Terms : Hide Images
| 8467851139 | utopia | a perfect society | 0 | |
| 8467853642 | dystopia | a society characterized by human misery, oppression, disease, and overcrowding | 1 | |
| 8467863000 | situational irony | The difference between what is expected to happen and what actually happens | 2 | |
| 8469886603 | dramatic irony | When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character | 3 | |
| 8469892101 | allusion | to make a subtle reference to something | 4 | |
| 8469914196 | satire | a technique used by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, or exaggeration; makes fun of a subject without making direct imitation (ex: A Modest Proposal) | 5 | |
| 8469918701 | novella | a story that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel (Usually under 100 pages) | 6 | |
| 8469926955 | allegory | a figure of speech in which abstract ideas are represented by characters; objective to teach a moral lesson | 7 | |
| 8469935921 | dialogue | a literary technique in which writers employ two or more characters to be engaged in conversation with each other | 8 | |
| 8469941180 | archetype | a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature (ex: Beowulf) | 9 | |
| 8470064583 | myth | a legendary or a traditional story that usually concerns an event, or a hero, with or without using factual or real explanations, particularly one concerning with demigods or deities, and describes some rites, practices and natural phenomenon; teach moral lessons and explain historical records | 10 | |
| 8470075184 | parable | a figure of speech, which presents a short story typically with a moral lesson at the end | 11 | |
| 8470079381 | polysyndeton | using multiple conjunctions to join words in a list | 12 | |
| 8470143047 | asyndeton | to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy | 13 | |
| 8470169882 | Doppelganger | usually shaped as a twin, shadow or a mirror image of a protagonist; refers to a character who physically resembles the protagonist and may have the same name as well | 14 | |
| 8470265937 | epithet | a word or phrase given to a person or thing to describe a characteristic; usually a nickname for people | 15 | |
| 8470289445 | kenning | a two-word phrase that describes an object through metaphors; replaces the noun it describes | 16 | |
| 8470292075 | alliteration | multiple words that repeat the same consonant sound (beginning of the word) | 17 | |
| 8470296080 | assonance | multiple words repeat the same vowel sound | 18 | |
| 8470304591 | caesura | a pause in a line of text | 19 | |
| 8470320599 | elegy | a poem or song that mourns the death or loss of a person | 20 | |
| 8470331621 | persona | the character speaking in a poem | 21 | |
| 8470337876 | epic | a long, narrative poem that tells about the life of a hero | 22 | |
| 8470348645 | volta | the turn in thought or feeling in a poem that often begins with words like: "but", "yet", or "and yet" | 23 | |
| 8470356008 | hyperbole | an exaggeration | 24 | |
| 8470358645 | mood | when the author uses words and descriptions to cause the reader to feel an emotion | 25 | |
| 8470477002 | bildungsroman | a novel that focuses on the growth of a character from childhood to adulthood (also known as a coming-of-age novel) | 26 | |
| 8470486127 | flat character (static character) | a character that does not change very much from the beginning to the end of a story | 27 | |
| 8470495319 | round character (dynamic character) | like real people with strengths and weaknesses and deep feelings and thoughts | 28 | |
| 8470504769 | personification | giving a non-human thing human characteristics in order to create imagery | 29 | |
| 8470507528 | anthropomorphism | giving a non-human thing human characteristics in order to make an animal or object behave and appear like they are human beings | 30 | |
| 8470526860 | first person narrator | narrator is usually a character in the story, who interacts with other characters; use of "I" or "we"; usually perspective of the protagonist | 31 | |
| 8470536857 | second person narrator | the narrator refers to at least one character directly as "you", suggesting that the audience is a character within the story; rarely found in novels or short stories, often for music lyrics | 32 | |
| 8470549734 | third person narrator | someone who is not involved in the story is telling the story | 33 | |
| 8470552186 | third person limited | the person telling the story only knows the point of view of one or two characters | 34 | |
| 8470554581 | third person omniscient | the person telling the story knows everything | 35 | |
| 8470561693 | frame tale | a story within a story | 36 | |
| 8470564621 | ballad | a type of poetry that is accompanied by song and dance; a folk story that is passed down from generation to generation with each generation adding their own revisions to the common story | 37 | |
| 8470572042 | anecdote | a short and interesting story that is used to make a point or get readers interested in a topic | 38 | |
| 8470572043 | appositive | a noun that describes another noun that comes directly before it (ex: the insect, a large cockroach) | 39 | |
| 8470592226 | prologue | an opening of a story that establishes setting and gives background details | 40 | |
| 8470596057 | couplet | two lines that have end rhyme, have the same meter and form a complete thought | 41 | |
| 8470608741 | exposition | the first part of a plot. The beginning of a story where characters, setting, and conflict are introduced | 42 | |
| 8470621002 | slant rhyme (half rhyme) | words have similar but not identical sounds (ex: world and word) | 43 | |
| 8470630267 | internal rhyme | a word in the middle of a line rhymes with a word at the end of that same line | 44 | |
| 8470634567 | inversion or anastrophe | a literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed in order to emphasize something or to keep meter/rhythm/rhyme (ex: powerful you have become) | 45 | |
| 8470641117 | Early Romance Genre | romance originated in medieval France; includes love, chivalry, knights, quests of courtly love, etc. | 46 | |
| 8470646963 | soliloquy | a speech given by a character alone on the stage | 47 | |
| 8470648377 | act | a main division of a play | 48 | |
| 8470650232 | scene | division of a play that make up an act; no shift in location or time | 49 | |
| 8470654957 | aside | a comment that is made by a character that is meant to be heard by the audience or one other character but not by the other characters | 50 | |
| 8470658865 | tragedy | a play that ends in suffering or defeat; meant to teach a lesson about humanity | 51 | |
| 8470661958 | comedy | a play that ends well, usually with a wedding; unpleasant circumstances are overcome in the end to make a happy resolution | 52 | |
| 8470666832 | paradox | a statement that seems to be contradictory but might be true when considered from a different perspective (ex: fair is foul and foul is fair) | 53 | |
| 8470679436 | tragic flaw | a character flaw such as ambition, pride, weakness or poor judgment that causes the downfall of a character | 54 | |
| 8470680875 | tragic hero | a protagonist who is involved in events and actions that lead to his/her downfall | 55 | |
| 8470692823 | pastoral | a poem about nature or simple country life | 56 | |
| 8470694897 | quatrain | a four-line stanza; usually has an independent theme and a rhyme scheme | 57 | |
| 8470700198 | enjambment | continuing a thought from one line to the next; usually no punctuation at the end of the first line to break the thought so that it continues in the second line | 58 | |
| 8470731000 | repitition | repeating a word, phrase, or line multiple times to emphasize it | 59 | |
| 8470732742 | consonance | repeating consonant sounds at the middle or end | 60 | |
| 8470732744 | imagery | using the five senses, touch, sight, sound, taste and smell, to describe something (ex: hope is the thing with feathers) | 61 | |
| 8470739007 | sonnet | a poem with fourteen lines, is written in Iambic Pentameter, each line has ten syllables, it has a specific rhyme scheme and a volta | 62 | |
| 8470741446 | simile | makes a comparison showing similarities between two different things using "like" or "as" | 63 | |
| 8470745552 | apostrophe | addressing a character or an idea that is not present | 64 | |
| 8470754304 | extended metaphor | a hidden comparison that is longer than one phrase or line; often an entire stanza. | 65 | |
| 8470763560 | synecdoche | using a part of something to refer to the whole or using the whole thing to refer to a part of something (ex: all hands (referring to people) on deck) | 66 | |
| 8470770581 | parody | imitating something directly to make a comic effect (ex: Sonnet 130) | 67 | |
| 8470782802 | conceit | a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together (ex: you are a snail) | 68 | |
| 8470795607 | equivocation | the use of vague language to hide one's meaning or to avoid committing to a point of view; often used to deceive others (ex: "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth") | 69 | |
| 8470818512 | oxymoron | two opposite words are used together to make an effect (ex: the night of the living dead) | 70 | |
| 8470820835 | motif | a recurring word, phrase, image, object, or action that creates unity throughout a text and may also reinforce its theme; an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work (ex: washing of hands in Macbeth) | 71 | |
| 8470827056 | metonymy | a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it (ex: "Crown" meaning power or authority) | 72 | |
| 8470838791 | metaphysical poetry | uses logical elements in a technique intended to express honestly, if unconventionally, the poet's sense of life's complexities through the use of elaborate conceits | 73 | |
