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Words to study

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Words
Definitions
alliteration   the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables  
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allusion   an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; making a reference  
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antagonist   one that contends with or opposes another  
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atmosphere   an intriguing or singular tone, effect, or appeal  
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assonance   resemblance of sound in words or syllables  
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ballad   a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing  
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analogy   resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike  
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anecdote   a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident  
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antithesis   the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences (as in “action, not words” or “they promised freedom and provided slavery”)  
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climax   the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action  
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conflict   competitive or opposing action of incompatibles  
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couplet   two successive lines of verse forming a unit marked usually by rhythmic correspondence, rhyme, or the inclusion of a self-contained utterance  
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denouement   the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work  
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dialect   a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (as social class)  
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dialogue   a written composition in which two or more characters are represented as conversing  
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bibliography   a list often with descriptive or critical notes of writings relating to a particular subject, period, or author  
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biography   a usually written history of a person's life  
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connotation   the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes  
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crisis   an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life  
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diction   vocal expression  
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empathy   the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience  
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epic   extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope  
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epilogue   a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work  
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fiction   something invented by the imagination or feigned  
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flashback   a past incident recurring vividly in the mind  
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gothic   of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in northern Fran  
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imagery   figurative language  
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mood   a conscious state of mind or predominant emotion  
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narrative   the representation in art of an event or story  
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auspicious   showing or suggesting that future success is likely  
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broach   any of various pointed or tapered tools, implements, or parts  
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calumny   a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation  
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cursory   rapidly and often superficially performed or produced  
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diatribe   a bitter and abusive speech or piece of writing  
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encumbrance   a claim (as a mortgage) against property  
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foil   to prevent from attaining an end  
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glean   to gather information or material bit by bit  
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guile   deceitful cunning  
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highbrow   a person who possesses or has pretensions to superior learning or culture  
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impediment   n impairment (as a stutter or a lisp) that interferes with the proper articulation of speech  
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ire   intense and usually openly displayed anger  
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jocular   habitually jolly  
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keen   having a fine edge or point : sharp  
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latent   present and capable of emerging or developing but not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic  
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macabre   comprising or including a personalized representation of death  
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misanthrope   a person who hates or distrusts humankind  
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myriad   ten thousand  
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ominous   being or exhibiting an omen : especially : foreboding or foreshadowing evil  
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nebulous   indistinct, vague  
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onerous   involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome  
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pious   a person of local or restricted interests or out  
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provincial   a person of local or restricted interests or outlook  
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qualm   a sudden access of usually disturbing emotion (as doubt or fear)  
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nemesis   a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent  
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non-fiction   real  
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foot   the basic unit of verse meter consisting of any of various fixed combinations or groups of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables  
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ramify   to split up into branches or constituent parts  
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fable   a legendary story of supernatural happenings  
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foreshadowing   to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand : prefigure  
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hero/heroine   a man or woman admired for his/her achievements and noble qualities  
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hyperbole   extravagant exaggeration  
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iamb   a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable or of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable  
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irony   the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning  
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metaphor   a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them  
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meter   systematically arranged and measured rhythm in verse  
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Onomatopoeia   the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it  
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Oxymoron   a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly  
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Pentameter   a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet  
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Personification   attribution of personal qualities; especially : representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form  
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Plot   the plan or main story  
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Protagonist   the principal character in a literary work  
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Rhyme   correspondence in terminal sounds of units of composition or utterance (as two or more words or lines of verse)  
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Rhythm   an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech  
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Setting   the manner, position, or direction in which something is set  
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propaganda   ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect  
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pathos   an emotion of sympathetic pity  
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prologue   the preface or introduction to a literary work  
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pun   the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound  
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satire   a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn  
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simile   : a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses)  
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symbolism   the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations  
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thesis   the unstressed part of a poetic foot especially in accentual verse  
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tone   vocal or musical sound of a specific quality  
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utopia   paradise  
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villian   bad person  
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anaphora   repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect  
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aphorism   a concise statement of a principle  
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archaism   : something (as a practice or custom) that is outmoded or old-fashioned  
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Asyndeton   omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses  
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Bathos   the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style  
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Cacophony   shrilly noise  
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Chiasmus   an inverted relationship between the syntactic elements of parallel phrases  
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elegy   a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is dead  
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Denotation   a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea  
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Ethos   the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution  
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genre   a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content  
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euphony   pleasing or sweet sound  
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euphemism   the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant  
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hamartia   tragic flaw  
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induction   inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances  
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deduction   take away  
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rhetoric   the art of speaking or writing effectively  
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pedantic   narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned  
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parody   a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule  
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sarcasm   : a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain  
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style   designation, title  
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syntax   the way in which linguistic elements (as words) are put together to form constituents (as phrases or clauses)  
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synecdoche   a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole, the whole for a part, the species for the genus , the genus for the species, or the name of the material for the thing made  
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logos   the divine wisdom manifest in the creation, government, and redemption of the world and often identified with the second person of the Trinity  
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juxtaposition   the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side;  
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litotes    
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ellipsis    
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Amplification    
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Antecedent    
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Aphorism    
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Apostrophe    
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Caesura    
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Canon    
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Crux    
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Epiphany    
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Hypophora    
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Epithet    
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Form    
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Ode    
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Idioms    
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Volatile   likely to become dangerous or out of control  
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welter   a large and confusing number or amount  
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Zealous   feeling or showing strong and energetic support for a “person  
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