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Literary Devices English 30-1 > Literary Devices > Flashcards

Literary Devices Flashcards

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1
Q

Active Voice

A

A grammatical voice in which a subject performs the action described by a verb

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2
Q

Allegory

A

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

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3
Q

Alliteration

A

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

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4
Q

Allusion

A

An experience designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

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5
Q

Analogy

A

A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification

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6
Q

Antagonist

A

A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary

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7
Q

Anti-Climax

A

The usually sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial or ludicrous idea

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8
Q

Antithesis

A

A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

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9
Q

Apostrophe

A

A punctuation mark used to indicate either possession or the omission of letters or numbers

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10
Q

Argumentative Essay

A

A genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner

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11
Q

Anecdotal Evidence

A

Evidence in the form of stories that people tell about what has happened to them

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12
Q

Archaic Language

A

The use of writing that is today considered outdated or old fashioned

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13
Q

Aside

A

A remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play

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14
Q

Assonance

A

In poetry, the repetition of the sound a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to the discernible

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15
Q

Atmosphere

A

The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art

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16
Q

Atmosphere

A

The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art

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17
Q

Audience

A

The assembled spectators or listeners at a public event, such as a play, movie, concert, or meeting

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18
Q

Autobiography

A

An account of a person’s life written by that person

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19
Q

Ballad

A

A poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Traditional ballads are typically of unknown authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation to the next

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20
Q

Ballad Stanza

A

A four-line stanza, often used in ballads, in which the second and fourth lines rhyme and have three stresses each and the first and third lines are unrhymed and have four stresses each

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21
Q

Bias

A

Cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something

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22
Q

Biography

A

The story of a real person’s life

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23
Q

Blank Verse

A

Poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter

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24
Q

Cacophony

A

The use of a combination of words with loud, harsh sounds

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25
Q

Caricature

A

A drawing or written or spoken description of someone that usually makes them look silly by making a part of their appearance or character more noticeable than it really is

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26
Q

Case Study

A

A teaching method based on the description of a real or hypothetical situation that requires a solution or action

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27
Q

Catastrophe

A

The final action that completes the unraveling of the plot in a play, especially in a tragedy

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28
Q

Cause and Effect

A

A relationship between actions or events in which at least one action or event is a direct result of the others

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29
Q

Character

A

A person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story

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30
Q

Characterization

A

The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character

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31
Q

Character Foil

A

A supporting character who has a contrasting personality and set of values

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32
Q

Chorus

A

Those who perform vocally in a group as opposed to those who perform singly

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33
Q

Chronological Order

A

Described or shown in the order in which they happened

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34
Q

Climax

A

The highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something

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35
Q

Colloquialism

A

The linguistic style to describe casual communication

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36
Q

Colloquial Language

A

The linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication

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37
Q

Comedy

A

A dramatic work that is written for the purpose to amuse or entertain the audience

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38
Q

Comic Relief

A

An amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action

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39
Q

Compare and Contrast

A

Comparison in writing discusses elements that are similar, while contrast in writing discusses elements that are different

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40
Q

Comparison

A

A rhetorical strategy and method of organization in which the writer examines similarities and/or differences between two people, places, ideas, or things

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41
Q

Conflict

A

A literary device characterized by a struggle between two opposing forces

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42
Q

Connotation

A

The wide array of positive and negative associations that most words naturally carry with them

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43
Q

Consonance

A

The repetition of similar sounds - or consonants (non-vowels) - in language

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44
Q

Contrast

A

A rhetorical device used by a writer to emphasize the differences between two people, places, or things

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45
Q

Couplet

A

A pair of end-rhymed lines of verse that are self-contained in grammatical structure and meaning

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46
Q

Denotation

A

The objective meaning of a word or phrase

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47
Q

Denouement

A

The point in a story in which the conflict is resolved

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48
Q

Descriptive Essay

A

A genre of essay that asks the student to describe something - object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc.