| 8470861048 | parallelism | examples of a writing that have the same grammar style or meaning; repeating something in order for emphasis or to have a balance (ex: easy come, easy go) | 74 | |
| 8470868423 | English sonnet (Shakespearean Sonnet) | three four-line stanzas (quatrains) and a couplet, rhymed abab cdcd efef gg; always fourteen lines long and usually written in iambic pentameter | 75 | |
| 8470875489 | catharsis | an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress | 76 | |
| 8470882643 | Chiasmus | a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect (ex: never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You) | 77 | |
| 8470886667 | sarcasm | when what someone says is different than what they mean; usually intended to have a bitter, mocking, or comedic effect; often combined with irony to create satire | 78 | |
| 8470893304 | dialect | the language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or any other group of people; involves spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them | 79 | |
| 8557949779 | anaphora | a type of repetition; repeating a word at the beginning of a sentence or the beginning of a clause | 80 | |
| 9677390111 | euphemism | polite, indirect expressions that replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite (ex: "kick the bucket" = death) | 81 | |
| 9677408564 | ode | a form of lyrical poetry, in which poets use a certain metrical pattern and rhyme scheme to express their noble and lofty sentiments in serious and sometimes satirical tone; celebratory in nature | 82 | |
| 9677454219 | lyrical poetry | focuses more on emotions than telling a story (pastoral, ode, villanelle etc.) | 83 | |
| 9677457110 | refrain | a poetic device that repeats, at regular intervals, in different stanzas | 84 | |
| 9677504301 | gothic fiction | a branch of romanticism that focuses on terror and mystery in order to entertain or gain insights about a dark side to human nature | 85 | |
| 9677509121 | science fiction | a form of fiction that focuses on the impact of science upon society or individuals; usually doesn't include supernatural elements | 86 | |
| 9677511280 | understatement | making a situation seem less important than it really is; the opposite of hyperbole | 87 | |
| 9677515374 | byronic hero | a type of antihero who is usually rebellious, arrogant and an outcast or exile (ex: Dracula, Mr. Darcy, etc) | 88 | |
| 9677520705 | juxtaposition | two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions are placed side by side for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts | 89 | |
| 9677527395 | periodic sentence | a long sentence where the meaning isn't completed until the very end | 90 | |
| 9677539760 | loose sentence | a sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by one or more coordinate or subordinate phrases and clauses | 91 | |
| 9677553437 | cumulative sentence | an independent clause followed by a series of subordinate constructions; it has more than one subordinate clause | 92 | |
| 9677591520 | antithetical sentence | a sentence that expresses two ideas that are opposed on the surface, but that can actually express another idea in its apparent contradiction | 93 | |
| 9677619601 | balanced sentence | made up of two segments which are equal, not only in length, but also in grammatical structure and meaning (can be periodic or cumulative) | 94 | |
| 9677624603 | epistrophe | the same word returns at the end of each sentence | 95 | |
| 9677631405 | leitmotif | a musical piece that is associated with a character or object (Star Wars song) | 96 | |
| 9677645459 | invocation | an appeal for aid (especially for inspiration) is made to a muse or deity, usually at or near the beginning of the work | 97 | |
| 9677647160 | synesthesia | a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters, or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense, like hearing, sight, smell, and touch at a given time | 98 | |
| 9677659861 | masculine rhyme | a rhyme that matches only one syllable, usually at the end of respective lines (wail & flail) | 99 | |
| 9677668654 | Terza Rima | an arrangement of triplets, especially in iambs, that rhyme aba bcb cdc | 100 | |
| 9679709849 | prolepsis | the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished; referring to a future event as if it is already completed; aka "flash forward"; ex: "I am going to tell you about the events that led to my death" | 101 | |
| 9679740236 | zeitgeist | the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time | 102 | |
| 9679760543 | stream of consciousness | a narrative device that attempts to give the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue (see below), or in connection to his or her actions | 103 | |
| 9679774653 | unreliable narrator | a character whose telling of the story is not completely accurate or credible due to problems with the character's mental state or maturity | 104 | |
