alliteration
repetition of initial consonant sounds; usually to create an effect, rhythym, or emphasis
allusion
a reference in literature or art to previous literature, history, mythology, pop culture/current events, or the Bible
anecdote
a short and often personal story used to emphasize a point, develop a character or a theme, or to inject humor
antecedent
the word/phrase to which a pronoun refers - flesh (antecedent)/ itself (pronoun)
aphorism
a statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle; sometimes considered a folk proverb - "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
apostrophe
a rhetorical direct address to a person, object or abstract entity. Ex: "Death be not proud
assonance
repeated vowel sounds
ballad
a folk song or poem usually composed of quatrains with the rhyme scheme ABCB and often contains a refrain
blank verse
unrhymed poetry of iambic pentameter
colloquial
of relating to slang or regional dialect; in writing an informal style that reflects the way people spoke in a distinct time and/or place
archetype
a character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people of all cultures b/c it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore.
conceit
a far-fetched comparison between two seeminly unlike things; an extended metaphor that gains appeal from its unusual or extraordinary comparison
connotation
symbolic meaning of a word
couplet
2 successive rhyming lines of the same number of syllables
denotation
the dictionary or literal meaning of a word or phrase
diction
word choice to give a particular effect (formal, informal, colloquial)
didactic
a didactic story, speech, essay or play is one in which the author's primary purpose is to instruct, teach
enjambment
in poetry, the running of a sentence from one verse or stanza into the next without stopping at the end of the first - i carry it in/ my heart
epigram
a short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought
epigraph
a brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme
euphemism
substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing. a euphemism makes something sound better than it is but is usually more wordy than the original
figurative language
uses figures of speech including metaphor, simile, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, etc
free verse
poetry that does not have a regular rhythm/rhyme
heroic couplet
in poetry, a rhyme couplet written in iambic pentameter
hyperbole
extreme exaggeration for literary effect that is not meant to be taken literally
iambic pentameter
5 foot line made up of U S syllabels
imagery
anything that affects or appeals to the reader's sense of touch, sight, sound, taste or smell
internal rhyme
rhyme within a line, rather than at the end - "a /narrow fellow/ in the grass
inversion
a switch in the normal word order (syntax) often used for emphasis or for rhyme scheme
Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet
14 lie poem divided into 2 parts: an octet (abbaabba) and a sestet (6 lines cdcdcd/cdecde)
lyric poem
a fairly short, emotionally expressive poem that expresses the feelings and observations of a single speaker
metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things, asserting that one thing IS another thing, not just that one is like another
iamb
U S - before
trochee
S U - weather
anapest
U U S - contradict
dactyl
S U U - satisfy
spondee
S S - (usually more than 1 word) white founts fall
metonymy
a figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it. similar to synecdoche
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
slant rhyme
a rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds
onomatopoeia
words that imitate sounds
oxymoron
combination of 2 contradictory words placed side by side
paradox
a statement or situation that at first seems impossible or oxymoronic by which solves itself and reveals meaning
pastoral
of or pertaining to rural life
personification
giving human traits to inanimate or non-human objects
point of view
perspective of the speaker or narrator in a literary work
pun
humorous play on words that have several meanings or words that sound the same but have different meanings
quatrain
4 line stanza
refrain
repetition of a line, stanza, or phrase
repetition
a word or phrase that is used more than once to emphasize an idea
rhetorical question
a question with an obvious answer, so no response is expected
satire
use of humor to ridicule and expose the shortcomings and failures of society, individuals, and institutions
sestet
6 line stanza of poetry
shift
in writing, a movement from one thought or idea to another; a change
simile
a comparison of 2 unlike things using like or as
sonnet (shakespeareans/elizabethan)
14 line poem, 3 quatrains, heroic couplet
stanza
a paragraph of poetry
stream of consciousness
a form of writing which replicates the way the human mind works
style
the way a writer uses language
symbol
a concrete object, scene, or action which has deeper significance because it is associated with something else, often important to the idea of theme of a work
syntax
word order
theme
the central idea of a literary work
tone
author's attitude towards the subject
alliteration
repetition of initial consonant sounds; usually to create an effect, rhythym, or emphasis
allusion
a reference in literature or art to previous literature, history, mythology, pop culture/current events, or the Bible
anecdote
a short and often personal story used to emphasize a point, develop a character or a theme, or to inject humor
antecedent
the word/phrase to which a pronoun refers - flesh (antecedent)/ itself (pronoun)
aphorism
a statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle; sometimes considered a folk proverb - "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
apostrophe
a rhetorical direct address to a person, object or abstract entity. Ex: "Death be not proud
assonance
repeated vowel sounds
ballad
a folk song or poem usually composed of quatrains with the rhyme scheme ABCB and often contains a refrain
blank verse
unrhymed poetry of iambic pentameter
colloquial
of relating to slang or regional dialect; in writing an informal style that reflects the way people spoke in a distinct time and/or place
archetype
a character, situation, or symbol that is familiar to people of all cultures b/c it occurs frequently in literature, myth, religion, or folklore.
