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English 30-1 > Literary & Technical Terms > Flashcards

Literary & Technical Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Abstract

A

Something that cannot be perceived by the senses

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2
Q

Acronym

A

An abbreviation formed from the inital letters of other words and pronounced as a word

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3
Q

Allegory

A

A story, picture, or poem that uses symbols to convey a larger meaning

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4
Q

Alliteration

A

The repetition of the first letter/sound within a group of words

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5
Q

Allusion

A

An reference to something famous outside of the text

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6
Q

Ambiguity

A

An intentional vagueness that makes more than one interpretation possible

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7
Q

Analogy

A

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

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8
Q

Anachronism

A

In a period-based work, a detail that is placed outside of the given time period

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9
Q

Analysis

A

Examining a text in detail to interpret it thoroughly

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10
Q

Anecdote

A

A short narrative about of an interesting or amusing incident

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11
Q

Antagonist

A

The opposing force of the protagonist (main character)

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12
Q

Antecedent Action

A

Any event occuring before the main events of a narrative

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13
Q

Anticlimax

A

The failure to fulfill a reader’s expectations following a build-up of suspense towards an anticpated outcome

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14
Q

Antihero

A

A main character that is ignoble and lacks other traditional heroic qualities, but still manages to excite our sympathy

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15
Q

Antithesis

A

Contrasting elements to highlight the stark differences between ideas, characters, or situations

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16
Q

Apathy

A

Lack of enthusiasm, interest, or care

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17
Q

Aphorism

A

A concise statement that conveys a general truth

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18
Q

Apostrophe

A

Addressing someone absent, dead, or nonhuman as if they were present

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19
Q

Archaism

A

Word or expression that has become obsolete in current common speech

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20
Q

Archetype

A

Universal themes, symbols, characters, and images that are repeated throughout a variety of literature

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21
Q

Argument

A

A mode of writing in which the author’s purpose is to influence the reader to accept a particular side of a debatable issue

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22
Q

Aside

A

A speech or short comment that a character directly to an audience

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23
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences

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24
Q

Atmosphere

A

The feelings that are evoked by a setting

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25
Q

Attitude

A

How an author or character feels about a subject

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26
Q

Autobiography

A

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

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27
Q

Ballad

A

A type of poem that tells a story, and is often set to music

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28
Q

Bias

A

An inclination toward (or away from) someone, something, or an idea

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29
Q

Blank Verse

A

Unrhymed poetry, but written in metered lines, almost always iambic pantameter

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30
Q

Cacophony

A

The use of words or phrases that are considered harsh or jarring in sound

“Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled”

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31
Q

Cadence

A

The natural rhythmic rise and fall of a language, as it is normally spoken

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32
Q

Caesura

A

A strong pause or break within a line of poetry

“Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness, but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep”

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33
Q

Caricature

A

When a character is exaggerated to be a deliberate and comic distortion of a person

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34
Q

Catharsis

A

The experience of feeling emotional release and cleansing

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35
Q

Character

A

A person in a story

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36
Q

Chronology

A

A sequence of events arranged according to a certain time line

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37
Q

Cinquain

A

Poem or stanza composed of 5 lines

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38
Q

Cliche

A

An expression that has been overused to the point that it lost its original meaning and effect

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39
Q

Climax

A

The point of greatest tension in a story

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40
Q

Colloquialism

A

Word or phrase that is acceptable in ordinary conversation, but is considered inappropriate in formal writing

“Shakespeare was a wicked play writer, and his sonnets were awesome too”

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41
Q

Comedy

A

Narrative work in which the content is meant to mainly amuse the audience

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42
Q

Comic Relief

A

The use of humorous characters, scenes, or speeches in a serious or dramatic work to relieve tension

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43
Q

Conceit

A

An elaborate, improbable comparison between two very unlike things to create an imaginative connection between them

