Terms : Hide Images
| 9850562323 | allegory | The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. | 0 | |
| 9850565006 | Alliteration | The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in a line of poetry. ie. Marilyn Monroe | 1 | |
| 9850567681 | ambiguity | When an author leaves out details/information or is unclear about an event so the reader will use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks. | 2 | |
| 9850569729 | Anaphora | Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines in a poem. | 3 | |
| 9850572379 | Anecdote | A short story or joke told at the beginning of a speech to gain the audience's attention. | 4 | |
| 9850574363 | antagonist | the protagonist's adversary | 5 | |
| 9850577289 | Anti-climatic | When the ending of the plot in poetry or prose is unfulfilling or lackluster. | 6 | |
| 9850580939 | apostrophe | When a character speaks to a character or object that is not present or is unable to respond | 7 | |
| 9850583172 | assonance | The repetition of the same vowel sound in a phrase or line of poetry. | 8 | |
| 9850587361 | blank verse | Name for unrhymed iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot in which an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. In iambic pentameter there are five iambs per line making ten syllables. | 9 | |
| 9850590099 | climax | the turning point in the plot or the high point of action | 10 | |
| 9850592714 | Colloquial language | informal, conversational language. Colloquialisms are phrases or sayings that are indicative of a specific region. | 11 | |
| 9850598041 | connotation | An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing, ie. Bat=evil. | 12 | |
| 9850602020 | convention | An understanding between a reader and a writer about certain details of a story that does not need to be explained. | 13 | |
| 9850604716 | Consonance | The repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase or line of poetry. The consonant sound may be at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. | 14 | |
| 9850606201 | Couplet | Two rhyming lines in poetry | 15 | |
| 9850608798 | Deus ex machina | Term that refers to a character or force that appears at the end of a story or play to help resolve conflict. Word means "god from a machine." In ancient Greek drama, gods were lowered onto the stage by a mechanism to extricate characters from a seemingly hopeless situation. The phrase has come to mean any turn of events that solve the characters' problems through an unexpected and unlikely intervention. | 16 | |
| 9850616719 | Diction | Word choice or the use of words in speech or writing | 17 | |
| 9850620646 | denounement | The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot | 18 | |
| 9850624342 | doppelganger | The alter ego of a character-the suppressed side of one's personality that is usually unaccepted by society. ie. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson- Mr. Edward Hyde (hide) is Dr. Jekyll's evil side | 19 | |
| 9850626808 | elegy | A poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person | 20 | |
| 9850632386 | Emotive language | Deliberate use of language by a writer to instill a feeling or visual. | 21 | |
| 9850634125 | enjambment | The continuation of reading one line of poem to the next with no pause, a run-on line | 22 | |
| 9850639051 | epic | An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. | 23 | |
| 9850654423 | epilogue | A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play, or in a novel the epilogue is a short explanation at the end of the book which indicates what happens after the plot ends | 24 | |
| 9850662808 | Epiphany | Sudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane activities. | 25 | |
| 9850665304 | epistolary | Used to describe a novel that tells its story through letters written from one character to another. | 26 | |
| 9850670079 | euphemism | The act of substituting a harsh, blunt, or offensive comment for a more politically accepted or positive one. (short=vertically challenged) | 27 | |
| 9850672396 | euphony | A succession of words which are pleasing to the ear. These words may be alliterative, utilize consonance, or assonance and are often used in poetry but also seen in prose. | 28 | |
| 9850675006 | expansion | Adds an unstressed syllable and a contraction or elision removes an unstressed syllable in order to maintain the rhythmic meter of a line. This practice explains some words frequently used in poetry such as th' in place of the, o'er in place of over, and 'tis or 'twas in place of it is or it was. | 29 | |
| 9850680493 | fable | A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans. | 30 | |
| 9850682844 | feminine ending | Term that refers to an unstressed extra syllable at the end of a line of iambic pentameter. | 31 | |
| 9850687018 | figurative language | Speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning. Speech or writing employing figures of speech. | 32 | |
| 9850693442 | Flashback | When a character remembers a past event that is relevant to the current action of the story | 33 | |
| 9850698299 | Flat character | A literary character whose personality can be defined by one or two traits and does not change over the course of the story. Flat characters are usually minor or insignificant characters. | 34 | |
| 9850702504 | foil | A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another. | 35 | |
| 9850705342 | folklore | The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. | 36 | |
| 9850708489 | foot | The metrical length of a line is determined by the number of feet it contains. | 37 | |
| 9850713797 | Iamb | The first is unstressed and the second is stressed. The iambic foot is most common in English poetry. | 38 | |
| 9850717466 | Trochee | The first is stressed and the second is unstressed. | 39 | |
| 9850723089 | Dactyl | has three syllables beginning with a stressed syllable; the other two unstressed. | 40 | |
| 9850728672 | Anapest | has three syllables. The first two are unstressed with the third stressed. | 41 | |
| 9850731989 | foreshadowing | Clues in the text about incidents that will occur later in the plot, foreshadowing creates anticipation in the novel. | 42 | |
| 9850733854 | Free verse | Type of verse that contains a variety of line lengths, is unrhymed, and lacks traditional meter. | 43 | |
| 9850742370 | Genre | A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. | 44 | |
| 9851065182 | gothic novel | A genre of fiction characterized by mystery and supernatural horror, often set in a dark castle or other medieval setting. | 45 | |
| 9851065361 | heroine | A woman noted for courage and daring action or the female protagonist | 46 | |
| 9851070889 | hubris | Used in Greek tragedies, refers to excessive pride that usually leads to a hero's downfall. | 47 | |
| 9851073548 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic/dramatic effect. | 48 | |
| 9851076059 | Illocution | Language that avoids meaning of the words. When we speak, sometimes we conceal intentions or side step the true subject of a conversation. Writing illocution expresses two stories, one of which is not apparent to the characters, but is apparent to the reader. For example, if two characters are discussing a storm on the surface it may seem like a simple discussion of the weather, however, the reader should interpret the underlying meaning-that the relationship is in turmoil, chaos, is unpredictable. As demonstrated the story contains an underlying meaning or parallel meanings. | 49 | |
| 9851084172 | imagery | The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. | 50 | |
| 9851087331 | In medias res | A story that begins in the middle of things. | 51 |
