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LIT TERMS Vocab

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Question
Answer
absolute   a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best,""all,""unique,""perfect")  
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adage   a familiar proverb or wise saying  
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ad hominem argument   an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue  
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allegory   a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions  
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alliteration   the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words  
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allusion   a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize  
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analogy   a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way  
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anaphora   the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences  
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anecdote   a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event  
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antecedent   the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers  
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antithesis   a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced  
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aphorism   a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance  
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apostrophe   a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction  
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archetype   a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response  
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argument   a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work  
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asyndeton   a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjuctions I came, I saw, I conquered  
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balanced sentence   a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast  
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bathos   insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity  
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chiasmus   a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("susan walked in, and out rushed Mary")  
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cliche   an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off (as easy as pie)  
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climax   point of highest interest  
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colloquialism   informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing  
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complex sentence   sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause  
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compund sentence   sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions  
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conceit   fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor  
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concrete details   details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events  
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connotation   implied or associative meaning of a word  
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deductive reasoning   reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating general principle and the appying that principle to a specific case (sun rises every morning, therefore rise Tuesday  
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denotation   literal meaning of a word  
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dialect   variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or prounouciation  
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didactic   having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing  
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dilemma   situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unatrractive alternatives  
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dissonance   harsh, inharmonious, or descordant sounds  
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elegy   formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme  
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ellipsis   omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (some prefer cats; others, dogs  
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epic   long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation  
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epigram   brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying  
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epigraph   saying or statement on the title page or a work, or uses as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work  
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epiphany   moment of sudden revelation or insight  
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epitaph   inscription on a tombstone or burial place  
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epithet   term used to point out a characteristic of a person. (swift-footed Achilles) (the rocket)  
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eulogy   formal speech praising a person who has died  
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euphemism   indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant  
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expletive   an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity  
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fable   brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters  
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fantasy   story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters  
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figurative language   language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery  
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flashback   insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative  
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flat character   character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the coruse of a story  
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foreshadowing   the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work  
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frame device   story within a story  
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genre   major category or type of literature  
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homily   sermon, or a moralistic lecture  
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hubris   excessive pride or arragance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy  
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hyperbole   intentional exaggeration to create an effect  
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hypothetical question   question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition  
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idiom   expression in a given laguange that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression (fit as a fittle)  
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imagery   the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses  
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implication   a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating directly  
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inductive reasoning   deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (every cat i have ever seen has four legs; cats or fourlegged animals)  
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inference   conclusion one draws based on premises or evedence  
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invective   an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attact  
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irony   use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or incongruity between whatt is expected and what actually occurs  
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jargon   specialized languange or vocabulary or a particular group or profession  
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juxtaposition   placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast  
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legend   narrative handed down from the past,containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements  
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limerick   light verse consisting of five lines or regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and 2nd third lines rhyme  
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limited narrator   narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single cahracter and restricts info to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character  
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literary license   deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieved a certain effect  
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litotes   type of understatment in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (not to bad)  
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malapropism   the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sound similar (the doctor wrote a subscripiton)  
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maxim   concise statement, often offering advice; an adage  
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metaphor   direct comparison of two different things  
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metonymy   substituting the name of one object for another object closely associtated with it (the pen {writing} is mightier than the sword{war, fighting}  
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mood   emotional atmosphere of a work  
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motif   standard theme, element, or dramative situation that recurs in various works  
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motivation   charceter incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a charcter to act  
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myth   traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events  
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narrative   story or narrated account  
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narrator   one who tells the story  
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non sequitur   an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, "does not follow  
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omniscient narrator   who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feeling of the characters  
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onomatopoeia   a word formed from the limitation of natural sounds (ding dong, BAM, ruff) "figurative language"  
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oxymoron   an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined (bittersweet, jumo shrimp, same difference  
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parable   a simple "story" that illustrates a moral or religious lesson  
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paradox   an apparently contractory statement that acutally contains some truth (I can resist everything except temptation) Nobody goes to taht restraunt, its too crowded)  
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parallelism   the use of corresponding grammatically or syntactical forms (I like "to" swim, "to" hike, and "to" sleep) anaphora  
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paraphrase   a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity  
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parody   a humorous imitation of a serious work (Epic Movie)  
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parenthetical   comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain "The hatchet 'by Gary paulsen' is a good book"  
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pathos   quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity  
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pedantic   charecterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship "arrogant people"  
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personification   endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics  
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philippic   strong verbal dnunciation. the term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Madedonia in the fourth century "smack talk"  
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plot   action of a narrative or drama  
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point of view   the vantage point from which a story is told (1st person, 3rd person)  
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polysyndeton   the use, for rhetorical effect, or more conjunctions than is necessary or natural (He ran 'and' jumped 'and' laughed 'and' jumped for joy)  
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pun   a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with siimilar sounds but different meanings (taking something literal, 'stealing home') amelia bedilia  
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resolution   the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax  
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rhetoric   the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive way  
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rhetorical question   question for effect and not requiring an answer  
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rhetorical devices   literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression  
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riddle   question requiring thought to answer or understnad; puzzle (how far can a deer run into a forest?)  
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romantic   term describing a character or literary work that reflects the characteristics of Ramanticism, stressed emotion, imagination, indivualism  
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round character   a character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work  
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sarcasm   harsh, cutting language or tone intended to redicule  
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satire   the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions  
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