ENGLISH VOCAB FINAL
Regionalism
An emphasis on themes, characters, and settings from a particular geographical region
Litotes
An ironic double negative/understatement
Caesura
Any interruption or break to create a natural rhythm in the poem
Allusion
Brief, indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. - "don't act like Romeo in front of her"
Euphemism
Child-proofing inappropriate words
Diction
Choice and use of words/phrases
Metaphor
Comparison whiteout using like or as
Ambivalent
Conflicted
Agreement
- everyone and everybody = singular, So use- he/she
Elements of naturalism
1) attempt to analyze human behavior objectively 2) belief that human behavior is determined by environment 3) sense that human beings cannot control own destinies 4) sense of life as a losing battle
Elements of Puritanism
1) children who disobey are destined to be satans child and cursed 2) cannot express anger or intense emotions towards another 3) strict religious codes
Situational Irony
1) event or action that is opposite to what we would expect
Elements of Romanticism
1) interest in common man and childhood 2) strong senses, emotions, and feelings 3) awe of nature 4) celebration of the individual 5) importance of imagination
Prose (What is it? Why/when is it used? What does it look like when given an example of it?)
1) looks like a paragraph 2) could represent loss of control or lower class 3) is plainer/cleaner speaking
Elements of realism
1) rejection of heros 2) detailed depictions of ordinary characters 3) emphasis on lower classes 4) avoid exotic, sensational, or dramatic 5) focus on ethnic struggles 6) use of everyday speech
Verbal Irony
1) saying one thing but meaning another 2) speaker must understand the irony behind the statement 3) isn't always spoken
Dramatic Irony
1) the audience knows something about the future or present the character doesn't 2) about knowing
Blank verse (What is it? Who is it used for? Give an example of a character?)
1) unrhymed iambic pentameter 2) for upper class 3) with emotionally charged thoughts (lady Mac.)
Denotation
Dictionary meaning of a word
End rhyme
End of a poem where the two lines rhyme
Logical appeals use...
Facts, examples, and careful arguments
Dynamic Character
A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action
Flat Character
A character who one who only has one or two traits and who does not develop in the course of a story
Static Character
A character whose personality doesn't change throughout the events in the story's plot
Stanza
A division or unit of a poem
Tall tale
A folk story associated with the American frontier regions; elements include humorous situations, or characters with extra ordinary abilities
Round Character
A fully developed character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work
Theme
A main idea or underlying message of the literary work
Alliteration
A number of words have the same first constant sound and occur close together in a series. - "a big bully beats a baby boy"
Antithesis
A parallel paradox that is the perfect opposite
Parallel Structure
A repitition of the same pattern of words or phrases within a sentence/passage to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance
Allegory
A story with the purpose of teaching moral or principal - "the bass, the river, and Sheila mant"
Archetype
A typical character, an action, or a situation that presents universal patterns of human nature. - "good versus evil"
Meter
A unit of rhythm in poetry; the pattern of the beats
Dialect
A variation of a language spoken by a particular group; may differ in vocabulary, pronunciations, or grammar
Connation
A word that may give off a different meaning based on assumptions of the word
Tone
An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Conveyed through a choice of words or viewpoint of a writer on a subject
Emotional appeals use...
Language and details that play on our feelings
Free verse
No rhyme scheme w/o a regular pattern or rhyme
Hyperbole
Obvious exaggeration
Vernacular
Ordinary, everyday speech of a particular country or region; informal speech
Anaphora
Repeated words for context
Consonance
Repitition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession "pitter patter"
Assonance
Repitition of vowel sounds example: (lives of quiet)
Chiasmus
Reversal of words (he went to the country, to the town went she)
Verbal irony
Saying something but meaning the opposite like sarcasm
Garrulous
Talking a great deal, especially about unimportant things
Idiom
The expression should not be taken literally - "you drive me up a wall!"
Local color
The portrayal of behaviors distinctive to a region, such as speech, behavior, dress, food, beliefs
Passive
The subject of the sentence is being acted upon by the verb of the sentence - "the boy was bitten by the dog"
Active
The subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb - "the dog bit the boy"
Oxymoron
Two opposite ideas joined together to create an effect - "cruel kindness" - "living death"
Rhyming Couplet
Two successive rhyming lines in a verse that has the same meter to form a complete thought
Juxtaposition
Two things being seen close together but with contrasting effect -" it was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
Ethical appeals use...
Values such as religious values or moral beliefs
Inverted syntax
When lines do not follow traditional sentence patterns; subject and verb are reversed
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows something which the character does not
Situational irony
When the outcome of a situation is different than the audience expects
Syntax
Word order and sentence structure
Internal rhyme
Words within a line that rhyme
disillusionment
a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.
Innocence
the quality or state of being innocent; freedom from sin or moral wrong.
Satire
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices.