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49
Q

Dialect

A

A form of writing that shows the accent and way people talk in a particular region

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50
Q

Dialogue

A

A written or spoken exchange of words between one or more characters

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51
Q

Diary

A

Form of autobiographical writing, a regularly kept record of the writer’s activities and reflections

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52
Q

Diction

A

The linguistic choices a writer makes to effectively convey an idea, a point of view, or tell a story

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53
Q

Didactic

A

Designed or intended to teach people something

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54
Q

Dilemma

A

A conflict, problem, or situation with two possible solutions

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55
Q

Direct Presentation

A

That method of characterization in which the author, by exposition or analysis, tells us directly what a character is like, or has someone else in the story do so

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56
Q

Dissonance

A

The deliberate avoidance of assonance

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57
Q

Drama

A

A written work that tells a story through action and speech and is meant to be acted on a stage

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58
Q

Dramatic Irony

A

A literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters

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59
Q

Dramatic Monologue

A

A poem written in the form of a speech of an individual character

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60
Q

Dramatic Form

A

A performance in which there is a distinct plot depicted by actors where the story of the work and/or words is associated and carries forward the plot and its accompanying action

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61
Q

Dynamic Character

A

A literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude

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62
Q

Editorial

A

An article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper

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63
Q

Elegy

A

A sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something in the pasrt

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64
Q

Emotional Appeal

A

An emotional manipulation that is often used to win an argument using feelings and emotion rather than logic

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65
Q

Epic

A

Long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds

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66
Q

Epilogue

A

A final section that brings to an end and summarizes or comments on the action or characters of a story

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67
Q

Epiphany

A

A usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something

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68
Q

Epigram

A

A concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought

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69
Q

Epitaph

A

A short piece of writing or a poem about a dead person, especially one written on their gravestone

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70
Q

Euphemism

A

A polite word or expression that is used to refer to things which people may find upsetting or embarrassing to talk about

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71
Q

Euphony

A

Sound patterns used in verse to achieve opposite effects

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72
Q

Expert Testimony

A

A formal statement that they make about what they saw someone do or what they know of a situation

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73
Q

Exposition

A

The art of providing essential background information about the main characters and the world of your story

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74
Q

Expository Essay

A

A genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner

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75
Q

Extended Metaphor

A

A metaphor in a literary work, such as a novel or poem, that isn’t just used in one line but is extended over multiple lines or throughout the work

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76
Q

External Conflict

A

A conflict that is between a character and an external force, such as another character

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77
Q

Fable

A

A short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters

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78
Q

Falling Action

A

The elements of plot after a story’s climax and before the resolution

79
Q

Fantasy

A

Imaginative fiction dependent for effect on strangeness of setting (such as other worlds or times) and of characters (such as supernatural or unnatural beings)

80
Q

Farce

A

A light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot

81
Q

Figurative Language

A

A literary device that uses words or phrases for effect, humorous, or exaggeration purposes, instead of their literal translation

82
Q

First Person Point of View

A

The narrator is a character in the story telling it from their perspective

83
Q

Flashback

A

Interrupts that chronological sequence, the front line action or “present” line of the story, to show readers a scene that unfolded in the past

84
Q

Flat Character

A

Two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work

85
Q

Foil

A

A character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character

86
Q

Foreshadowing

A

A narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted

87
Q

Form

A

The style in which a text is written

88
Q

Formal Essay

A

A piece of writing that informs or persuades its audience

89
Q

Formal Language

A

Less personal than informal language

90
Q

Frame Story

A

A narrative that frames or surrounds another story or set of stories

91
Q

Free Verse

A

Nonmetrical, nonrhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech

92
Q

Genre

A

A category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

93
Q

Graphic Text

A

Pictures, visual aids, or other images within a text used to support the author’s purpose and message

94
Q

Hero

A

The main character in a literary work

95
Q

Historical Reference

A

Historical people, situations, or things existed in the past and are considered to be a part of history

96
Q

Hyperbole

A

A rhetorical and literary technique where an author or speaker intentionally uses exaggeration and overstatement for emphasis and effect

97
Q

Iambic Pentameter

A

A rhythm structure, used most commonly in poetry, that combines unstressed syllables and stressed syllables in groups of five

