Summer Assignment Vocab Flashcards
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
(a symbol)
noun
from Old French allegorie (12c.), from Latin allegoria, from Greek allegoria “figurative language, description of one thing under the image of another,” literally “a speaking about something else,” from allos “another, different”
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
noun
from Modern Latin alliterationem (nominative alliteratio), noun of action from past participle stem of alliterare “to begin with the same letter,” from Latin ad “to” (see ad-) + littera (also litera) “letter, script”
Allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
Noun
mid 16th century (denoting a pun, metaphor, or parable): from French, or from late Latin allusio(n-), from the verb alludere (see allude)
Ambiguity
a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.
n.
ex) “I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think the horse was wearing red pajamas. The sentence becomes clear when it is restructured “Wearing red pajamas, I rode a black horse.”
ex) The passerby helps dog bite victim – Is the passerby helping a dog bite someone? Or is he helping a person bitten by a dog? It’s not clear.
late Middle English: from Old French ambiguite or Latin ambiguitas, from ambiguus ‘doubtful’ (see ambiguous).
Analogy
a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar.
n.
ex) Life is like a race. The one who keeps running wins the race and the one who stops to catch a breath loses.
ex) Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.
late Middle English (in the sense ‘appropriateness, correspondence’): from French analogie, Latin analogia ‘proportion,’ from Greek, from analogos ‘proportionate.’
Antithesis
means opposite and is used as a literary device to put two contrasting ideas together. This emphasizes the difference between the two ideas
n.
ex) Snow White and the Wicked Witch
ex) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
ex) That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
late Middle English (originally denoting the substitution of one grammatical case for another): from late Latin, from Greek antitithenai ‘set against,’ from anti ‘against’ + tithenai ‘to place.’ The earliest current sense, denoting a rhetorical or literary device, dates from the early 16th century.
Colloquial
colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing.
adj.
ex) y’all – you all
ex) to bamboozle – to deceive
ex) go nuts – go insane or be very angry
mid 18th century: from Latin colloquium ‘conversation’ + -al.
Connotation
a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations
n.
Ex) Home suggests family, comfort and security.
mid 16th century: from medieval Latin connotatio(n-), from connotare ‘mark in addition’ (see connote).
Denotation
literal or dictionary meanings of a word
n.
1530s, “indication,” from Late Latin denotationem (nominative denotatio), noun of action from past participle stem of denotare (see denote). As a term in logic, from 1843 (contrasted with connotation)
Diction
choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing
n.
mid 16th century (denoting a word or phrase): from Latin dictio(n-), from dicere ‘to say.’
Extended metaphor
a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem
n.
late 15th century: from French métaphore, via Latin from Greek metaphora, from metapherein ‘to transfer.’
Figurative language
language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation
n.
late 14c., “emblematical,” from Old French figuratif “metaphorical,” from Late Latin figurativus “figurative” (of speech), from figurat-, past participle stem of Latin figurare “to form, shape,” from figura “a shape, form, figure”
Figure of speech
word or phrase that has a meaning other than the literal meaning
n.
Genre
a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
n.
early 19th century: French, literally ‘a kind’ (see gender)
Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
n.
Middle English (in the senses ‘statuary, carved images collectively’): from Old French imagerie, from imager ‘make an image,’ from image (see image)
Inference/ infer
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
n.
late 16th century: from medieval Latin inferentia, from inferent- ‘bringing in,’ from the verb inferre (see infer)
Verbal irony
When you say the opposite
n.
Situational irony
When the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens
n.
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something the character does not
n.
Personification
assign the qualities of a person to something that isn’t human or something that isn’t even alive, like nature or emotions
n.
1755, noun of action from personify. Sense of “embodiment of a quality in a person” is attested from 1807
Point of view
narrator’s position in relation to the story being told
n.
“position from which a thing is viewed,” 1727, translating French point de vue, a loan-translation of Latin punctum visus. Figurative use is from 1760. The Latin phrase was translated into German as Gesichtspunkt
Prose
a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry.
everyday speech
n.
Middle English: via Old French from Latin prosa (oratio ) ‘straightforward (discourse),’ feminine of prosus, earlier prorsus ‘direct.’
Repetition
the action of repeating something that has already been said or written.
n.
late Middle English: from Old French repeticion or Latin repetitio(n-), from repetere (see repeat).
Satire
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
n.
early 16th century: from French, or from Latin satira, later form of satura ‘poetic medley.’
