Vocab 1 Flashcards
Ambiguity
Something whose meaning is uncertain.
Analogy
A comparison between two different items.
Contrast
To show differences.
Denotation
The literal or dictionary definition of a word.
Diction
The author’s choice of words.
Euphemism
A more acceptable way of saying something that causes discomfort
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits.
Homily
A serious talk that involves moral or spiritual advice.
Chronological
Arranged according to time order.
Clause
A group of words that contains both a subject and a verb.
Infer
To conclude from evidence.
Loose sentence
A sentence in which the independent clause comes first.
Narrative
The telling of a story
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for another closely associated with it.
Paradox
A statement that appears self contradictory.
Repetition
The duplication of any sound, word, phrase, or grammatical pattern.
Sarcasm
Bitter language that is intended to hurt a person or thing.
Sophistication
Wisdom caused by world experience
Synesthetic
Involving more than one sense.
Subject Complement
The word or words that follow a linking verb
Anecdote
A short account of an incident.
Antecedent
The word to which a pronoun refers.
Comparison
A statement of similarities.
Conceit
A comparison of two highly dissimilar things.
Diatribe
A bitter verbal attack.
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration.
Mood
The emotion that the reader feels when reading a literary work.
Parallelism
The repetition of words, phrases, or sentences
Parody
An imitation of a work intended to ridicule the work (double check the answer)
Periodic sentence
A sentence with the independent clause at the the end.
Rhetoric
The art of using language effectively.
Predicate Adjective
The adjective that follows a linking verb
Satire
A work that ridicules humans or social institutions. (Has sophisticated irony)
Semantics
The meaning of a word or sentence
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which part of something is used to represent the whole thing.
Understatement
The presentation of something as less important than it really is.
Wit
Intellectual language that surprises and delights
Colloquial
Characteristic of ordinary speech rather than formal speech.
Aphorism
A brief statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth.
Ad Hominem
Appealing to a person’s prejudices
Atmosphere
The mood created from setting details
Connotation
A meaning associated with a word
Coherent
Following an orderly logical pattern that is easy to understand
Didactic
Morally instructive
Discourse
conversation
Invective
a verbally abusive attack
Mode
a method or form
Oxymoron
a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms
Pedantic
tending to be overly scholarly or overly observant to rules
Predicate Nominative
a noun, a group of nouns, or clause that renames a subject
Prose
Any writing that is not poetry or drama
Style
The unique way an author presents his ideas.
Syllogism
A logical argument that presents two premises from which a conclusion is drawn.
Subordinate Clause
A group of words that contains a subject and a verb but can’t stand alone as a complete thought.
Syntax
The way in which words are arranged in a sentence.
Chiasmus
A reversal in the word order of two parallel phrases or clauses
Pun
A humorous use of a word
Enthymene
A syllogism with one premise omitted.
Antithesis
two opposing ideas presented in a parallel manner
Apostrophe
a poetic device in which the speaker addresses an idea or a person who is not present.
Declarative sentence
A sentence that makes a statement of fact
Elegiac
Expressing sorrow for that which is in the past
Gothic
Old fashioned (sometimes to the point of being barbarous or crude)
Idyllic
Simple, tranquil, and carefree
Epithet
A descriptive word or phrase that stresses the dominant trait of a noun
Facetious
playfully humourous
Laudatory
expressing praise
Imperative Sentence
a sentence that makes a command
Litotes
A type of understatement that asserts a point by denying its negative.
Lugubrious
Dismal or gloomy especially to an exaggerated degree
Macabre
Suggesting the horror of death and decay
Maudlin
expressively sentimental
Nostalgia
A bittersweet longing for things of the past
Rhapsodic
Impassioned, enthusiastic, and ecstatic
Appositive
a word or phrase that directly follows the noun it modifies
Obloquy
public condination
Paean
A song of praise or joy
phrase
a grouping of words without a subject, verb, or both.
Assertion
The thesis of an essay
Discordant
Disagreeable in sound
Cacophony
Harsh, discordant sounds in literary work
Comic relief
A humorous character or scene inserted between tragic events in a literary work
Deconstruct
To break something into pats in order to understand the meanings of the parts
Epigraph
A quotation at the beginning or a literary work
Euphony
The presentation of pleasant sounds in a work
Exclamatory sentence
A sentence that shows excitement and ends in an exclamation point.
Exposition
Background information presented in a work
Flashback
A device that allows the writer to refer to past events
Ibid
The same as the source above
Monologue
A speech given by one character
Parable
A story that operates on more than one level and teaches a moral
Polysyndeton
The presence of many conjunctions between clauses.
Subordination
The process of giving one idea in a sentence less emphasis than another idea in a sentence.
Urbane
Refined often in an elegant matter
