PPT Answers and Terms
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| 2517266389 | Abstract Diction | Language that denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible-impenetrable, incredible, inscrutable, inconceivable, unfathomable | 0 | |
| 2517266390 | ad hominem | Latin for "against the man." Attacking the person instead of the argument proposed by that individual. An argument directed to the personality, prejudices, previous words and actions of an opponent rather than an appeal to pure reason. Example: "Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot," writes left-wing comedian Al Franken. | 1 | |
| 2517266391 | adverbial phrases | First, let's define an adverb: word that modifies a verb, verb form, adjective or another adverb. Thus, an adverbial phrases is a group of words that modifies, as a single unit, a verb, verb form, adjective or another adverb. Example: He lost the first game due to carelessness. | 2 | |
| 2517266392 | allegory | A fiction or nonfiction narrative, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities, moral values, or concepts. Playing out of the narrative is designed to reveal an abstraction or truth. Characters and other elements may be symbolic of the ideas referred to in the allegory. Example: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan or A Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. | 3 | |
| 2517266394 | allusion | A reference, explicit or indirect, to a person, place, or event, or to another literary work or passage. Generally speaking, the writer assumes the educated reader will recognize the reference. Often humorous, but not always. Establishes a connection between writer and reader, or to make a subtle point. Example: "In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings." | 4 | |
| 2517266395 | Ambiguity | Use of language where the meaning is unclear or has two or more possible interpretations or meanings. It could be created through a weakness in the way the writer has expressed himself or herself, but often it is used by writers quite deliberately to create layers of meaning in the mind of the reader. | 5 | |
| 2517266396 | Ambivalence | This indicates more than one possible attitude is being displayed by the writer towards a character, theme, or idea, etc. | 6 | |
| 2517266397 | Anachronism | Something that is historically inaccurate, for example the reference to a clock chiming in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. | 7 | |
| 2517266398 | Anadiplosis | Last word of one line is the first word of the next line | 8 | |
| 2517266399 | analogy | A comparison to a directly parallel case, arguing that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case. A comparison made between two things that may initially seem to have little in common but can offer fresh insights when compared. Used for illustration and/or argument. Example: "We advance in years somewhat in the manner of an invading army in a barren land; the age that we have reached, as the phrase goes, we but hold with an outpost, and still keep open our communications with the extreme rear and first beginnings of the march." -Robert Louis Stevenson, "On Marriage." | 9 | |
| 2517266400 | anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. Deliberate form of repetition to reinforce point or to make it more coherent. Example: In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson places the subject, "He," at the beginning of twenty accusations in a row, each as a single paragraph, to put the weight of responsibility for the problems with King George III, whom Jefferson refers to in the third person. | 10 | |
| 2517266401 | Anastrophe (Inversion) | Inversion of the normal syntactical structure of a sentence. Ex. "Ready are you?" | 11 | |
| 2517266402 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun | 12 | |
| 2517266406 | antithesis | A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases or clauses. Example: ". . .one seeing more where the other sees less, one seeing black where the other sees white, one seeing big where the other sees small. . . ." Example: Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act I, Scene I, Line 11: "Fair is foul and foul is fair." Oxymoron: rhetorical antithesis, juxtaposing two contradictory terms like "wise fool" or "eloquent silent." | 13 | |
| 2517266408 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle | 14 | |
| 2517266411 | Archaic | Language that is old-fashioned -not completely obsolete but no longer in current use. | 15 | |
| 2517266414 | asyndeton | Sentence where commas are used with no conjunctions to separate a series of words. Gives equal weight to each part. Speeds up the flow of the sentence. Formula: X, Y, Z. As opposed to X, Y, and Z. See polysyndeton for variation. | 16 | |
| 2517266420 | bombast | Originally meant "cotton stuffing." Adopted to signify verbose and inflated diction that is disproportionate to the matter it expresses. Popular with the heroic drama of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Although a century after the height of this style, James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Sagas (Last of the Mohicans for example) are typical of bombastic speeches. | 17 | |
| 2517266421 | bowdlerize | Named after Thomas Bowdler, who tidied up his Family Shakespeare in 1815 by omitting whatever is unfit to be read by a gentleman in the presence of a lady. Means to expurgate from a work any passages considered indecent or indelicate. High school and some college texts are guilty of this censuring | 18 | |
| 2517266422 | Cacaphony | Harsh clashing, or dissonant sounds, often produced by combinations of words that require a clipped, explosive delivery or words that contain a number of plosive consonants. Opposite of Euphony | 19 | |
| 2517266425 | Catharsis | A purging of the emotions which takes place at the end of a tragedy. | 20 | |
| 2517266428 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb | 21 | |
| 2517266430 | Colloquial | Ordinary, everyday speech and language Colloquial expressions are non-standard, often regional, ways of using language appropriate to informal or conversational speech and writing. Ex. "ya'll" | 22 | |
