Literary Terms Flashcards
Allegory
The device of using character and/or story elements to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two of more neighbouring words.
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to something that is commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
Ambiguity
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
Analogy
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Antithesis
The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.
Aphorism
A terse statement of know authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle.
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty, or love.
Atmosphere
The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described.
Caricature
A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics.
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
Colloquialism
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
Conceit
A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.
Connotation
The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.
Denotation
The strict , literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or colour.
Diction
Related to style, diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.
Didactic
From the Greek, didactic literally means “teaching”.
Euphemism
From the Greek for “good speech”, euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.
Extended Metaphor
A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.
Figurative Language
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.
Figure of Speech
a device used to produce figurative language.
Generic Conventions
This term describes traditions for each genre.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Homily
This term literally means “sermon”, but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
Imagery
The sensory details of figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
Inference/Infer
To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.
Invective
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.
Irony/Ironic
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true.
Litotes
A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Litote is the opposite of hyperbole
Loose sentence/Non-periodic Sentence
A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.
Metaphor
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things of the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.
Metonymy
A term from the Greek meaning “changed label” or “substitute name”, metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.
Mood
The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.
Narrative
The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
Onomatopeia
A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.
Oxymoron
From the Greek “pointedly foolish”, an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest paradox.
Paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
Parallelism
Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning “beside one another”. It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.
Anaphora
A sub-type of parallelism , when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.
Parody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
Pedantic
An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.
Periodic Sentences
The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.
Personification
A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told.
Prose
One of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. Not Poetry.
Repetition
The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause,sentence, or grammatical pattern.
Rhetoric
From the Greek for “orator”, this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
Rhetorical Modes
This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing.
Sarcasm
From the Greek meaning “to tear flesh”, sarcasm involves bitter caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.
Satire
A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule.
Semantics
The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.
Style
1) An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices.
2) Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors.
Subject Completement
The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it.
Subordinate Clause
Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb, but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought.
Syllogism
From the Greek for “reckoning together”, a syllogism is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises the inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.
Symbol/Symbolism
Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part.
Synesthesia
When one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experiences of another.
Syntax
The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
Theme
The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.
Tone
Similar to mood, tone describes the author’s attitude toward their material, the audience, or both.
Thesis
In expository writing, the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly express the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position.
Transition
A word or phrase that links different ides.
Understatement
The ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is.
Wit
In modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.
