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Banda's Literary terms
language/diction, syntax,
51
Literature
11th Grade
01/22/2007

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Term
ambiguity
Definition
an event or situation that may be interpreted in more that one way, usually vague. Can be shown in manner of expression or artful language.
Term
alliteration
Definition
repitition of initial identical consonant sounds. or, vowel sounds in successive words or syllables that repeat.
Term
diction
Definition
word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.
Term
colloquialism
Definition
Characteristic of or appropriate to the spoken language or to writing that seeks the effect of speech; informal
Term
aphorism
Definition
tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage;A brief statement of a principle
Term
emphasis
Definition
Special forcefulness of expression that gives importance to something singled out; stress;Prominence given to a syllable, word, or words, as by raising the voice or printing in italic type
Term
connotation
Definition
rather than the dictionary definition, the associations suggested by the word. Implied rather than literal meaning or denotation. (not dictionary definition)
Term
denotation
Definition
The most specific or direct meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.
Term
euphemism
Definition
The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive
Term
jargon
Definition
Speech or writing having unusual or pretentious vocabulary, convoluted phrasing, and vague meaning;The specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group
Term
cliche
Definition
A trite or overused expression or idea;A person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficia
Term
figurative
Definition
a word or words that are inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. May be in the form of metaphors or similies, both wich are non-literal compaiosons.
Term
literal
Definition
Being in accordance with, conforming to, or upholding the exact or primary meaning of a word or words;Avoiding exaggeration, metaphor, or embellishment; factual; prosaic;Conforming or limited to the simplest, nonfigurative, or most obvious meaning of a word or words
Term
ironical
Definition
when a reader is aware of a reality that differs from a character's perception of reality.
Term
metaphorical
Definition
a comparison of two things often unrelated. A figurative verbal equation where both "parts" illuminate one another.
Term
understated
Definition
To state with less completeness or truth than seems warranted by the facts;To express with restraint or lack of emphasis, especially ironically or for rhetorical effect
Term
overstated
Definition
To state in exaggerated terms
Term
hyperbole
Definition
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton
Term
redundant
Definition
Exceeding what is necessary or natural; superfluous;Needlessly wordy or repetitive in expression
Term
biblical
Definition
Of, relating to, or contained in the Bible. 2. Being in keeping with the nature of the Bible, especially: a. Suggestive of the personages or times depicted in the Bible. b. Suggestive of the prose or narrative style of the King James Bible.
Term
formal
Definition
Executed, carried out, or done in proper or regular form;Following or being in accord with accepted forms, conventions, or regulations
Term
informal
Definition
Not being in accord with prescribed regulations or forms; unofficial;Being more appropriate for use in the spoken language than in the written language
Term
non standard
Definition
not following generally accepted rules
Term
pedantic
Definition
Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules;These adjectives mean marked by a narrow, often tiresome focus on or display of learning and especially its trivial aspects;an academic insistence on precision; a bookish vocabulary; donnish refinement of speech; scholastic and excessively subtle reasoning
Term
verbose
Definition
Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy
Term
allegorical
Definition
a story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or truth. The characters and other elements may ve symbolic of the ideas referred to.
Term
paradoxical
Definition
a seemingly contradictory statememt which is actually true. This rhetoricla device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention
Term
oxymoron
Definition
a rhetorical antithesis. comparing and contrasting two contradictory terms, like "wise fool"
Term
onomatopoeia
Definition
the use of a word whose pronounciation suggests its meaning. "buzz, hiss, pop, slam"
Term
didatic
Definition
a term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Term
restrained
Definition
To hold back or keep in check; control; to limit
Term
semantics
Definition
The study or science of meaning in language;The meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form
Term
analytical
Definition
characterized by a relatively frequent use of function words, auxiliary verbs, and changes in word order to express syntactic relations, rather than of inflected forms
Term
euphony
Definition
Agreeable sound, especially in the phonetic quality of words
Term
cacophony
Definition
Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance;The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition, as for poetic effect
Term
vivid
Definition
Perceived as bright and distinct; brilliant;Presented in clear and striking manner; graphic;Perceived or felt with the freshness of immediate experience;Active in forming lifelike images
Term
vernacular
Definition
The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language; dialect;
Term
distorted
Definition
To give a false or misleading account of
Term
emphatic
Definition
Expressed or performed with emphasis;Forceful and definite in expression or action;Standing out in a striking and clearly defined way
Term
nostalgic
Definition
A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past;homesick
Term
contentious
Definition
quarrelsome;controversial
Term
prose
Definition
Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure;To write prose; To speak or write in a dull, tiresome style
Term
invective
Definition
Denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation;Of, relating to, or characterized by denunciatory or abusive language
Term
elegiac
Definition
Of, relating to, or involving elegy or mourning or expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past
Term
laconic
Definition
Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise
Term
idiomatic
Definition
Peculiar to or characteristic of the style or manner of a particular group or people.
Term
parallel construction
Definition
sentence construction which places in close proximity two or more equal grammatical constructions. May be simple as listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the sma enoun or verb; it may take the form of two or more of the same type of phrase (prepositional, participial, gerund, appositive) that modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of two subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Or, may be a complex blend of single-word, phrase, and clause all in the same sentence.
Term
transitions
Definition
Passage from one subject to another in discourse;A word, phrase, sentence, or series of sentences connecting one part of a discourse to another
Term
clause
Definition
A group of words containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence
Term
phrase
Definition
A sequence of words intended to have meaning;Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence;A characteristic way or mode of expression;A word or group of words read or spoken as a unit and separated by pauses or other junctures
Term
periodic
Definition
sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements.
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