Yellow Packet part 2 Flashcards
Juxtaposition
Placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
Jargon
The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession
Legend
A narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements
Limerick
Light verse consisting of five lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of three feet) rhyme, and the second an third lines (each consisting of two feet) rhyme
Limited narrator
A narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, herd, thought, or felt by that one character
Literary license
Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect.
(Intentional sentence fragments, for example).
Litotes
A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating it’s opposite.
(Describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, “it was not a pretty picture”)
Malapropism
The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar.
(“The doctor wrote a subscription”)
Maxim
A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
Metaphor
A direct comparison of two different things
Metonymy
Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it
(“The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]”)
Mood
The emotional atmosphere of a work
Motif
A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works
Motivation
A character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act
Myth
A traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events
Narrative
A story or narrated account
Narrator
The one who tells the story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient
Non sequitur
An inference that does not follow logically from the premises.
(Literally, “does not follow”)
Omniscient narrator
A narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters
Onomatopoeia
A word formed from the imitation of natural sounds
Oxymoron
An expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined
Parable
A simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson
Paradox
An apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth.
Parallelism
The use if corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms
Paraphrase
A restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity
Parody
A humorous imitation of a serious work
Parenthetical
A comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain
Pathos
The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity
Pedantic
Characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship
Personification
Endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics
Philippic
A strong verbal denunciation.
The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century
Plot
The action of a narrative or drama
Point of view
The vantage point from which a story is told
Polysyndeton
The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural
Pun
A play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings
Resolution
The falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax
Rhetoric
The art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner
Rhetorical question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Rhetorical devices
Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression
Riddle
A question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum
Romantic
A term describing a character or literary work that reflects the characteristics of Romanticism, the literary movement beginning in the late 18th century that stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism.
Round character
A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work
Sarcasm
Harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule
Satire
The use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions
Scapegoat
A person or group that bears the blame for another
Scene
A real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a play
Setting
The time, place, and environment in which actions take place
Simile
A comparison of two things using “like” or “as” or other specifically comparative words
Simple sentence
A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause
Solecism
Nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules
Structure
The arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work
Style
The choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work
Surrealism
An artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control
Syllepsis
A construction in which one word is used in two different senses.
(“After he threw the ball, he threw a fit)
Syllogism
A three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise.
(All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore, Socrates is mortal)
Symbol
An object that is used to represent something else
Synecdoche
Using one part of an object to represent the entire object.
For example, referring to a car simply as “wheels”
Synesthesia (or synaesthesia)
Describing one kind of sensation in terms of another.
“A loud color”, “a sweet sound”
Syntax
The manner in which words are arranged into sentences
Tautology
Needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding.
“Widow woman”, “free gift”
Theme
A central idea of a work
Thesis
The primary position taken by a writer or speaker
Tone
The attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience
Topic
The subject treated in a paragraph or work
Tragedy
A work in which the protagonist, a person of high degree, is engaged in a significant struggle and which ends in ruin or destruction
Trilogy
A work in three parts, each of which is a complete work in itself
Trite
Overused and hackneyed
Turning point
The point in a work in which a very significant change occurs
Understatement
The deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis.
Usage
The customary way language or its elements are used
Vernacular
The everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage