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44
Q

Concrete

A

Tangible qualities or characteristics

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45
Q

Conflict

A

The struggle that grows out of the interplay of opposing forces in a narrative

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46
Q

Connotation

A

An implied meaning that comes with a word in addition to its literal meaning

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47
Q

Consonance

A

Repeetition of consonant sounds in neighbouring words

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48
Q

Couplet

A

Two lines of poetry that rhyme and have the same meter

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49
Q

Crisis

A

When opposing forces in a conflict interlock in a decisive ordeal on which the plot will turn

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50
Q

Denotation

A

The literal dictionary definition of a word

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51
Q

Denouement

A

The very end of a story where all different plotlines are finally tied up and any remaining questions are answered

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52
Q

Dialect

A

In dialogue, the speech pattern that distinguishes a certain regional area, culture, or community

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53
Q

Dialogue

A

Spoken exchange between characters in a narrative work

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54
Q

Diction

A

Word choice an author uses to create a specific impact or tone in their writing

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55
Q

Didactic Tone

A

Describes the tone or style of an author whose purpose is to provide guidance, especially in moral matters

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56
Q

Dilemma

A

A conflict that has more than one possible solution

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57
Q

Dissonance

A

Disruption in the harmonic sounds or rhythm of a verse

58
Q

Doggerel

A

Poetry that is irregular in rhythm or rhyme, often intentional for burlesque or comic effect

59
Q

Douple Rhyme

A

Involving one stressed and one unstressed syllable in each rhyming line

60
Q

Dramatic Irony

A

When the audience’s knowledge of the circumstances surpasses the character’s

61
Q

Dramatic Purpose

A

A scene or part of dialogue that serves a specific purpose to the plot

62
Q

Dynamic Character

A

Character who changes and evolves throughout the story

63
Q

Elegy

A

Poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead

64
Q

Enjambment

A

The running-over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next without terminal punctuation

65
Q

Epic

A

Long narrative poem recounting the heroic deeds of an individual

66
Q

Epilogue

A

Final chapter of a story that often serves to reveal the fates of the characters

67
Q

Epigram

A

Short, but insightful statement that is expressed in a witty, satirical, or funny manner

68
Q

Epigraph

A

Short quote included at the beginning of a work that bears a connection to the central theme

69
Q

Epitaph

A

Short composition in honor of one who has died

70
Q

Equivocation

A

The use of vague language to hide one’s meaning or to avoid committing to a point of view

71
Q

Euphemism

A

Word or phrase used in lieu of a harsher alternative

72
Q

Euphony

A

The use of words or phrases that are considered pleasant and harmonious in sound

73
Q

Exposition

A

Passage in fiction intended to supply the background information necessary to advance a narrative

74
Q

Fable

A

Short story conveying a moral

75
Q

Fallacy

A

Flaw in the logic of an argument

76
Q

Farce

A

Absurd, exaggereated comedy designed to provoke simple, hearty laughter

77
Q

Figurative Language

A

The use of words that deviates from the conventional meaning in order to convey a deeper meaning or built imagery

78
Q

First Person Narration

A

Using personal pronouns to tell a story from the narrator’s perspective

79
Q

Flashback

A

An interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time

80
Q

Flat Character

A

One-dimentional character that lacks complexity and depth

81
Q

Foil

A

Character who emphasizes the nature of the protagonist by being presented as a contrasting or complementary character

82
Q

Foreshadowing

A

Any detail in a narrative that suggests an eventual outcome of the plot

83
Q

Free Verse

A

Open form of poetry that has no strict meter or rhyme scheme

84
Q

Hamartia

A

The essential flaw in a tragic hero’s nature

85
Q

Hubris

A

Excessive pride in the form of arrogant self-confidence; common form of hamartia

86
Q

Hyperbole

A

Intentional overstatement or exaggeration

87
Q

Idiom

A

A phrase that, when taken as a whole, has a meaning undeducable from the meaning of the individual words