conceit
a far-fetched comparison between two seeminly unlike things; an extended metaphor that gains appeal from its unusual or extraordinary comparison
connotation
symbolic meaning of a word
couplet
2 successive rhyming lines of the same number of syllables
denotation
the dictionary or literal meaning of a word or phrase
diction
word choice to give a particular effect (formal, informal, colloquial)
didactic
a didactic story, speech, essay or play is one in which the author's primary purpose is to instruct, teach
enjambment
in poetry, the running of a sentence from one verse or stanza into the next without stopping at the end of the first - i carry it in/ my heart
epigram
a short, clever poem with a witty turn of thought
epigraph
a brief quotation found at the beginning of a literary work, reflective of theme
euphemism
substitution of an inoffensive word or phrase for another that would be harsh, offensive, or embarrassing. a euphemism makes something sound better than it is but is usually more wordy than the original
figurative language
uses figures of speech including metaphor, simile, metonymy, personification, hyperbole, etc
free verse
poetry that does not have a regular rhythm/rhyme
heroic couplet
in poetry, a rhyme couplet written in iambic pentameter
hyperbole
extreme exaggeration for literary effect that is not meant to be taken literally
iambic pentameter
5 foot line made up of U S syllabels
imagery
anything that affects or appeals to the reader's sense of touch, sight, sound, taste or smell
internal rhyme
rhyme within a line, rather than at the end - "a /narrow fellow/ in the grass
inversion
a switch in the normal word order (syntax) often used for emphasis or for rhyme scheme
Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet
14 lie poem divided into 2 parts: an octet (abbaabba) and a sestet (6 lines cdcdcd/cdecde)
lyric poem
a fairly short, emotionally expressive poem that expresses the feelings and observations of a single speaker
metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things, asserting that one thing IS another thing, not just that one is like another
iamb
U S - before
trochee
S U - weather
anapest
U U S - contradict
dactyl
S U U - satisfy
spondee
S S - (usually more than 1 word) white founts fall
metonymy
a figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it. similar to synecdoche
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
slant rhyme
a rhyme based on an imperfect or incomplete correspondence of end syllable sounds
onomatopoeia
words that imitate sounds
oxymoron
combination of 2 contradictory words placed side by side
paradox
a statement or situation that at first seems impossible or oxymoronic by which solves itself and reveals meaning
pastoral
of or pertaining to rural life
personification
giving human traits to inanimate or non-human objects
point of view
perspective of the speaker or narrator in a literary work
pun
humorous play on words that have several meanings or words that sound the same but have different meanings
quatrain
4 line stanza
refrain
repetition of a line, stanza, or phrase
repetition
a word or phrase that is used more than once to emphasize an idea
rhetorical question
a question with an obvious answer, so no response is expected
satire
use of humor to ridicule and expose the shortcomings and failures of society, individuals, and institutions
sestet
6 line stanza of poetry
shift
in writing, a movement from one thought or idea to another; a change
simile
a comparison of 2 unlike things using like or as
sonnet (shakespeareans/elizabethan)
14 line poem, 3 quatrains, heroic couplet
stanza
a paragraph of poetry
stream of consciousness
a form of writing which replicates the way the human mind works
style
the way a writer uses language
symbol
a concrete object, scene, or action which has deeper significance because it is associated with something else, often important to the idea of theme of a work
syntax
word order
theme
the central idea of a literary work
tone
author's attitude towards the subject