Literary Terms quiz - 10/20/14 Flashcards

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0
Q

allegory

A

the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning- in some for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. the meaning usually deals with moral truth or generalization about human existence

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1
Q

ad hominen arguement

A

Latin meaning “to or against man;” an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect

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2
Q

alliteration

A

the repetition of sounds, especially initial constant sounds in two or more neighboring words. Repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and o supply musical sound

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3
Q

allusion

A

brief reference to a person, event, or place or to a work of art

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4
Q

anaphora

A

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

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5
Q

antimetabole

A

repetition of words in reverse order

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6
Q

antithesis

A

opposition or contrast of ideas or words in a parallel construction

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7
Q

archaic diction

A

old-fashioned or out dated choice of words

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8
Q

asyndeton

A

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses or words

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9
Q

cumulative sentence

A

sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and hen builds and adds on

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10
Q

hortative sentence

A

sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action

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11
Q

imperative sentence

A

sentence used to command or enjoin

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12
Q

inversion

A

inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

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13
Q

juxtaposition

A

placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences

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14
Q

metaphor

A

figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as

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15
Q

oxymoron

A

paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another

16
Q

parallelism

A

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words phrases or clauses

17
Q

periodic sentence

A

sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end

18
Q

personification

A

attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or idea

19
Q

rhetorical question

A

figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting and answer

20
Q

synecdoche

A

figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole

21
Q

zeugma

A

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different often incongruous meanings

22
Q

ambiguity

A

multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional or word, phrase, or passage

23
Q

analogy

A

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging

24
Q

antecedent

A

word, phrase or clause referred to a pronoun

25
Q

aphorism

A

terse statement of known authorship expressing general truth or moral principle. can be memorable summation of authors point (unknown authorship-folk proverb generally)

26
Q

apostrophe

A

figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary object. May add familiarity or emotional intensity (ex. love)

27
Q

atmosphere

A

emotional mood created by entirely of a literary work established partly by setting and authors choice of object. weather can be a factor. can foreshadow events

28
Q

clause

A

a grammatical unit that contains a subject and verb. an independent, or main, clause expresses a complete and can stand alone as a sentence. a dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

29
Q

colloquial

A

use of slang/informalities in speech or writing. not for formal writing but gives familiar tone in conversation. includes local or regional dialects in writing

30
Q

connotation

A

the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; implied, suggested meaning. May include ideas emotions or attitude

31
Q

denotation

A

strict literal definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

32
Q

diction

A

authors style, word choice; combines syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc

33
Q

didactic

A

from Greek, literally means “teaching”. these works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing especially the teaching of moral or ethnic principles

34
Q

extended metaphor

A

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently throughout a work

35
Q

euphemism

A

Greek “good speech”; more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts; may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness, or to add humor or ironic understatement