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English Literature > Literary Terms > Flashcards

Literary Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Define - Zoomorphism

A

Where animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, gods and events

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2
Q

Define - Zeugma

A

Where a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun

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3
Q

Define - Vignette

A

A small impressionistic scene, illustration or passage focusing on one particular aspect

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4
Q

Define - Verismilitude

A

Likeness to the truth i.e. resemblance of a fictitious work to a real event even if it is a far-fetched one

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5
Q

Define - Verbal Irony

A

When a speaker speaks something contradictory to what he intends to

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6
Q

Define - Truism

A

A statement that is based on evidence and is accepted as an obvious truth in a way that further proof is not considered necessary

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7
Q

Define - Tmesis

A

A practice of dividing a phrase or word into its components by inserting another word in the middle (“fan-bloody-tastic”)

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8
Q

Define - Synesis

A

A grammatical construction that is in agreement with the sense instead of the strict syntax

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9
Q

Define - Stream of Consciousness

A

A method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters

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10
Q

Define - Situational Irony

A

It occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead

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11
Q

Define - Sesquipedalian

A

The use of words that are very long and have several syllables

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12
Q

Define - Syllogism

A

Where an argument starts with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific

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13
Q

Define - Static Character

A

A character that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change

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14
Q

Define - Sonnet

A

A poem with 14 fourteen lines, 10 syllables, iambic pentameter and has a specific rhyme scheme and a “volta” or a specific turn

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15
Q

Define - Synesthesia

A

To present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense

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16
Q

Define - Syncope

A

The contraction or the shortening of a word by omitting sounds, syllables or letters from the middle of the word

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17
Q

Define - Sestet

A

Second part of a Petrarchan sonnet, a poem of six lines, or a six lined-stanza in a poem

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18
Q

Define - Round Character

A

A complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions

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19
Q

Define - Reductio Ad Absurdum

A

To reduce an argument to absurdity by drawing the conclusions with logical limits or showing ridiculous consequences

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20
Q

_ comes from Anglo-Norman and Old French romanz, romans, which means a story of chivalry and love

A

Romance

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21
Q

Define - Red Herring

A

An irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue

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22
Q

Define - Refrain

A

A poetic device that repeats at regular intervals in different stanzas

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23
Q

Define - Prosthesis

A

The addition of an extra sound or syllable to the beginning of a word that helps in making it easier to pronounce

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24
Q

Define - Polysyndeton

A

Where several coordinating conjunctions (“and”) are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect

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25
Q

Define - Pleonasm

A

The use of a second or more words (phrase) to express an idea

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26
Q

Define - Paronomasia

A

A phrase intentionally used to exploit the confusion between words having similar sounds but different meanings

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27
Q

Define - Parallelism

A

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter

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28
Q

Define - Polyptoton

A

A rhetorical repetition of the same root word, however, each time the word is repeated in a different way (“lovi, lovis, lovem”)

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29
Q

Define - Paraprosdokian

A

A phrase or sentence that ends in an unexpected way

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30
Q

Define - Paralipsis

A

Where an idea is deliberately suggested through a brief treatment of a subject, while most of the significant points are omitted

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31
Q

Define - Periphrasis

A

Using excessive and longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or in a few words

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32
Q

Define - Parrhesia

A

Saying something boldly and freely without leaving any doubt behind

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33
Q

Define - Non Seuitur

A

Literary devices which include the statements and conclusions that do not follow the fundamental principles of logic and reason

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34
Q

Define - Tetracolon

A

Succession of four sentences, phrases and clauses with grammatically equal structures

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35
Q

Define - Tricolon

A

Succession of three sentences, phrases and clauses with grammatically equal structures

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36
Q

Define - Bicolon

A

Succession of two sentences, phrases and clauses with grammatically equal structures

