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English > Literary devices > Flashcards

Literary devices Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

Allegory

A

A story or a poem where characters stand for other people. Ex: Lord of the flies

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

Repetition of consonant sounds. Ex: Delightful duck

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3
Q

Allusion

A

A reference to something famous or well known from history

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4
Q

Ambiguity

A

An event that can have two or more meanings or that can be interpreted in more than one way

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5
Q

Analogy

A

A comparison

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6
Q

Anecdote

A

A brief story about an individual

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7
Q

Antagonist

A

The character against the protagonist

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8
Q

Antithesis

A

A person, thing or idea in direct opposition of each other

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9
Q

Antihero

A

A main character who lacks the traditional qualities of a hero

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10
Q

Anthropomorphism

A

Attributing human characteristics to an animal or object

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11
Q

Aphorism

A

Brief, cleverly worded observation about life

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12
Q

Apostrophe

A

The calling out to an absent person

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13
Q

Aside

A

A character who speaks directly to the audience their thoughts, the other characters are incapable of hearing what they are saying

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14
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of vowel sounds

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15
Q

Characterization

A

The process of an author when they reveal the characteristics of a character.

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16
Q

Static character

A

Character that does not change throughout the story.

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17
Q

Dynamic character

A

Character that changes throughout the story

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18
Q

Flat character

A

Character with only one or two personality traits

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19
Q

Round character

A

Character who is complex with more than two personality traits

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20
Q

Stock Character

A

Stereotypical character

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21
Q

Cliche

A

A phrase that is so popular and overused

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22
Q

Colloquialism

A

Conversational/informal writing

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23
Q

Comedy

A

A story with a happy resolution

24
Q

Conflict

A

The struggle between two characters or a character to the world in a story.

25
Q

External conflict

A

Person to person, person to nature or person to technology

26
Q

Internal conflict

A

Conflict within a person’s mind

27
Q

Connotation

A

The associations attached to a word that aren’t necessarily the dictionary definition of the word.

28
Q

Couplet

A

Two consecutive rhyming lines in a poem

29
Q

Dialect

A

The way of speaking in a certain geographical area

30
Q

Diction

A

The author’s choice of words in a story

31
Q

Didactic

A

A story with a specific lesson or moral to provide the “proper” way of behaving or thinking.

32
Q

Epigraph

A

A quote at the beginning of a story suggestive of the theme.

33
Q

Epiphany

A

Moment of realization

34
Q

Epithet

A

An adjective applied to a person many times throughout the story to emphasize the quality.

35
Q

Fable

A

A short story with a practical lesson

36
Q

Farce

A

A comedy with far fetched situations.

37
Q

Figurative language

A

Words that are inaccurate if they are interpreted literally

38
Q

Flashback

A

Something that happened in earlier times

39
Q

Foil

A

A character who acts in contrast to another character

40
Q

Foreshadowing

A

When you can tell what’s going to happen based on hints and clues

41
Q

Hyperbole

A

An exaggeration

42
Q

Imagery

A

When the author describes a picture of a person place or thing

43
Q

Irony

A

When the opposite of what you think is going to happen happens

44
Q

Verbal irony

A

When someone says something but means the opposite

45
Q

Dramatic irony

A

When the audience or threader knows better

46
Q

Juxtaposition

A

When words are placed next to one another

47
Q

Metaphor

A

A comparison not using like or as

48
Q

Conceit metaphor

A

Elaborate metaphor

49
Q

Implied metaphor

A

When the metaphor does not state clearly the terms of the comparison

50
Q

Extended metaphor

A

A metaphor that is extended

51
Q

Dead metaphor

A

A metaphor that has been used too often

52
Q

Mixed metaphor

A

A metaphor that mixes its terms so its visually or imaginatively incompatible.

53
Q

Mood

A

The atmosphere that the author creates in the story

54
Q

Motif

A

A recurring image or sentence throughout the story

55
Q

Motivation

A

The reasons for the behaviour of a character

56
Q

Onomatoepia

A

Sounds like “pop” or “zap”

English (2 decks)

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