Literary Terms A-F

Question 0

the repetition of sounds, especially initial constant sounds in two or more neighboring words (e.g. “she sells sea shells”)

Answer 0

alliteration:

Question 1

device of using character and or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning

Answer 1

allegory:

Question 2

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

Answer 2

allusion:

Question 3

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

Answer 3

ambiguity:

Question 4

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

Answer 4

analogy:

Question 5

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by pronoun

Answer 5

antecedent:

Question 6

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

Answer 6

aphorism:

Question 7

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

Answer 7

apostrophe

Question 8

the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting

Answer 8

atmosphere:

Question 9

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

Answer 9

clause:

Question 10

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Answer 10

colloquial

Question 11

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

Answer 11

conceit:

Question 12

the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning

Answer 12

connotation:

Question 13

the strict, literal, dictionary meaning of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

Answer 13

denotation:

Question 14

referring to style, diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

Answer 14

diction:

Question 15

from the Greek, literally means “teaching”

Answer 15

didactic:

Question 16

from the Greek for “good speech”, a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept

Answer 16

euphemism

Question 17

a metaphor developed a great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

Answer 17

extended metaphor

Question 18

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literary meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Answer 18

figurative language:

Question 19

a device used to produce figurative language

Answer 19

figure of speech:

Question 20

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 grammatical accuracy. Asyndeton helps in speeding up the rhythm of words. EX: “This is the villain among you who deceived you, who cheated you, who meant to betray you completely.”

Answer 20

Asyndeton:

Question 21

is derived from a Greek word that means turning upon, which indicates the same word returns as the end of each sentence. Ex: hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessing on you… Scarcity and want shall shun you, Ceres’ blessing so is on you.”

Answer 21

Epistrophe:

Question 22

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;
Five summers, with the length of
Five long winters! and again I hear these waters…

Answer 22

Anaphora:

Question 23

Represents credibility or an ethical appeal which involves persuasion by the character involved

Answer 23

Ethos

Question 24

Is derived from a Greek word that means turning upon, which indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence

Answer 24

Epistrophe

Question 25

Is derived from Greek word asyndeton which means unconnected

Answer 25

Asyndeton