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37
Q

Define - Metalepsis

A

Where one thing is referred to another thing that is only slightly related to it

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38
Q

Define - Meiosis

A

A witty understatement that belittles or dismisses something or somebody

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39
Q

Define - Litotes

A

A figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives
Litotes

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40
Q

Define - Kenning

A

A stylistic device and can be defined as a two-word phrase that describes an object through metaphors

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41
Q

Define - Kinesthesia

A

A poetic device that gives a feeling of natural or physical bodily movement or action (like a heartbeat, a pulse and breathing)

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42
Q

Define - Inversion

A

A literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or meter

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43
Q

Define - Internal Rhyme

A

Metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhymes with each other

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44
Q

Define - Isocolon

A

A rhetorical device that involves a succession of sentences, phrases and clauses of grammatically equal length

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45
Q

Define - Hypallage

A

An abnormal, unexpected change of two segments in a sentence

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46
Q

Define - Hubris

A

Extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his downfall

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47
Q

Define - Homograph

A

Words that are used in such a manner as to give two or more different meanings where the words have the same spelling

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48
Q

Define - Hypotaxis

A

The subordination of one syntactic unit to another in a complex sentence (one unit is modified by successive clauses)

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49
Q

Define - Hyperbaton

A

Where writers play with the normal position of words, phrases and clauses in order to create differently arranged sentences

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50
Q

Define - Half-Rhyme

A

A rhyme in which the stressed syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowel sounds do not match

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51
Q

Define - Hypophora

A

Where a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer to that question

52
Q

Define - Homophone

A

A word that when pronounced seems similar to another word but has a different spelling and meaning such as bear and bare

53
Q

Define - Analepsis

A

An interruption of the chronological sequence (as of a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence

54
Q

Define - Prolepsis

A

A literary device in which the plot goes ahead of time

55
Q

Define - Flat Character

A

A type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end

56
Q

Define - Logos

A

An appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason

57
Q

Define - Pathos

A

An appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response

58
Q

Define - Pararhyme

A

Vowels in identical consonant pairs, such as in the words “groined, and groaned.”

59
Q

Define - Monorhyme

A

Using just a single rhyme in a stanza such as in Black’s poem “silent, silent night.”

60
Q

Define - Feminine Rhyme

A

Rhymes on one or two unstressed syllables like in “enticing,” and “endicing.”

61
Q

Define - Masculine Rhyme

A

Rhyme ending on stressed syllables like in “bells and hells.”

62
Q

Define - Identical Rhyme

A

Rhyme using the same the word having identical sense and sound

63
Q

Define - Eye Rhyme

A

Rhyme comprising of similar spellings not pronunciation such as in “rough” and “through.”

64
Q

Define - Slant Rhyme

A

The rhyming words sound similar; however, they are often not very close to make complete rhyme

65
Q

Define - Euphemism

A

Polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant

66
Q

Define - Epizeuxis/Diacope

A

A rhetorical device in which the words or phrases are repeated in a quick succession after each other for emphasis

67
Q

Define - Epistrophe

A

A stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the end of the clauses or sentences

68
Q

Define - Enjambement

A

Moving over from one line to another without a terminating punctuation mark

69
Q

Define - Expletive

A

A grammatical construction that starts with the words like “it, here and there”, etc

70
Q

Define - Discordia

A

Where the writers and speakers engage in a heated argumentation without reaching a conclusion or solving a particular issue

71
Q

Define - Epithet

A

Describing a place, a thing or a person which makes their characteristics more prominent than they actually are

72
Q

Define - Elision

A

The removal of an unstressed syllable, consonants, or letters from a word to decrease the number of letters or syllables (“ne’er”)

73
Q

Define - Euphony

A

Using words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create

74
Q

Define - Epiphora

A

A stylistic device in which a word or a phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses

75
Q

Define - Enthymeme

A

An argumentative statement in which the writer omits one of the premises, does not clearly pronounce it, or keeps it implied

76
Q

Define - End Rhyme

A

Occurs when last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with each other

