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Grade 12 English > Literary Devices > Flashcards

Literary Devices Flashcards

1
Q

Allegory

A

a story in which characters and events have a continuing underlying message

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2
Q

Alliteration

A

repetition of initial consonants in a sequence of words

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3
Q

Allusion

A

a brief reference to something

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4
Q

Analogy

A

an extended metaphor (comparison of 2 things)

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5
Q

Anachronism

A

Placing a person, thing or event out of its correct time or period

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6
Q

Anecdote

A

a brief, illustrative, usually humorous narrative

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7
Q

Anti-climax

A

let-down of expectations at the end of a build-up

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8
Q

Anti-hero

A

main character who nevertheless displays no traditional noble virtues

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9
Q

Aside

A

remark made by a stage character which others on stage do not hear

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10
Q

Atmosphere

A

a feeling the writing creates by words, symbols, setting

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11
Q

Cacophony

A

use of harsh sounds to create an unpleasant effect

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12
Q

Catharsis

A

purging of emotions like pity and fear

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13
Q

Characterization

A

methods by which characters traits of fictional people are suggested (flat, dynamic)

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14
Q

Citing authority

A

referring to important people to support ideas

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15
Q

Colloquialism

A

an expression used in informal conversation but not accepted universally in formal speech or writing

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16
Q

Comic Relief

A

amusing material inserted in serious plays

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17
Q

Complication

A

event which sends the plot in a new direction

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18
Q

Connotation

A

the felt meaning of word, what is suggests

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19
Q

Contrast

A

juxtaposition of 2 elements to emphasize their differences

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20
Q

Denotation

A

the primary dictionary definition of a word

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21
Q

Diction

A

choice of words for a particular purpose

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22
Q

Direct address

A

directing comments to the reader

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23
Q

Drama

A

a literary form designed for the theatre

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24
Q

Dramatic Irony

A

situation in which the audience knows more than at least one character

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25
Q

Euphony

A

use of sweet sounds to create a pleasant effects

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26
Q

Exaggeration

A

to make something seem greater than it actually is; to overstate

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27
Q

Exposition

A

type of writing in which the writer explains, informs or persuades

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28
Q

Figurative language

A

language using figures of speech such as metaphors, simile and personification

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29
Q

First Person narrative

A

telling a story from “I” or “we” point of view

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30
Q

Foreshadowing

A

hint of future occurrences

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31
Q

Genre

A

a literary form such as a play, novel or poem

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32
Q

Hamartia

A

error of judgement or tragic flaw which leads to the downfall of a tragic hero

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33
Q

Hook

A

what grabs the readers attention

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34
Q

Hubris

A

pride which leads to fall

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35
Q

Humor

A

the quality of anything that is funny or appeals to the comic sense

36
Q

Iambic Pentameter

A

pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables repeated 5 times in a line of poetry

37
Q

Imagery

A

sensual mid-pictures created by authors words, something forming clusters when similes/metaphors are repeated, 5 types: visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic and gustatory

38
Q

Irony

A

the recognition of a reality different that appearance

39
Q

Juxtaposition

A

placing side by side

40
Q

Leitmotif

A

a recurring word, image or theme that unifies a literary work

41
Q

Loose sentence

A

a sentence grammatically complete at some point before the end

42
Q

Lyric

A

usually short, non-narrative poem showing single speaker, in presence of another, delivers a speech which becomes a poem

43
Q

Metaphor

A

implied comparison

44
Q

Monologue

A

speech by one person

45
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

meaning of a word is suggested by its sound

46
Q

Oxymoron

A

2 words side by side but opposite in meaning

47
Q

Paragraph hook

A

device in topic sentence of paragraph connecting new topic to what has gone on before

48
Q

Parallelism

A

the arrangement of parts of a sentence, sentences, paragraphs and larger units of composition such that one element of equal importance with another is similarly developed and phrased

49
Q

Paradox

A

apparently contradictory, but true upon closer inspection

50
Q

Pathetic Fallacy

A

natural phenomena seem to respond emotionally to human situations

51
Q

Pathos

A

sympathy created by writing devices

52
Q

Periodic sentence

A

a sentence not grammatically complete before its end, its construction throws the mind forward to the idea that will complete its meaning

53
Q

Persona

A

put-on or assumed personality

54
Q

Personification

A

giving human traits to a non-human

55
Q

Plot

A

sequence of plot events

56
Q

Poetic license

A

poets freedom to depart from strict rules of grammar, style and fact

57
Q

Protagonist

A

main character in a play, novel, or other work

58
Q

Pun

A

a play on words

59
Q

Resolution

A

tie-up at the end of the story

60
Q

Repetition

A

repeating of a key word or phrase to give emphasis and rhythm

61
Q

Rhetorical devices

A

techniques used to persuade, emphasize or create a stylistic effect

62
Q

Rhetorical question

A

a question to which the answer is obvious and implied

63
Q

Rhyming couplet

A

a pair of rhymed lines, usually showing the end of an act or scene

64
Q

Rhyme

A

recognizable pattern in the beats or stresses in poetry

65
Q

Rising action

A

series of events leading towards a climax

66
Q

Sarcasm

A

saying the opposite of what you mean, intending to wound the target

67
Q

Satire

A

critical writing which holds society up to ridicule in order to improve it

68
Q

Sentence structure

A

using loose and periodic sentences, using abnormal word order

69
Q

Sentence variety

A

length (short vs long), kind (simple, complex, compound, compound complex) to gain variety in prose

70
Q

Setting

A

time and place of the action

71
Q

simile

A

comparison using like or as

72
Q

Soliloquy

A

speech made by character alone on the stage

73
Q

Sonnet

A

14 line poem with a problem and a solution

74
Q

Stanza

A

grouping of lines into a verse paragraph

75
Q

Statistics

A

quantitative data, pertaining to a subject or group, especially when systematically gathered and collated

76
Q

Symbol

A

making something stand for something else

77
Q

Theme

A

statement of meaning

78
Q

Thesis

A

statement of what the author attempts to prove

79
Q

Third person narrative

A

telling a story from he, she, it, or they point of view

80
Q

Tone

A

the speakers of writers attitude to the audience, character or material

81
Q

Tragic hero

A

a person in a drama with good and bad traits who falls from a high position

82
Q

Typography

A

the style and appearance of printed matter

83
Q

Understatement

A

a figure of speech in which the literal sense of what is said falls detectably short of the magnitude of what is talked about

84
Q

Verbal irony

A

the gap between what is said and what is meant

85
Q
A

Grade 12 English (1 decks)

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