Literary Termsq

Question 0

Alliteration

Answer 0

The repetition of sounds ,especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (e.g. “She sells sea shells”)

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

Device of using character and /or story elements symbolically to represent and abstraction in addition to the initial meaning.

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

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

Question 3

ambiguity-

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

antecedent

Answer 5

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

Question 6

aphonism

Answer 6

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

Question 7

apostrophe

Answer 7

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

Question 8

atmosphere

Answer 8

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

Question 9

clause

Answer 9

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

Question 10

colloquial

Answer 10

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Question 11

conceit

Answer 11

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

Question 12

connotation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

denotation

Answer 13

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

Question 14

diction

Answer 14

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

Question 15

didaditic

Answer 15

from the Greek , literally means “teaching”

Question 16

ephemism

Answer 16

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

Question 17

extended metaphor

Answer 17

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

Question 18

figurative language

Answer 18

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

Question 19

figure of speech

Answer 19

a device used to produce figurative language

Question 20

generic conventions

Answer 20

refers to traditions for each genre

Question 21

genre

Answer 21

the major category into which a literary term fits (e.g. prose, poetry, and drama

Question 22

homily

Answer 22

literally “sermon”, or any serious talk , speech , or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice

Question 23

hyperbole

Answer 23

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

Question 24

imagery

Answer 24

the sensory details or figurative language used to described , a rouse emotion, or represent abstractions

Question 25

infer

Answer 25

(inference) to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

Question 26

invective

Answer 26

an emotionally violent , verbal denunciation or attack using strong abusive language

Question 27

irony

Answer 27

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant

Question 28

verbal irony

Answer 28

words literally state the opposite of speaker’s true meaning

Question 29

situational irony

Answer 29

events turn out the opposite of what was expected

Question 30

dramatic irony

Answer 30

facts or events are unknown to a character but known to the reader or audience or other characters in work

Question 31

loose sentence

Answer 31

a type of sentence in which the main idea comes first , followed by dependent grammatical units

Question 32

metaphor

Answer 32

a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other , suggesting some similarity

Question 33

metonymy

Answer 33

from the Greek “changed label”, the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it (e,g. “the White House” for the president)

Question 34

mood

Answer 34

grammatically, the verbal units and a speaker’s attitude (indicative, subjunctive, imperative); literarily, the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a word

Question 35

asyndeton

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

Polysndeton

Answer 36

a stylistic device in which “several coordinating conjunctions” are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect. Polysndeton examples are found in literature and in day-to-day conversations. Ex: “Let the white folks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly-mostly-let them have their whiteness.”

Question 37

Epistrophe

Answer 37

is derived from a Greek word that means upon, which indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence. Ex: Hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessings on “you”…
Scarcity and what shall shun “you”,
Ceres blessings so is on you”.

Question 38

Anaphora

Answer 38

is the opposite of epistrophe and means the repetition of the same phrase or word at the beginning of successive such as in the example.
Five years have passed;
Five summers , with the length of
Five long winters! and again I hear these waters…