77
Q

Define - Dysphemism

A

The use of disparaging or offensive expressions instead of inoffensive ones

78
Q

Define - Didactisim

A

The idea that art and literature ought to convey information and instructions along with pleasure and entertainment

79
Q

Define - Diacope

A

A repetition of a phrase or word broken up by other intervening words, “to be, or not to be”

80
Q

Define - Dynamic Character

A

A character which undergoes implied changes as they encounter conflicts on their journey

81
Q

Define - Mixed Metaphor

A

A combination of two or more incompatible metaphors

82
Q

Define - Conceit

A

A figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors

83
Q

Define - Chiasmus

A

A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures

84
Q

Define - Catachresis

A

A figure of speech in which writers use mixed metaphors in an inappropriate way to create rhetorical effect

85
Q

Define - Caesura

A

A rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence

86
Q

Define - Cadence

A

The rising and falling of the voice when reading a literary piece. In poetry, it is the changes in rhythm and pitch

87
Q

Define - Consonance

A

Repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase

88
Q

Define - Circumlocution

A

A rhetorical device that can be defined as an ambiguous or paradoxical way of expressing things, ideas or views

89
Q

Define - Cacophony

A

The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants

90
Q

Define - Bathos

A

An effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous

91
Q

Define - Bildungsroman

A

A novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood

92
Q

Define - Ballad

A

A type of poetry used in dance songs in the ancient France/set to music, usually about love, romance and hardships

93
Q

Define - Archetype

A

A typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature

94
Q

Define - Aphorismus

A

A figure of speech that brings into question the meaning of words in case the words are used inappropriately

95
Q

Define - Apostrophe

A

A figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation “O”

96
Q

Define - Antecedent

A

An earlier clause, phrase or word to which a pronoun, another word or a noun refers back to

97
Q

Define - Amplification

A

A rhetorical device writers use to embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information

98
Q

Define - Antiphrasis

A

Where a phrase or word is employed in a way that is opposite to its literal meaning in order to create an ironic or comic effect

99
Q

Define - Antanaclasis

A

A rhetorical device in which a phrase or word is repeatedly used. However, the meaning of a word changes in each case

100
Q

Define - Anacoluthon

A

A stylistic device and is defined as a syntactic deviation and interruption within a sentence from one structure to another

101
Q

Define - Assonance

A

When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds

102
Q

Define - Appositive

A

A noun phrase or a noun that defines or explains another noun, which it follows

103
Q

Define - Antimetabole

A

A literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order

104
Q

Define - Anthropomorphism

A

Where a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions or behavior to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena or objects

105
Q

s, sh sounds

A

Sibilant

106
Q

b, d, g sounds

A

Plosive (weak)

107
Q

p, t, k sounds

A

Plosive (strong)

108
Q

m, n sounds

A

Nasal

109
Q

l, r sounds

A

Liquid

110
Q

p, b, f, v, w sounds

A

Labial

111
Q

g, k sounds

A

Guttural

112
Q

d, n, s, t sounds

A

Dental

113
Q

f, th, ph sounds

A

Fricative

114
Q

h sounds

A

Aspirant

115
Q

Define - Signified

A

The concept of the word

116
Q

Define - Signifier

A

The word

117
Q

Define - Referent

A

The actual thing

118
Q

Define - Parataxis

A

Lots of clauses without subordination i.e. oracy

119
Q

Define - Anachronism

A

An error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece

120
Q

Define - Adynaton

A

A rhetorical device that is a form of hyperbole in which exaggeration is taken to a great extreme where it seems impossible

121
Q

Define - Accumulation

A

A list of words which embody similar qualities or meanings with the intention to emphasize the common qualities that words hold

122
Q

Define - Tautology

A

The saying of the same thing twice over in different words

123
Q

Define - Synecdoche

A

Figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something or vice versa

124
Q

Define - Asyndeton

A

Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words, speeds up flow of sentence

125
Q

Define - Dramatic Irony

A

When a reader is aware of something that a character isn’t

English Literature (3 decks)

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