| 2517266433 | Complex Sentence | Contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clause "Because the singer was tired, she went straight to bed after the concert" | 23 | |
| 2517266434 | Compound Sentence | Contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon | 24 | |
| 2517266435 | Compound-Complex Sentence | Contains two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses. Ex. The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores." | 25 | |
| 2517266438 | Connotation | An implication or association attached to a word or phrase. A connotation is suggested or felt rather than being explicit. | 26 | |
| 2517266443 | Declarative Sentence | Makes a statement | 27 | |
| 2517266446 | Denouement | The ending of a play, novel, or drama where "all is revealed" and the plot is unraveled | 28 | |
| 2517266448 | diatribe | From Latin diatriba meaning "to spend time," or "to wear away." Archaic meaning: a prolonged discourse. A bitter and abusive speech or writing. Ironical or satirical criticism. Example: The challenging candidate shouted his diatribe against the incumbent platform to several thousand supporters in attendance. | 29 | |
| 2517266449 | diction | Means "word choice." Refers to word choice as a reflection of style. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. Purpose, tone, point of view, persona, verve, color, all are affected by diction. | 30 | |
| 2517266452 | double entendre | A corruption of a French phrase meaning "double meaning." The term is used to indicate a word or phrase that is deliberately ambiguous, especially when one of the meanings is risqué or improper. Example: The Elizabethan usage of the verb "die," which refers both to death and to orgasm. | 31 | |
| 2517266455 | Ellipsis | The deliberate omission of a word or words that are readily implied by the context; it creates and elegant or daring economy of words. | 32 | |
| 2517266461 | Epic | A long narrative poem, written in an elevated style and usually dealing with a heroic theme or story. Homer's The Iliad and Milton's Paradise Lost are examples of this. | 33 | |
| 2517266463 | epigraph | A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme of the fiction or nonfiction text. An aphorism is a short clever saying parting truth. Example: "waste not, want not." | 34 | |
| 2517266465 | epiphany | Literally means "a manifestation." Traditionally, Christianity used the word to signify a manifestation of God's presence in the world. Irishman James Joyce, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, first adapted the word to a secular meaning: a sudden radiance and revelation while observing a commonplace object. Joyce replaced what earlier writers had called "the moment," an instance or moment of revelation. | 35 | |
| 2517266467 | Epithet | An adjective or adjective phrase applied to a person or thing to emphasize a characteristic quality or attribute, such as "lily-livered coward" | 36 | |
| 2517266470 | ethos | Etymology: Greek. A person's character or disposition. The characteristic spirit or prevalent tone of a people or a community. The essential identity of an institution or system. Ideal excellence; nobler than reality. Example: "The real is preferred to the ideal, transient emotions to permanent lineaments, pathos to ethos." | 37 | |
| 2517266471 | euphemism | Originally in Greek meant "to speak well." Has come to mean: to speak well in the place of the blunt, disagreeable, terrifying or offensive term. A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Example: death becomes "to pass away." Example: "Damn it" becomes "Darn it!" Example: Victorians first used "limb" for leg or "privates" for sexual organs. | 38 | |
| 2517266472 | Euphony | Use of pleasant or melodious sounds. | 39 | |
| 2517266475 | exposition | Background information provided by author to enhance the audience's understanding of the context of a fiction or nonfiction story. Example: Robert Louis Stevenson gives the reader plenty of cultural background on the small seaside village of his youth in hopes the audience will better appreciate the context of "The Lantern-Bearers." | 40 | |
| 2517266477 | Fable | A short story that presents a clear moral lesson. | 41 | |
| 2517266481 | Figurative Language | Language that is symbolic or metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally. | 42 | |
| 2517266483 | Flat Character | Forester's term for a character with a single quality | 43 | |
| 2517266484 | Foil | Usually a character who by contrast points up the qualities or characteristics of another character | 44 | |
| 2517266493 | High/Formal Diction | Contains language that creates an elevated tone; free of slang, idioms, colloquialisms, and contractions; contains polysyllabic words, sophisticated syntax, and elegant word choice | 45 | |
| 2517266495 | hyperbole | Originally in Greek meant "overshooting." A bold overstatement or extravagant expression of fact, used for serious or comic effect. Easily recognized as exaggeration for effect. Example: There must have been ten million people at our Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving. Or, Shakespeare's, Othello, Act III, Scene III, Lines 330-33 reads: Not poppy nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou ow 'dst yesterday. | 46 | |
| 2517266499 | Imperative Sentence | Gives a Command | 47 | |
| 2517266501 | Informal/low diction | The language of everyday use; relaxed and conversational; common and simple words, idioms, slang, jargon | 48 | |
| 2517266506 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 49 | |
| 2517266508 | irony (verbal) | Verbal irony: demands the most audience sophistication. This requires "reading between the lines." Also, this irony takes the greatest risks with the audience who might misinterpret what is irony and what is literal. Might be simple reversal of literal meanings of words spoken or more complex, subtle, indirect and unobtrusive messages that require the collection of hints from within the text. Compliments the intelligence of the reader, who, by perceiving the irony, is in partnership with the author and the minority of characters who understand, too. Example: "It is truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice). The subtle irony is that a single woman is in want of a rich husband as manifested by the evidence in the novel that follows this opening line. Sarcasm: a type of verbal irony that is crude and blatant praise or dispraise. Example: "Oh, you're God's great gift to women, you are!" | 50 | |
