I Flashcards
(18 cards)
iamb
A metrical foot in poetry with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (˘ ´).
Example: “be-LIEVE”, “the SUN”
iambic pentameter
A line of poetry with five iambs (10 syllables total: unstressed-stressed).
Example: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” – Shakespeare
idiom
A commonly used expression whose meaning differs from the literal meaning of its words.
Example: “Kick the bucket” = to die.
illusion
A deceptive appearance or false perception of reality.
Example: A character believing something is real when it is not, such as a mirage.
imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell).
Example: “The crisp leaves crunched beneath my boots as the wind bit my cheeks.”
imperative sentence
A sentence that gives a command or request.
Example: “Close the door.”
implied metaphor
A metaphor that suggests the comparison without stating it directly.
Example: “He barked out the order.” (implies the man is like a dog)
in media res
Latin for “into the middle of things”; starting a story in the middle of the action.
Example: The Odyssey begins with Odysseus already years into his journey.
inciting incident
The event that sets the main plot in motion or disrupts the protagonist’s normal life.
Katniss volunteering for Prim in The Hunger Games.
induction
A reasoning method that moves from specific instances to a general conclusion.
Example: “Every cat I’ve seen purrs. Therefore, all cats must purr.”
inference
A conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning, not directly stated.
Example: Seeing someone in a lab coat with a stethoscope → infer they’re a doctor.
innuendo
An indirect or subtle reference, often with derogatory or suggestive meaning.
Example: “He’s been spending a lot of time with his ‘secretary’ lately…”
internal rhyme
Rhyme within a single line of poetry.
Example: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.” – Poe
intertextuality
The relationship between texts, where one text references or builds upon another.
Example: The Lion King contains parallels to Hamlet.
invective
Insulting, abusive, or critical language used to attack.
Example: “You cowardly, rotten scoundrel!”
inversion
Reversing the normal order of words, typically for poetic or rhetorical effect.
Example: “So fair and foul a day I have not seen.” – Shakespeare
irony
A contrast between expectation and reality.
*Types:
Verbal Irony: Saying the opposite of what is meant
Situational Irony: When the opposite of what is expected occurs
Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something the characters don’t*
Example: A fire station burns down.
isocolon
A rhetorical device in which phrases or clauses are grammatically parallel and of equal length.
Example: “Buy one, get one. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
