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Literary Terms
mrs lamay's literary terms 'quest'
45
English
11th Grade
02/09/2009

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Term
Diction
Definition
Word choice, which is viewed on scales of formality/informality, concreteness/abstraction, Latinate derivation/Anglo-saxxon derivation, and denotative value/ connotative value.
Term
Rhetoric
Definition
The art of analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make it in a situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful, and effective; the specific features of texts, written of spoken, that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful, and effective for readers of listeners in a situation.
Term
Syntax
Definition
the order of words in a sentence
Term
Ethos
Definition
The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, of narrator. (Appeal to ethics.)
Term
Logos
Definition
The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument of central ideas. (Appeal to logic.)
Term
Pathos
Definition
The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience.
Term
Slang
Definition
informal words whose meanings vary form locale to locale.
Term
Jargon
Definition
the specialized language of a particular group.
Term
Dialect
Definition
the describable patterns of language - grammar and vocabulary - used by a particular culture of ethic population.
Term
Denotation
Definition
the literal meaning of a word
Term
Connotation
Definition
the associations, meanings, or feelings a word suggests beyond its literal meaning.
Term
Cliche
Definition
and expression that has been used so frequently it has lost it's expressive power.
Term
Colloquialism
Definition
an informal expression or slang, especially in the context of formal writing.
Term
Conceit
Definition
and elaborate parallel between two seemingly dissimilar objects, or ideas. It is similar to an extended metaphor.
Term
Alliteration
Definition
the repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, at the beginning of words.
Term
Aposiopesis
Definition
a breaking off of speech, usually because of rising emotion.
Term
Apostrophe
Definition
a direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, idea, or quality.
Term
Assonance
Definition
the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words.
Term
Cacophony
Definition
the clash of discordant of harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase. Cacophony is a familiar feature of TONGUE TWISTERS but can also be used in poetic effect.
Term
Chiasmus

"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."
(Winston Churchill)
Definition
two phrases in which the syntax is the same but the placement of words is reversed.
Term
Allegory
Definition
a narrative in which literal meaning corresponds clearly and directly to symbolic meaning: a method of expressing ideas by using a parallel story of images.
Term
Anaphora

Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
— William Shakespeare, King John, II, i
Definition
the repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
Term
Syllogism

All humans are mortal.
Socrates is a human.
Socrates is mortal.
Definition
a chain of reasoning moving from general, universal principles to specific instances: it consists of a major premise, followed by a minor premise, and finally a conclusion.
Term
Enthymemes
Definition
a shortened syllogism that serves the purpose of a more practical and expedient way to argue.
Term
Periodic Sentence
Definition
a very long sentence that is not grammatically complete until the end of the sentence: delays closure until the end, therefore, it carries high tension.
Term
Oxymoron

'sweet sorrow'
Definition
the association of two contradictory terms
Term
Metonymy

'The White House supports the bill.'
Definition
the substitution of one term for another that generally is associated with it.
Term
Allusion
Definition
an implicit reference within a literary work to a historical or literary person, place, or event.
Term
Metaphor
Definition
the comparison of one thing to another without the use of 'like' or 'as'.
Term
Antithesis

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
(Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964)
Definition
the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure.
Term
Simile
Definition
a comparison of two things through the use of 'like' or 'as'.
Term
Parallelism

Mary likes hikING, swimmING, and bicyclING.
Definition
the use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two sentences or phrases to suggest a comparison or contrast between them.
Term
Paradox

"War is peace."
"Freedom is slavery."
"Ignorance is strength."
(George Orwell, 1984)
Definition
a statement that seems absurd or even contradictory on its face but often expresses a deeper truth.
Term
Euphemism

"Wardrobe malfunction"
Definition
the use of decorous language to express vulgar or unpleasant ideas, events, or action.
Term
Synecdoche

"His parents bought him a new set of wheels [car]."
Definition
a form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole or the whole is used to refer to a part.
Term
Analogy
Definition
a comparison of two different things
Term
Pun

'The Importance of Being Earnest'
Definition
a play on words that exploits the similarity between two words with distinctly different meanings.
Term
Hyperbole
Definition
an excessive overstatement or conscious exaggeration of fact
Term
Epithet

'Richard the Lionheart'
Definition
an adjective or phrase that describes a prominent feature of a person or thing.
Term
Rhetorical Question
Definition
a question that is asked not to elicit a response but to make an impact or call attention to something.
Term
Anadiplosis

"I am Sam, Sam I am."
(Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham)
Definition
the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of successive clauses.
Term
Asyndeton

"They dove, splashed, floated, splashed, swam, snorted."
(James T. Farrell, Young Lonigan)
Definition
the omission of conjunctions between related causes.
Term
Idiom

'It's raining cats and dogs'
Definition
a common expression that has acquired meaning that differs from its literal meaning.
Term
Litotes

'We are not amused'
Definition
a form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite.
Term
Meiosis

'It is only a scratch'
-Romeo and Juliet
Definition
intentional understatement; meiosis is a form of hyperbole and often implies litotes to an ironic effect.
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