Vocab 8

Question 1

oxymoron

Answer 1

From the Greek for “pointedly foolish,” an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include “jumbo shrimp” and “cruel kindness.”

Question 2

pacing

Answer 2

movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another

Question 3

parable

Answer 3

a short story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson

Question 4

paradox

Answer 4

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. (Think of the beginning of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….”)

Question 5

paralepsis

Answer 5

giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject (kind of irony), but still (somehow) reveals it

Question 6

parallelism

Answer 6

also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning “beside one another.” It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. The effects of parallelism are numerous, but, frequently, they act as an organizing force to attract the reader’s attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a pleasing musical rhythm

Question 7

parody

Answer 7

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Question 8

pedantic

Answer 8

An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as “show-offy”; using big words for the sake of using big words).

Question 9

persona

Answer 9

role or character adopted by an author; aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others

Question 10

personification

Answer 10

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

Question 11

persuasion

Answer 11

a type of argument that aims to change a person’s attitude or behavior toward some event, idea, object, etc. by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings or reasoning

Question 12

plot

Answer 12

a sequence of events in a literary work

Question 13

point of view

Answer 13

n literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view, and many subdivisions within those.

Question 14

first person

Answer 14

first person narrator tells the story with the first person pronoun, “I,” and is a character in the story. This narrator
can be the protagonist, a secondary character, or an observing character.

Question 15

third person

Answer 15

narrator relates the events with the third person pronouns, “he,” “she,” and “it.” There are two main subdivisions to be aware of:

Question 16

a. third person omniscient

Answer 16

, in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters

Question 17

b. third person limited

Answer 17

in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one
character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters.
In addition, be aware that the term point of view carries an additional meaning. When you are asked to analyze the author’s point of view, the appropriate point for you to address is the author’s attitude.

Question 18

polysyndeton

Answer 18

sentence that uses AND or other conjunctions multiple times with NO commas to separate items in a series; slows the flow of the sentence for effect