98
Q

Idiom

A

The choice of words and the way they are combined that is characteristic of a language

99
Q

Image

A

A physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible

100
Q

Imagery

A

A literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a reader’s senses to create an image or idea in their head

101
Q

Indeterminate Ending

A

One in which the central conflict is left unresolved

102
Q

Indirect Presentation

A

A speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words

103
Q

Informal Essay

A

Written as a reflection or a response to something, or written as a type of informational piece about a personal experience

104
Q

Informal Language

A

More casual and spontaneous language

105
Q

Interior Monologue

A

Speech that is casual and relaxed

106
Q

Internal Conflict

A

A character’s inner struggle

107
Q

Internal Rhyme

A

Rhyme between a word within a line and another either at the end of the same line or within another line

108
Q

Irony

A

Whenever a person says something or does something that departs from what they (or we) expect them to say or do

109
Q

Jargon

A

Words and expressions that are used in special or technical ways by particular ways by particular groups of people, often making the language difficult to understand

110
Q

Juxtaposition

A

When you place two concepts or objects next to or near each other, thereby highlighting their innate differences and similarities

111
Q

Legend

A

A traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place

112
Q

Limited Omniscient Point of View

A

The limited omniscient third-person narrator can only see into one character’s mind

113
Q

Literal Language

A

Exactly what is written

114
Q

Lyric

A

A type of persona rhythmic poetry

115
Q

Melodrama

A

A story or play in which there are a lot of exciting or sad events in which people’s emotions are very exaggerated

116
Q

Metaphor

A

A figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison

117
Q

Metre

A

The basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse

118
Q

Monologue

A

A speech given by a single character in a story

119
Q

Mood

A

The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion

120
Q

Mystery

A

Something not understood or beyond understanding

121
Q

Myth

A

An ancient story or set of stories, especially explaining the early history of a group of people or about natural events and facts

122
Q

Narrative

A

The art or practice of telling stories

123
Q

Narration

A

The way that a story is told

124
Q

Narrator

A

One who tells a story

125
Q

Objective (language tone, etc.)

A

Information based on facts as opposed to personal feelings or opinions

126
Q

Objective Point of View

A

The narrator is not involved in the action of the story

127
Q

Octave

A

The interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency

128
Q

Ode

A

A lyrical poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms

129
Q

Omniscient Point of View

A

A third-person literary perspective that offers omniscient insight into one or more character’s minds

130
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

The use or creation of a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes

131
Q

Oxymoron

A

A figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings

132
Q

Paradox

A

A figure of speech in which a statement appears to contradict itself

133
Q

Parallelism

A

Using similar words, clauses, phrases, sentence structure, or other grammatical elements to emphasize similar ideas in a sentence

134
Q

Parody

A

An imitation of the style and manner of a particular writer or school of writers

135
Q

Passive Voice

A

Produces a sentence in which the subject receives an action

136
Q

Pastoral

A

A way of writing about life in countryside that emphasizes the gentle, leisurely, and often pleasurable aspects of that life

137
Q

Pathos

A

To persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel

138
Q

Personal Essay

A

A short written work that lets a writer describe a personal experience or significant event based on their experiences or worldview

139
Q

Personification

A

One of the many literary devices writers us to make their writing more engaging

140
Q

Persuasive Essay

A

A piece of academic writing in which you employ logic and evidence to convince a reader to accept your point of view

141
Q

Persuasive Technique

A

A literary technique that writers use to present their ideas through reason and logic, in order to influence the audience

142
Q

Plot

A

The sequence of events in which each event affects the next one through the principle of cause-and-effect

143
Q

Point of View

A

What the character or narrator telling the story can see (his or her perspective)

144
Q

Pro and Con Argument

A

Arguments for or against a particular issue

145
Q

Prologue

A

A preface or introduction to a literary work

146
Q

Propaganda

A

The dissemination of information - facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies - to influence public opinion