| 2517266512 | Jargon | A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" | 51 | |
| 2517266513 | Juxtaposition | A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, often creating an effect of surprise and wit. Ex. "The apparition of these faces in the crowd:/ Petals on a wet, black bough." ("In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound). | 52 | |
| 2517266514 | Lament | A poem expressing intense grief | 53 | |
| 2517266515 | litotes | Noun. From Greek lítōtēs for "plain" or "simple." Assertion of an affirmative by negating its contrary. Example: "He's not the brightest man in the world," meaning "he is stupid." It is a simple form of understatement, often in Anglo-Saxon poetry, like Beowulf, it is a statement of grim irony. Example, in describing the dwelling place of the monster Grendel, Hrothgar states, "That is not a pleasant place." General example: "He is two bricks shy of a full load," meaning his reasoning powers are not all there. | 54 | |
| 2517266519 | Medium Sentence | Approximately 18 words in length | 55 | |
| 2517266528 | Motif | A dominant theme, subject or idea which runs through a piece of literature Often a "motif" can assume a symbolic importance | 56 | |
| 2517266534 | Non Sequitur | A fallacy of argument in which claims, reasons or warrants fail to connect logically; one point doesn't follow from another. | 57 | |
| 2517266539 | Omission | 1 a : something neglected or left undone b : apathy toward or neglect of duty 2 : the act of omitting : the state of being omitted | 58 | |
| 2517266541 | oxymoron | Noun. From Greek: oxi means "sharp, keen, acute, pungent, acid"; moron means "dull, stupid, foolish." A figure of speech in which two contradictory words are placed side-by-side for effect. Words are obviously opposed or markedly contradictory terms. Casually reference: contradiction of terms. Examples: "civil war," "alone together," "deafening silence," or "jumbo shrimp." | 59 | |
| 2517266543 | paradox | A statement that reveals a kind of truth, although it seems at first to be self-contradictory and untrue. Rhymes with "in your socks" Examples: Books are a poor man's wealth. Or, as Emily Dickinson writes, "Much madness is Divinest Sense." In John Donne's sonnet, "Death, Be Not Proud," he declares: One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. | 60 | |
| 2517266544 | Parallelism/parallel structure | Sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions. Might be as simple as listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb. Might be two or more of the same type of phrases (prepositional, participial, gerund, appositive). Might be two or more subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Might be a complex blend of single-word, phrase, and clause parallelism all in the same sentence. Simple Example: He lived well, and he died well. | 61 | |
| 2517266547 | pathos | Noun. Etymology: Greek. A quality in an experience, narrative, literary work, etc., which arouses profound feelings of compassion or sorrow. Pathetic expression or emotion; transient or emotional. Example: For many audience members, the first time viewing Braveheart in a darkened theatre produced a profound pathos while watching William Wallace scream out "Freedom!" in his last dying moments after suffering a barbaric torture at the hands of the civilized English. | 62 | |
| 2517266548 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish | 63 | |
| 2517266551 | Periphrasis | A round-about or long-winded way of expressing something | 64 | |
| 2517266555 | polysyndeton | Sentence that uses and or other conjunctions multiple times with no commas to separate items in a series. Stresses equally each member of the series. Slows the flow of the sentence for effect, making items more emphatic than in the asyndeton. Formula: X and Y and Z. See asyndeton for variation. | 65 | |
| 2517266556 | post hoc, egro propter hoc | Latin for "after this, therefore because of this." When a writer implies that because one thing follows another, the first caused the second. | 66 | |
| 2517266559 | Prose | Any kind of writing which is not verse - usually divided into fiction and non-fiction | 67 | |
| 2517266564 | red herring | When a writer raises an irrelevant issue to draw attention away from the real issue. | 68 | |
| 2517266578 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development (etymology), their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 69 | |
| 2517266591 | straw man | Argues against a claim that nobody actually holds or is universally considered weak. Diverts attention away from the real issues. | 70 | |
| 2517266605 | tautology | Noun. From Late Latin tautologia. A repetition of the same statement. The repetition, within the immediate context, of the same word or phrase or the same meaning in different words; usually as a fault of style. Example: "essential necessaries." A repetition of something already said. A mere repetition of acts, incidents or experiences. Modern Logic: A self-evident truth, a truism; a compound proposition which is unconditionally true for all possibilities. | 71 | |
| 2517266614 | verisimilitude | The achievement of an illusion of reality in the audience. This is one of the "three unities" of Italian and French drama: unity of place, unity of time, and unity of truth (the drama must have a sense of reality and believability in the audience). The appearance of being true. Having a resemblance to truth, reality or fact. A statement which has the mere show of being true or in accordance with fact; an apparent truth. | 72 | |
| 2517266617 | Zeugma | A device that joins together two apparently incongruous things by applying a verb or adjective to both which only really applies to one of them "Kill the boys and the luggage" (Shakespeare's Henry V )s | 73 |
