Literary Terms A-F

Question 0

Alliteration

Answer 0

the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

Device of using character and/or story elements symbolically.

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

a direct or indirect reference to something is presumably commonly known as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Question 3

Ambiugity

Answer 3

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional,of a word, phrase,sentence, or passage.

Question 4

Analogy

Answer 4

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Question 5

Anaphora

Answer 5

is the opposite of epistrophe and means the repetition of the same phrase or word at the beginning of successive sentences such as in this example. Five years have passed.

Question 6

Anecdote

Answer 6

Is a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers and listeners laugh. Anecdote can include an extensive range of tales and stories. In fact, it is a short description or an account of any number of event that makes the readers laugh or brood over the topic presented for the purpose.

Question 7

Antecedent

Answer 7

the word,phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Question 8

Antithesis

Answer 8

literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. Antithesis emphasizes the is the idea of contrast by parallel structures of the contrasted phrases and clauses. The structures of phrases are similar in order to draw the attention of the listeners or readers.

Question 9

Aphorism

Answer 9

a terse statement of known authorship which expresses general truth or moral

Question 10

Apostrophe

Answer 10

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

Question 11

Atmosphere

Answer 11

the emotional mood created by the entirety

Question 12

Asyndeton

Answer 12

is derived from a Greek word asyndeton which means unconnected. It is a stylistic device used to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the gramatical accuracy. EX. “He has provided the poor with jobs, with opportunity, with self-respect.”

Question 13

Clause

Answer 13

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

Question 14

Colloquial

Answer 14

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Question 15

Conceit

Answer 15

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor

Question 16

Connotation

Answer 16

the non-literal meaning of a word

Question 17

Denotation

Answer 17

the literal meaning

Question 18

Dictation

Answer 18

referring to style, the writers word choices

Question 19

Didatic

Answer 19

from Greek meaning “teaching”

Question 20

Epistrophe

Answer 20

is derived from a Greek word that means turning upon, which indicates the same word returns ate the end of each sentence. EX. “I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong. …”

Question 21

Euphemism

Answer 21

from the Greek for “good speech”

Question 22

Extended Meetaphor

Answer 22

a metaphor developed at great length

Question 23

Figurative Language

Answer 23

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning

Question 24

Figure of Speech

Answer 24

a device used to produce figurative language