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English > Reading Comp. Final > Flashcards

Reading Comp. Final Flashcards

1
Q

Simile

A

Comparison of 2 things using the words like or as

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2
Q

Metaphor

A

Comparison of things with out using the words like or as

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3
Q

Oxymoron

A

Words not commonly used together that are contradicting

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4
Q

Juxtaposition

A

Placement of two opposite ideas, things, or people near each other for contrasting effect

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5
Q

Paradox

A

a statement that contradicts itself yet it might be true

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6
Q

Personification

A

giving inanimate objects human characteristics

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7
Q

Hyperbole

A

an over exaggeration

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8
Q

Understatement

A

Opposite of hyperbole, irony which deliberately represents something as much less then it actually is

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9
Q

Litotes

A

a type of understatement where negatives are made to make something positive

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10
Q

Allusion

A

the author refers to a subject matter as a passing reference

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11
Q

Alliteration

A

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word

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12
Q

Assonance

A

repetition of vowel sounds

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13
Q

Consonance

A

repetition of consonant sounds within words

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14
Q

Dissonance/Cacophony

A

a harsh disagreeable combination of sounds used for effect

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15
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

words that imitate sound

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16
Q

Apostrophe

A

addressing a non existent person or abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of understanding feelings

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17
Q

Synecdoche

A

a part of something is used to signify the whole or vice versa

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18
Q

Metonymy

A

use of an object closely related to the subject to represent the subject itself

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19
Q

Imagery

A

concrete, specific descriptions within a literary work that have a sensory appeal for the reader

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20
Q

Symbol

A

a word or phrase used to evoke a concrete reality which suggests a range of meaning beyond itself

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21
Q

Abstract

A

something that cannot be perceived by the senses, for example, the word truth

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22
Q

Allegory

A

a story that has a second meaning beneath the obvious one

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23
Q

Analogy

A

a comparison of two things where the familiar is used to explain the unfamiliar

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24
Q

Analysis

A

a close examination of a literary work

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25
Q

Anecdote

A

a short, often amusing narrative

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26
Q

Antagonist

A

the force that opposes the main character

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27
Q

Antecedent

A

that which precedes or comes before. In a story, it’s the actions of the characters which helps explain their present situation.

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28
Q

Anti-climax

A

Follows the climax and is of lesser excitement.

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29
Q

Antithesis

A

a contrast of ideas. Example: sink or swim

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30
Q

Archaic Language

A

outdated language that is no longer used

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31
Q

Archetype

A

a model that has typical qualities

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32
Q

Aside

A

a comment made by an actor to the audience and unheard by the other actors on stage

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33
Q

Atmosphere

A

the emotional feeling created

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34
Q

Autobiography

A

a person’s story told by themselves

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35
Q

Ballad

A

a simple narrative poem originally meant to be sung

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36
Q

Caricature

A

distortion by exaggerating certain qualities

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37
Q

Character

A

a person in a story

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38
Q

Chronology

A

a sequence of events arranged according to a simple time line

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39
Q

Cliché

A

an overused expression

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40
Q

Colloquial

A

informal speech accepted in ordinary communication

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41
Q

Comedy

A

a story or play that has a happy ending and which usually contains humor

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42
Q

Comic Relief

A

a humorous scene in a tragedy or non-comedy

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43
Q

Concrete

A

that which can be perceived by the senses

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44
Q

Conflict

A

a clash of actions, desires, or wills

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45
Q

Connotation

A

emotional associations created by words

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46
Q

Context

A

the part of text in which a word or passage occurs that gives it meaning

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47
Q

Couplet

A

two lines of poetry that rhyme

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48
Q

Denotation

A

what a word means according to the dictionary

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49
Q

Denouement

A

the part of the play or novel where the plot gets sorted out

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50
Q

Didactic

A

writing whose purpose is to teach or preach

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51
Q

Dilemma

A

a choice between two undesirable alternatives

52
Q

Dramatic Irony

A

irony that occurs when a character knows less about his or her own situation than the audience does

53
Q

Dynamic

A

alive, moving, changing

54
Q

Empathy

A

shared feelings

55
Q

Epilogue

A

the closing speech at the end of a play

56
Q

Euphemism

A

mild words that are used in place of harsh ones

57
Q

Excerpt

A

a passage or quotation selected from a larger piece of literature

58
Q

Exposition

A

an opening scene that explains conflict, setting, and character

59
Q

Falling Action

A

the part of a play in which the hero’s fortunes decline, from the crisis to catastrophe

