Literary Terms Flashcards
Syntax
The arrangement of words (in their appropriate forms) by which their connection and relation in a sentence are shown
Denotative meaning
Designed meaning (Dictionary definition)
Connotative meaning
Meaning that works through additional or implied signification (association, experience, opinion etc.)
Imagery
Visually descriptive or figurative language
Figurative language
Language that depends on meaning beyond the literal or denotative sense
Synonym
A word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same thing as another word or phrase in the same language
Homonym
The same name or word used to denote different things
Synecdoche
A figure in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. Example: calling your car “wheels” or referring to the king as the “crown”…it is different from metonymy because it refers to a physical portion of a person or object or the material it is made out of
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Example: using “White House” to denote the American government or “Hollywood” to denote American film industry or “Wall Street” to denote the financial and banking industry
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is applied to another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them
Tenor
The idea that drives the metaphoric comparison
Vehicle
The word or words used to make the metaphoric comparison
Simile
A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as
Repetition
The use of the same word or phrase multiple times to create emphasis
Anaphora
The deliberate repetition of words at the beginning of a verse, lime, or sentence for artistic affect
