13573225408 | allegory | story or poem that can be used to reveal a hidden meaning | 0 | |
13573225409 | allusion* | A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art | 1 | |
13573225410 | anaphora* | repetition in first part of a sentence , to have an artistic meaning | 2 | |
13573225411 | apostrophe | figure of speech used to adresss an imaginary character | 3 | |
13573225412 | approximate rhyme | words in rhyming pattern that sound alike | 4 | |
13573225413 | aside | when a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by other actors on the stage | 5 | |
13573225414 | blank verse | poetry written in meter without an ending rhyme | 6 | |
13573225415 | cacophony | blend of unharmonious sounds | 7 | |
13573225416 | caesura | pause in the middle of a line | 8 | |
13573225417 | catharsis | the release of emotions through art (emotional cleanse) | 9 | |
13573225418 | characterization* | process of revealing characters personality | 10 | |
13573225419 | comedy | drama that is amusing or funny | 11 | |
13573225420 | didactic writing | writing with a primary purpose to teach or preach | 12 | |
13573225421 | dramatic exposition* | prose commentaries, to provide background information about the characters and their world | 13 | |
13573225422 | end stopped line | line ending in regular punctuation | 14 | |
13573225423 | epiphany | when a character receives a spiritual insight into their life | 15 | |
13573225424 | euphony | smooth choice and arrangement of sounds | 16 | |
13573225425 | extended figure | A figure of speech sustained or developed through a considerable number of lines or through a whole poem. | 17 | |
13573225426 | figurative language | Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling. | 18 | |
13573225427 | figure of speech | a way of saying something other than the ordinary way | 19 | |
13573225428 | foot | basic unit in the scansion or measurement of verse , stressed and un stressed syllables | 20 | |
13573225429 | form | external pattern or shape of a poem | 21 | |
13573225430 | hamartia* | tragic flaw which causes a character's downfall | 22 | |
13573225431 | verbal irony | A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant | 23 | |
13573225432 | dramatic irony | Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. | 24 | |
13573225433 | situational irony* | refers to an occurrence that is contrary to what is expected or intended | 25 | |
13573225434 | meter | A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry | 26 | |
13573225435 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 27 | |
13573225436 | motivation* | A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior | 28 | |
13573225437 | hyperbole* | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 29 | |
13573225438 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. | 30 | |
13573225439 | paradox | A contradiction or dilemma | 31 | |
13573225440 | rhythm | A regularly recurring sequence of events or actions. | 32 | |
13573225441 | sarcasm* | the use of irony to mock or convey contempt | 33 | |
13573225442 | satire | A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. | 34 | |
13573225443 | simile* | A comparison using "like" or "as" | 35 | |
13573225444 | soliloquy | A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage | 36 | |
13573225445 | stream of consciousness | private thoughts of a character without commentary | 37 | |
13573225446 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa | 38 | |
13573225447 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 39 | |
13573225448 | theme* | Central idea of a work of literature | 40 | |
13573225449 | tone* | Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character | 41 | |
13573225450 | understatement | the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis | 42 | |
13573225451 | polysyndeton* | the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural | 43 | |
13573225452 | asyndeton* | a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions | 44 | |
13573225453 | ambiguity | An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. | 45 | |
13573225454 | archetype | an original model on which something is patterned | 46 | |
13573225455 | antecedent action | action or events which occur before the story begins | 47 | |
13573225456 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. | 48 | |
13573225457 | analogy | method of comparing two similar things using parallelism to show similarities | 49 | |
13573225458 | anecdote | a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person | 50 | |
13573225459 | antithesis | an exact opposite; an opposite extreme | 51 | |
13573225460 | colloquial | characteristic of informal conversation | 52 | |
13573225461 | chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed | 53 | |
13573225462 | coherence | the quality of being logical, orderly, and clearly connected | 54 | |
13573225463 | conceit | a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor | 55 | |
13573225464 | diacope | repetition of a word or phrase with one or two intervening words | 56 | |
13573225465 | explication | a detailed explanation of the meaning of a text | 57 | |
13573225466 | juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast | 58 | |
13573225467 | hypophora | the technique of asking a question, then proceeding to answer it | 59 | |
13573225468 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant | 60 | |
13573225469 | enumeratio | detailing parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly | 61 | |
13573225470 | enjambment | line of poetry that ends with no punctuation and consequently runs over into the next line | 62 | |
13573225471 | invective | insulting, abusive, or highly critical language | 63 | |
13573225472 | litotes | A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite | 64 | |
13573225473 | motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 65 | |
13573225474 | parallelism | the use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form | 66 | |
13573225475 | prosody | the study of sound and rhythm in poetry | 67 | |
13573225476 | syntax | the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences | 68 | |
13573225477 | volta | the shift or point of dramatic change in a poem | 69 | |
13573225478 | rhetoric | the art of using language effectively and persuasively | 70 | |
13573225479 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected. | 71 | |
13573225480 | parody | a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner | 72 | |
13573225481 | inference | A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning | 73 | |
13573225482 | tragedy | A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow | 74 | |
13573225483 | undertone | a hidden or implied meaning | 75 | |
13573225484 | dissonance | lack of agreement or harmony | 76 | |
13573225485 | frame story | story that contains another story/stories that is/are usually significant to the main story | 77 | |
13573225486 | expletive | an exclamation or oath, often obscene | 78 | |
13573225487 | atmosphere/mood | the mood/ feeling of the literary work created for the reader by the writer. | 79 | |
13573225488 | auditory imagery | use of language to represent an experience pertaining to sound | 80 | |
13573225489 | universal theme | A message about life that can be understood by most cultures | 81 | |
13573225490 | implied meaning | the meaning of a word understood, though unexpressed, usually through connotations and imagery; where you have to read between the lines to get the underlying meaning/subtext of a text | 82 | |
13573225491 | interior monologue | a form of stream-of-consciousness writing that represents the inner thoughts of a character | 83 | |
13573225493 | character sketch | a short piece of writing that reveals or shows something important about a person or fictional character | 84 | |
13573225494 | epilogue | a short passage added at the end of a literary work | 85 | |
13573225495 | epistle | a letter or literary composition in letter form | 86 | |
13573225496 | hexameter | a line of poetry containing six feet | 87 | |
13573225497 | tetrameter | a line of poetry containing four feet | 88 | |
13573225498 | pentameter | a line of poetry containing five feet | 89 | |
13573225499 | lament | a passionate expression of grief or sorrow | 90 |
AP English Literature Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
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