60
Q

Fantasy

A

a story that goes beyond the bounds of known reality

61
Q

Figurative

A

language that uses comparisons in an imaginative way

62
Q

Flashback

A

an incident inserted in a narrative to show events that happened in the past

63
Q

Foil

A

a character who contrasts strongly within another

64
Q

Foreshadowing

A

specific hints as to what will happen

65
Q

Genre

A

type or kind of literature

66
Q

Hypothetical

A

not necessarily true, but assumed, because it seems likely that it could be correct

67
Q

Illusion

A

when what is perceived is not real or the way it really is

68
Q

Imitative harmony

A

a word or words used to suggest the sound described

69
Q

Implication

A

something that is suggested and assumed to be understood

70
Q

Inference

A

an arrival at a conclusion through evidence

71
Q

Irony

A

a contradiction in meaning

72
Q

Jargon

A

language particular to a specific group

73
Q

Literal Meaning

A

language that is used in an obvious matter of fact sense

74
Q

Literary Device

A

a technique used to create a particular effect like a metaphor

75
Q

Lyric Metaphor

A

a brief musical poem expressing strong feelings

76
Q

Monologue

A

a speech given by a single performer or character

77
Q

Mood

A

the total feeling created by a work

78
Q

Motivation

A

that which causes a character to behave in a certain way

79
Q

narrator

A

the one who tells the story

80
Q

nemesis

A

a just reward or punishment, sometimes called poetic justice

81
Q

octet

A

an eight line stanza

82
Q

overstatement

A

an exaggeration used to emphasize a point

83
Q

parable

A

a short narrative used to teach a lesson

84
Q

parallelism

A

the expression of ideas in a similar order and structure

85
Q

parenthesis

A

explanatory remarks enclosed within a longer sentence ( )

86
Q

parody

A

humor by imitation of a well known piece of writing

87
Q

pastoral

A

simple or naturally beautiful

88
Q

pathos

A

sadness or pity brought out by a story

89
Q

plot

A

the sequence of events in a literary work

90
Q

point of view

A

the perspective in which the story is told

91
Q

omniscient

A

3rd person, you can see in everyone’s minds and what they’re thinking

92
Q

limited omniscient

A

3rd person and you can see into one persons mind and what they’re thinking

93
Q

objective

A

the narrator is like a camera, you see what’s going on but you don’t know what anyone is thinking or feeling

94
Q

first person

A

narrator is telling the story about themselves

95
Q

prologue

A

the opening or introduction of a play, speech, or poem

96
Q

protagonist

A

the main character in a literary work

97
Q

proverb

A

a profound saying that contains truth

98
Q

pun

A

a play on words that are either identical or similar in sound

99
Q

quatrain

A

a four line stanza

100
Q

realism

A

depicting characters and situations in a life like way

101
Q

repetition

A

stating something over and over for effect

102
Q

rhetoric

A

the science of argument, the use of language to persuade an audience

103
Q

rhetorical question

A

a question that does not require an answer because it is obvious

104
Q

rhyme

A

a repetition of vowel sounds at the ends of words

105
Q

rhythm

A

a recurrence of strong and weak syllables creating a pattern of sounds

106
Q

sarcasm

A

saying the opposite of what is really meant, similar to irony but more bitter and hurtful

107
Q

satire

A

making fun of a serious subject

108
Q

sestet (sextet)

A

a stanza of six lines

109
Q

situational irony

A

a contrast between what is actually expected and what actually happens

110
Q

slang

A

nonstandard language made up of certain terms

111
Q

soliloquy

A

a speech made to the audience when an actor is alone on stage

112
Q

sonnet

A

a lyric poem consisting of 14 lines

113
Q

stage direction

A

italicised instructions by a playwright for the actor’s or director’s use

114
Q

stanza

A

a grouping of verse lines in a poem set off by a space

115
Q

static character

A

a character who does not change or grow during the course of a story

116
Q

stock character

A

an easily recognizable character type who reoccurs in literature

117
Q

style

A

the overall choice and arrangement of sources, words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs in a piece of writing

118
Q

subjective

A

showing the personal thoughts and feelings of the author

119
Q

synonyms

A

words having the same or nearly the same meaning

120
Q

theme

A

the subject or topic of a written work that provides an insight to life

121
Q

thesis

A

a position taken and supported by a writer or speaker

122
Q

tone

A

the attitude of the writer or speaker towards his or her subject and audience

123
Q

tragedy

A

a play where the hero comes to an unhappy ending

124
Q

trite

A

an expression such as a cliché which is worn out by too much use

125
Q

verbal irony

A

a contrast between what the character means and what they say

126
Q

wit

A

a clever verbal expression used to shock or create humor

English (8 decks)

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