Methods Flashcards
Metaphor
A figure of speech where one thing is described as being another, implying a comparison.
Simile
A comparison between two different things using “like” or “as.”
Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of closely connected words.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.
Irony
A contrast between expectation and reality.
Symbolism
Using an object, word, or idea to represent something beyond its literal meaning.
Allegory
A narrative in which characters, events, or settings symbolically represent abstract ideas or moral concepts.
Pathetic Fallacy
The attribution of human emotions to nature or inanimate objects, often reflecting a character’s mood.
Imagery
Language that appeals to the senses, creating a vivid picture.
Juxtaposition
Placing two contrasting ideas or images close together for effect.
Narrative Voice
The perspective from which a story is told (e.g., first-person, third-person omniscient).
Flashback (Analepsis)
A narrative technique that interrupts the chronological flow of events to revisit an earlier moment.
Flashforward (Prolepsis)
A narrative technique where future events are hinted at or revealed.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa.
Metonymy
Replacing the name of something with an associated term.
Foil
A character who contrasts with another character to highlight particular qualities.
Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)
A character trait that leads to the protagonist’s downfall.
Satire
Using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or mock societal norms.
Stream of Consciousness
A narrative technique that mimics a character’s thought process in a flow of ideas and feelings.
Syntax
The arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences in a particular way.
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence or clause over a line break.
Epigraph
A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a text to suggest its theme.
Tone
The writer’s attitude towards the subject or audience.
Motif
A recurring idea, theme, or element in a literary work.
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Ellipsis
The omission of words for effect, often creating suspense or a pause.
Asyndeton
The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.
Polysyndeton
The use of multiple conjunctions for emphasis.
Bathos
A sudden descent from the sublime to the trivial, often for comedic effect.
Chiasmus
A rhetorical device where words or concepts are repeated in reverse order.
Caesura
A pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds, often at the end of words.
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds within words.
Epizeuxis
The immediate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis.
Anadiplosis
Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next.
Apostrophe
A figure of speech where the speaker directly addresses an absent person, abstract idea, or object.
Pastiche
Imitating another work or style, often as a tribute.
Free Indirect Discourse
A narrative technique that blends the character’s thoughts with the third-person narration.
In Media Res
Beginning a narrative in the middle of the action.
Denotation
The literal, dictionary definition of a word.
Connotation
The implied or emotional meaning of a word.
Parataxis
The use of short, simple sentences without conjunctions to convey immediacy or disconnection.
Hypotaxis
The use of complex sentence structures with subordinate clauses to show relationships.
Anthropomorphism
Giving human characteristics to animals or objects, making them act like humans.
Zoomorphism
Attributing animal characteristics to humans or objects.
Foil
A character who contrasts with another character to highlight particular qualities.
Prolepsis
A narrative technique where future events are hinted at or revealed.
Stream of Consciousness
A narrative technique that mimics a character’s thought process in a flow of ideas and feelings.
Periphrasis
Using more words than necessary, often for emphasis or style.
Tragic Flaw
A character trait that leads to the protagonist’s downfall.
Dramatic Monologue
A poem or speech in which a character speaks to a silent listener.
Litotes
A figure of speech that employs understatement by using double negatives.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered harsh or blunt.
Paradox
A statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper truth.
Antithesis
Placing contrasting ideas together to highlight their differences.
Tone Shift
A change in the writer’s or speaker’s tone within a text.
Allegory
A narrative in which characters, events, or settings symbolically represent abstract ideas or moral concepts.
Vernacular
The use of everyday language specific to a region or group.
Climax
The point of greatest tension or conflict in a narrative.