147
Q

Protagonist

A

The character who drives the action - the character whose fate matters the most

148
Q

Proverb

A

A short, pithy statement that usually offers life advice, wisdom, or a truth

149
Q

Purpose

A

Something set up as an object or end to be attained

150
Q

Pun

A

A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or involving words with similar sounds

151
Q

Quatrain

A

A piece of verse complete in four rhymed lines

152
Q

Question and Answer

A

Similar to hypophora - figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker

153
Q

Refrain

A

A word, line, or phrase that is repeated within the lines or stanzas of the poem itself

154
Q

Repetition

A

A literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times

155
Q

Research

A

The acquisition of information within a specific literary work

156
Q

Resolution

A

The end of the story

157
Q

Rhetorical Question

A

An inquiry that ends in a question mark but is asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer

158
Q

Rhyme

A

The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line

159
Q

Rhyme Scheme

A

The formal arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or a poem

160
Q

Rhythm

A

The patterned recurrence, within a certain range of regularity of specific language features, usually features of sound

161
Q

Rising Action

A

The second of six essential plot elements, which comes right after the opening of a story, otherwise known as the exposition

162
Q

Round Character

A

A character that is nuanced and well thought-out. They usually play an important role in the story, written specifically so audiences can pay attention to them for a specific reason

163
Q

Sarcasm

A

A literary device that uses irony to mock someone or something or convey contempt

164
Q

Satire

A

The art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets. Normally used politically

165
Q

Sestet

A

A six-line stanza, or the final six lines of a 14-line Italian or Petrarchan sonnet

166
Q

Setting

A

The time and place in which a story is told

167
Q

Simile

A

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by “like” or “as”

168
Q

Slang

A

Unconventional words or phrases that express either something new or something old in a new way

169
Q

Soliloquy

A

A monologue that is delivered when the character is alone

170
Q

Sonnet

A

A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy

171
Q

Speaker

A

The voice of the poem, similar to a narrator in fiction

172
Q

Stanza

A

A division of a poem consisting of two or more lines arranged together as a unit

173
Q

Stream of Consciousness

A

A narrative style that tries to capture a character’s thought process in a realistic way

174
Q

Statistical Evidence

A

The kind of data people tend to look for first when trying to prove a point

175
Q

Static Character

A

A character that does not undergo important change in the course of the story, remaining essentially the same at the end

176
Q

Stereotype

A

Cliched or predictable characters or situations

177
Q

Stock / Stereotyped Character

A

A character in a drama or fiction that represents. a type and that is recognizable as belonging to a certain genre

178
Q

Story Within a Story

A

A character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one)

179
Q

Style

A

The way in which an author writes and/or tells a story

180
Q

Stylistic Technique

A

Any of a variety of techniques to give an additional and/or supplemental meaning, idea, or feeling

181
Q

Subjective (Language tone, etc.)

A

Something that is based on a person’s opinions, individual experienced, and biased influences instead of facts

182
Q

Surprise Ending

A

A literary technique that introduces a radical change in direction or expected outcome of the plot in a story

183
Q

Suspense

A

The anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery

184
Q

Symbol

A

An object, person, situation, or an action that. has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings

185
Q

Symbolism

A

Something that stands for or suggests something else

186
Q

Theme

A

A universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature

187
Q

Thesis

A

Focuses your ideas for the paper; it’s your argument or insight or viewpoint crystallized into a single sentences that gives the reader your main idea

188
Q

Thesis Statement

A

A sentence or two that summarizes the main point that an essay, research paper, or speech is making

189
Q

Third-Person Point of View

A

The narrator exists outside. the events of the story, and relates the actions of the characters by referring to their names. or by the third-person pronouns: “he”, “she”, or “they”

190
Q

Tone

A

A literary device that reflects the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter or audience of a literary work

191
Q

Tragedy

A

Branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual

192
Q

Understatement

A

The description of something. as having much less of a particular quality than it does

193
Q

Voice

A

The mixture of tone, word choice, point of view, syntax, punctuation, and rhythm that makes up sentences and paragraphs

Literary Devices English 30-1 (1 decks)

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