| 9679796840 | feminine rhyme | a rhyme that matches two or more syllables, usually at the end of respective lines, in which the final syllable or syllabication are unstressed; aka double triple rhyme | 105 | |
| 9679800454 | syntax | the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language | 106 | |
| 9679815498 | blank verse | unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter | 107 | |
| 9679815499 | homily | a usually short sermon; a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme | 108 | |
| 9679831045 | dirge | a song or hymn of grief or lamentation, especially one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites | 109 | |
| 9679837180 | limerick | a form of verse, often humorous and sometimes obscene, in five-line, predominantly anapestic meter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA | 110 | |
| 9679847289 | panegyric | a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy | 111 | |
| 9679875608 | epigram | a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought | 112 | |
| 9679881350 | double entendre | a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually obscene | 113 | |
| 9679893159 | closed form | consists of poems that follow patterns of lines, meter, rhymes, and stanzas, whereas open form poetry does not | 114 | |
| 9679909237 | villanelle | a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets (3 lines) followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains and two repeating rhymes, with the first and third line of the first tercet repeated alternately until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines | 115 | |
| 9679935552 | coda | the tail, tag, outro, envoi or concluding passage of a piece of writing | 116 | |
| 9679946179 | em dash | a long dash used in punctuation to mark a pause | 117 | |
| 9679958605 | free-verse | an open form of poetry; does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern | 118 | |
| 9680002692 | interior monologue | the expression of a character's thoughts, feelings, and impressions in a narrative; a form of stream-of-consciousness | 119 | |
| 9680024398 | missive | a letter, especially a long or official one | 120 | |
| 9680036436 | litotes | ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (ex: you won't be sorry, meaning you'll be glad; not bad) | 121 | |
| 9680053641 | lampoon | publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm | 122 | |
| 9680057910 | free indirect style | a style of third-person narration which uses some of the characteristics of third-person along with the essence of first-person direct speech | 123 | |
| 9680227778 | memoir | a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation | 124 | |
| 9680230528 | burlesque | an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in a literary or dramatic work; a parody | 125 | |
| 9680232911 | malapropism | the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect; ex: His capacity for hard liquor is incredulous (incredible). | 126 | |
| 9680250794 | anachronism | a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned | 127 | |
| 9680277550 | exact rhyme | rhyme in which the final accented vowel and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical, while the preceding consonants are different | 128 | |
| 9680288976 | epanalepsis | a figure of speech in which the beginning of a clause or sentence is repeated at the end of that same clause or sentence, with words intervening; ex: "The king is dead, long live the king!" | 129 | |
| 9680310706 | blandishment | a flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something | 130 | |
| 9680313461 | pontification | express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic | 131 | |
| 9680317206 | admonition | warn or reprimand someone firmly | 132 | |
| 9876036914 | aphorism | short, witty saying | 133 | |
| 9876036915 | bathos | effect of anticlimax | 134 | |
| 9876038316 | cadence | beat or rhythm of poetry | 135 | |
| 9876039564 | doggerel | crude simplistic verse | 136 | |
| 9876041072 | epitaph | lines commemorating the dead | 137 | |
| 9876042554 | foil | a secondary character that highlights characteristics of the main character | 138 | |
| 9876043533 | hubris | excessive pride and ambition | 139 | |
| 9876046672 | epigram | concise saying/remark expressing idea in a clever way | 140 | |
| 9876047528 | plaint | poem/speech expressing sorrow | 141 | |
| 9876048341 | requiem | song of prayer for the dead | 142 | |
| 9876054006 | subjunctive mood | set up hypothetical situation, a kind of wishful thinking "if I were you..." | 143 | |
| 9876056841 | syncope | shortening words; ex: "heav'n" | 144 | |
| 9876057707 | travesty | corruption; false representation of something | 145 | |
| 9876058612 | zeugma | the use of a word to modify 2 or more words but use for different meanings | 146 |