88
Q

Imagery

A

Words or phrases that create vivid mental images

89
Q

Inference

A

Conclusion drawn from facts that have been presenteded or statements made

90
Q

Irony

A

The contrast between what actually is and what appears to be or what happens and what was expected

91
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Placing two unrelated things next to each other to emphasize their differences

92
Q

Limited Narrator

A

Third person point of view that has access to the thoughts and emotions of just one character

93
Q

Literal Language

A

Meant to be understood exactly as stated

94
Q

Malapropism

A

Incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, usually for humorous purposes

95
Q

Metaphor

A

Comparison between two unrelated ideas

96
Q

Metonymy

A

In which a word is substituted for another word that it is closely associated with

97
Q

Milieu

A

The setting where action unfolds

98
Q

Monologue

A

Long speech spoken by a character

99
Q

Mood

A

The emotional response a story creates in a reader

100
Q

Motif

A

Image, sound, word, or symbol that is repeated throughout a story to enhance the theme

101
Q

Myth

A

Traditional story that typically aims to explain a natural or social phenomenon

102
Q

Mythology

A

A collection of related myths

103
Q

Narrator

A

The one who tells the story

104
Q

Ode

A

Poem written to address and praise a subject

105
Q

Omniscient Narrator

A

Third person point of view where the narrator is all-seeing and all-knowing

106
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A word that sounds like the noise it describes

107
Q

Oxymoron

A

Combining contradictory words with opposite meaning

“Deafening silence”

108
Q

Pantomime

A

Conveyance of a story through body or facial movements

109
Q

Parable

A

Simple story that teaches an idea

110
Q

Paradox

A

Statement that appears to contradict itself, but on furthur examination makes sense or reveals a deeper meaning

“The beginning of the end”

111
Q

Parallelism

A

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

112
Q

Parody

A

To copy the style of someone or something in a humorous way

113
Q

Pathetic Fallacy

A

Attribution of human emotions to inanimate objects, nature, or animals to evoke a specific mood or feeling

114
Q

Pathos

A

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

115
Q

Personification

A

Giving human traits to non-humans

116
Q

Poetic Justice

A

When something bad happens to someone who deserves it

117
Q

Point of View

A

The perspective in which a story is told

118
Q

Prologue

A

Introductory section of a literary work

119
Q

Protagonist

A

Principal character in a literary work

120
Q

Proverb

A

Short popular saying

121
Q

Requiem

A

An act of remembrance for the dead

122
Q

Rhetorical Question

A

Question that is not meant to have or require an answer

123
Q

Round Character

A

A character with depth and a complex personality

124
Q

Satire

A

A way of criticizing in a humorous way

125
Q

Setting

A

The time, place, and environment in which a story occurs

126
Q

Simile

A

Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as”

127
Q

Situational Irony

A

When an unexpected outcome occurs instead of the expected one

128
Q

Soliloquy

A

When a character speaks to themselves out loud without addressing another character or the audience

129
Q

Stanza

A

Group of lines within a poem

130
Q

Static Character

A

Character that retains the same personality and outlook throughout the whole story; does not undergo any psychological change

131
Q

Stock Character

A

Stereotypical character—one that is easily recognizable across a variety of narratives

132
Q

Symbol

A

An element in a work that represents something other than what it really is

133
Q

Synaesthesia

A

In which one kind of sensory response is fused with another

134
Q

Theme

A

A statement that concisely summarizes the principle idea(s) the writer is trying to express through their work

135
Q

Thesis

A

A position taken and supported by a writer or speaker

136
Q

Tone

A

Implied attitude of the writer towards their work

137
Q

Tragic Flaw

A

Defect in a character that leads to their downfall

138
Q

Turning Point

A

When a character makes a decision that will change the course of a story

139
Q

Understatement

A

To present a situation or idea as if it is less important than it is in reality

140
Q

Universality

A

Quality of state of being universal

141
Q

Verbal Irony

A

When a speaker intentional says one thing but means another

142
Q

Verisimilitude

A

Appearance of being true or real

English 30-1 (2 decks)

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