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LIT TERMS Vocab
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| absolute | a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best,""all,""unique,""perfect") |
| adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying |
| ad hominem argument | an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue |
| allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions |
| alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words |
| allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize |
| analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences |
| anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event |
| antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers |
| antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced |
| aphorism | a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction |
| 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 |
| argument | a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work |
| asyndeton | a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjuctions I came, I saw, I conquered |
| balanced sentence | a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast |
| bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity |
| chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("susan walked in, and out rushed Mary") |
| cliche | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off (as easy as pie) |
| climax | point of highest interest |
| colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| complex sentence | sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause |
| compund sentence | sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions |
| conceit | fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor |
| concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events |
| connotation | implied or associative meaning of a word |
| 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 |
| denotation | literal meaning of a word |
| dialect | variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or prounouciation |
| didactic | having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing |
| dilemma | situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unatrractive alternatives |
| dissonance | harsh, inharmonious, or descordant sounds |
| elegy | formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme |
| ellipsis | omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (some prefer cats; others, dogs |
| 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 |
| epigram | brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying |
| 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 |
| epiphany | moment of sudden revelation or insight |
| epitaph | inscription on a tombstone or burial place |
| epithet | term used to point out a characteristic of a person. (swift-footed Achilles) (the rocket) |
| eulogy | formal speech praising a person who has died |
| euphemism | indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant |
| expletive | an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity |
| fable | brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters |
| fantasy | story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters |
| figurative language | language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery |
| flashback | insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative |
| flat character | character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the coruse of a story |
| foreshadowing | the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work |
| frame device | story within a story |
| genre | major category or type of literature |
| homily | sermon, or a moralistic lecture |
| hubris | excessive pride or arragance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy |
| hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
| hypothetical question | question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition |
| idiom | expression in a given laguange that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression (fit as a fittle) |
| imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses |
| implication | a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating directly |
| inductive reasoning | deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (every cat i have ever seen has four legs; cats or fourlegged animals) |
| inference | conclusion one draws based on premises or evedence |
| invective | an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attact |
| irony | use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or incongruity between whatt is expected and what actually occurs |
| jargon | specialized languange or vocabulary or a particular group or profession |
| juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
| legend | narrative handed down from the past,containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements |
| limerick | light verse consisting of five lines or regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and 2nd third lines rhyme |
| 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 |
| literary license | deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieved a certain effect |
| litotes | type of understatment in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (not to bad) |
| malapropism | the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sound similar (the doctor wrote a subscripiton) |
| maxim | concise statement, often offering advice; an adage |
| metaphor | direct comparison of two different things |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associtated with it (the pen {writing} is mightier than the sword{war, fighting} |
| mood | emotional atmosphere of a work |
| motif | standard theme, element, or dramative situation that recurs in various works |
| motivation | charceter incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a charcter to act |
| myth | traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events |
| narrative | story or narrated account |
| narrator | one who tells the story |
| non sequitur | an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, "does not follow |
| omniscient narrator | who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feeling of the characters |
| onomatopoeia | a word formed from the limitation of natural sounds (ding dong, BAM, ruff) "figurative language" |
| oxymoron | an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined (bittersweet, jumo shrimp, same difference |
| parable | a simple "story" that illustrates a moral or religious lesson |
| paradox | an apparently contractory statement that acutally contains some truth (I can resist everything except temptation) Nobody goes to taht restraunt, its too crowded) |
| parallelism | the use of corresponding grammatically or syntactical forms (I like "to" swim, "to" hike, and "to" sleep) anaphora |
| 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 (Epic Movie) |
| parenthetical | comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain "The hatchet 'by Gary paulsen' is a good book" |
| pathos | quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity |
| pedantic | charecterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship "arrogant people" |
| personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
| philippic | strong verbal dnunciation. the term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Madedonia in the fourth century "smack talk" |
| plot | action of a narrative or drama |
| point of view | the vantage point from which a story is told (1st person, 3rd person) |
| polysyndeton | the use, for rhetorical effect, or more conjunctions than is necessary or natural (He ran 'and' jumped 'and' laughed 'and' jumped for joy) |
| 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 |
| resolution | the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax |
| rhetoric | the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive way |
| rhetorical question | question for effect and not requiring an answer |
| rhetorical devices | literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression |
| riddle | question requiring thought to answer or understnad; puzzle (how far can a deer run into a forest?) |
| romantic | term describing a character or literary work that reflects the characteristics of Ramanticism, stressed emotion, imagination, indivualism |
| 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 redicule |
| satire | the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions |
Created by:
13robertsj
Popular English Vocabulary sets