Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or general truth (also known as maxim or epigram)
Apostrophe
Calling out to an imaginary, dead or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea as if he/she/it vsn hear you or answer you
Invocation
Apostrophe BUT if a character is asking a deity or supernatural power for help or inspiration
Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds of words that are in close proximity; usually only recognised in verse
Asyndeton
commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasising the parts equally
Cacophony
The usage of several unharmonious or dissonant sounds in a line or passage; include the explosive consonants k, t, g, d, p, and b, and the hissing sounds ch, sh, and s
Euphony
The opposite of Cacophony
Caesura
A pause for effect in the middle of a line of poetry, usually marked with a period, dash, or semi-colon
Canon
works generally considered bu scholars, critics and teachers to be the most important to study or read, which collectively constitutes the “masterpieces” or “classics” of literature
Catharsis
Aristotle’s word for the pity and fear an audience experiences upon viewing the downfall of a hero
Characterisation
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
Indirect Characterisation
The author reveals the personality of a character by describing physical appearance, using dialogue, revealing character’s thoughts or effect on other characters, or through the character’s actions
Direct Characterisation
author tells reader directly what the character is like
eg. “sneaky”
Static Character
A character who does not change much throughout the course of the story
Dynamic Character
A character who changes in some important way (for the better or worse) as a result of the story’s action
Flat character
A character that has only one or two personality traits; one-dimensional
Round Character
A character that is complex and most like a real person
Chiasmus
two or more clauses which are related grammatically and conceptually, but in which the grammar and concepts are reversed
(Chiasmus and antimetabole are often used as synonyms but are slightly different)
Colloquialism
A word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations
Conceit / extended metaphor
An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different - often called an extended metaphor
Conflict
The struggle between opposing forces or character in a story
External conflict
conflicts that can exist between two people or between a person and nature, machine, society, etc
Internal conflict
a conflict involving opposing forces within a person’s mind (man vs. self)
Connotation
the associate and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition
Denotation
the opposite of Connotation
Consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds of words that are in close proximity usually only recognises in verse.
Crux
The most crucial line(s) in a poem or prose passage; the heart or the main point of the text
Denouement
the resolution of a plot’s main conflict always occurring after the climax of a story
Dialect
A way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or geographical region
Diction
a speaker or writer’s choice of words
Didactic
A description for fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking
enjambment
A line of verse that carries over to the next line without a pause of any kind
elegy
a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died
eulogy
a speech of praise or commendation delivered when someone has died
Epic
a long, narrative poem written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character embodies that values of a particular society
Epigram
A brief saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way
epigraph
a brief quotation at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme
epilogue
a section at the end of a book or play that serves as a conclusion to what has happened
epiphany
an awakening or sudden burst of insight (a key moment in greek plays)
Epistrophe
device of repetition in which the same expression (single word or phrase) is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses or sentences
Anaphora
Opposite of Epistrophe
Epitaph
an engraving on a tombstone
Epithet
A nickname or descriptive term that’s added to someone’s name that becomes part of common usage
eg. “Alexander the Great”
Euphemism
Substitute words that sound less offensive or more neutral then others
eg. “passed away > died”
Euphony
The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words and sounds
Cacophony
The opposite of Euphony
Explication
Act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language
Fable
A very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life
Figurative Language
writing or speech not meant to be taken literally in order to create an effect - includes figurative language devices eg. simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, hyperbole, oxymorons, etc.
Foil
A character who acts as a contrast to another character; often a villain contrasting the hero
Folk tale
A story which has been composed orally and then passed down by word of mouth
Free Verse
Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme
Hypophora
A figure of speech in which the speaker both asks a question and immediately answers it
Idiom
A saying, phrase, or fixed expression in a culture that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning
eg. “It’s raining cats and dogs”
Irony
A discrepancy between appearances and reality
Verbal Irony
when someone says something but means something else
Situational Irony
A discrepancy between what is expected to occur and what actually occours
Dramatic Irony
When the audience or reader knows the truth, but the character does not
Juxtaposition
Poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit
Litotes
a figure of speech in which a negative statement is used to affirm a positive sentiment
Maxim
a short statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which a person, place or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it
Microcosm
A small “world” that stand for the larger one
eg. “In the Lord of the Flies that island is representative of the world’s political realm”
Mood
An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction and the details selected; the feeling the reader gets
tone
The feeling of the writer towards a subject
The attitude of a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organisation
Motif
A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a word (or several works by the same author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme
Paradox
A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth
Polysyndeton
The repetition of a number of conjunctions in close succession without the use of commas
eg. “we have men and arms and planes and tanks”
Protagonist
The central character in a story who drives the action; usually the hero or antihero; a tragic hero with have a tragic flaw in his character that will lead to his downfall
Rhetoric
the art of speaking or writing effectively; skill in the eloquent use of language
Rhetorical device
a device used to produce effective speaking or writing
Rhetorical Question
a question asked for an effect where the speaker does not expect an answer
Stream of Consciousness
Writing the portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character’s mind
Style
a writer’s typical way of expressing himself or herself; a writer’s distinctive use of diction, tone, syntax
Symbolism
to inject an object with a certain meaning that is different from the original meaning or function, so the object stands for something much greater than itself
Synesthesia
When a writer presents an idea in such a manner that it appeals to more than one sense simultaneously, thus creating additional layers of meaning
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language
Theme
The insight about human life that is revealed in literary work
Vernacular
the language spoken by the people who line in a particular locality
