Language/Literary Techniques

Question 1

Adage

Answer 1

A well-known and simple truth stated with a few words. E.g. “Better safe than sorry”

Question 2

Adjectival phrase

Answer 2

A group of words (two or more) to provide more information about the noun. E.g. “The toddler’s mischievous green eyes”

Question 3

Alliteration

Answer 3

Repetition of consonant sounds. E.g. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickles”

Question 4

Allusion

Answer 4

Reference to a historical, mythical or biblical event. E.g. “Since my elementary-school days, maths has always been by Achilles heel.”

Question 5

Anaphora

Answer 5

Repeated word or phrase at the beginning of sentences, phrases, or paragraphs. E.g. “We will not back down. We will not give in.”

Question 6

Anadiplosis

Answer 6

Figure of speech in which a word or phrase at the end of a sentence, clause, or line of verse is repeated at or near the beginning of the next sentence, clause, or line of verse. E.g. “The peasant pledged the country his loyalty; loyalty was his only possession.”

Question 7

Anastrophe

Answer 7

Syntax inversion of the normal word order. E.g. “In the garden green and dewy/A rose I plucked for Huey”

Question 8

Anecdote

Answer 8

A concise and personal story. E.g. “In 8th grade, I had to pass by a group of classmates on my way to the restroom. I was so afraid…”

Question 9

Anthropomorphism

Answer 9

The attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object.

Question 10

Antithesis

Answer 10

Words and phrases with strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. E.g. “No pain. No gain.”

Question 11

Anthimeria

Answer 11

The use of a word in a new grammatical form. E.g. “She keeps SPAMming me with photos from her birthday party.”

Question 12

Antonomasia

Answer 12

Identification of a person by an appropriate substituted phrase, such as “her majesty” for a queen or “the Bard of Avon” for Shakespeare

Question 13

Apostrophe

Answer 13

Addressing an abstraction or thing, present or absent. E.g. “Frailty, thy name is woman. Hail, Holy Light, offspring of heaven firstborn!”

Question 14

Archaism

Answer 14

An old-fashioned word or expression that is no longer frequently used in modern writing. E.g. “He slew the dragon.”

Question 15

Assonance

Answer 15

The resemblance of vowel sounds between syllables of nearby words. E.g. sonnet, porridge (repetition of ‘o’ vowel sound)

Question 16

Asyndeton

Answer 16

Use of words or phrases in a series without connectives such as “and” or “so”. E.g. “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Question 17

Buzzword

Answer 17

A word or phrase that becomes fashionable for a certain time. E.g. Moving forward. Deep dive.

Question 18

Cacophany

Answer 18

When language is used to create a harsh, discordant sound.

Question 19

Caesura

Answer 19

A pause in the line of poetry.

Question 20

Chiasmus

Answer 20

A grammatical construction where words are repeated in reverse order. E.g. “Do you like me because I am beautiful? Or am I beautiful because you like me?”

Question 21

Cliché

Answer 21

An expression or opinion that is overused and lacks originality. E.g. “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Question 22

Colloquialism

Answer 22

Use of everyday speech and informal language in writing.

Question 23

Connotation

Answer 23

The implied meaning of a word or group of words. E.g. “Our new co-worker is rather nosy.”

Question 24

Contrast

Answer 24

Being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.

Question 25

Denotation

Answer 25

To use a word according to its literal definition without any emotion or implied hidden meaning. E.g. "The sky is blue."

Question 26

Emotive language

Answer 26

Language that carries intensity of emotion.

Question 27

End focusing

Answer 27

Placement of important words at the end of a sentence, phrase, stanza or paragraph for emphasis.

Question 28

Enjambment

Answer 28

Carrying the sense of one line of verse over to the next line without a pause.

Question 29

Epistrophe (or antistrophe)

Answer 29

Opposite to anaphora. Repetition of the same word/words at the end of successive phrases or sentences.

Question 30

Epithet

Answer 30

An adjective or adjectival phrase that replaces or is used alongside the name of a person, place or thing. E.g. "Pitt the Younger, Alexander the Great."

Question 31

Epizeuxis

Answer 31

Repetition of one word (often more than once for emphasis). E.g. "The best way to describe this portion of South America is lush, lush, lush."

Question 32

Euphemism

Answer 32

A polite, idiomatic phrase that we substitute for a harsher, more unpleasant term. E.g. "I'm sorry to hear that your uncle passed away."

Question 33

Extended metaphor

Answer 33

A metaphor that compares two things over the course of a few sentences, paragraphs, or even an entire text.

Question 34

Flashback

Answer 34

Device in which a writer describes significant events of an earlier time or returns the plot to an earlier time.

Question 35

Foil

Answer 35

A secondary or minor character in a literary work who contrasts or clashes with the main character; possesses personal qualities that are the opposite of, or markedly different from, those of another character.

Question 36

Dramatic irony

Answer 36

Works to increase suspense or comedic effect by letting the audience know something important, while the characters are kept in the dark.

Question 37

Climax

Answer 37

The pinnacle of the story.

Question 38

Catharsis

Answer 38

Any experience, real or imagined, that purges a person of negative emotions.

Question 39

Aside

Answer 39

When a character in a work of fiction addresses the audience directly for a moment to either express a truth, reveal a feeling, or comment on the events of the story.

Question 40

Antagonist

Answer 40

Character in a story or poem who opposes the main character (protagonist).

Question 41

Anagnorsisis

Answer 41

A moment of epiphany; time of revelation when a character discovers their true identity.

Question 42

Foreshadowing

Answer 42

The presentation of signs and events in a fictional work that gives the audience hints about things yet to come.

Question 43

Front focusing

Answer 43

Placement of important words at the beginning of a sentence, phrase, stanza or paragraph for emphasis.

Question 44

Gasconade

Answer 44

Excessive boasting; incessant bragging. E.g. A character who is brave in words but timid in deeds.

Question 45

Hamartia

Answer 45

Serious character flaw of the protagonist of a Greek tragedy. Often, this flaw is great pride or hubris but also may be prejudice, anger, zealotry, poor judgement, an inherited weakness, or any other serious shortcoming.

Question 46

Hubris

Answer 46

Great pride that brings about the downfall of a character in a Greek drama or in other works of literature.

Question 47

Hyperbaton

Answer 47

A figure of speech in which the writer plays with the typical natural order of words. E.g. "Always late, never on time, he was."

Question 48

Hyperbole

Answer 48

An intentional exaggeration of speech. E.g. "The teacher droned on for hours about the importance of being prepared for the exams."

Question 49

Hypophora

Answer 49

When the writer asks a question then immediately answers it. E.g. "What made me take this trip to Africa? There is no quick explanation."

Question 50

Idiom

Answer 50

A phrase that conveys a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. E.g. "Your brother is a real night owl."

Question 51

Imagery

Answer 51

Vivid descriptions are used to create images in the mind of the reader. Includes visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory.

Question 52

Imperative

Answer 52

A command.

Question 53

Invective

Answer 53

Harsh, abusive language.

Question 54

Irony

Answer 54

When there is a contrast between expectations and reality.

Question 55

Jargon

Answer 55

The specific type of language used by a particular. E.g. "The case was adjourned until the spring." (legal jargon)

Question 56

Juxtaposition

Answer 56

The placement of two or more things side-by-side, to highlight their differences and draw attention to certain qualities.

Question 57

Kinesthesia

Answer 57

A poetic device used to create a feeling of natural or physical bodily movement. E.g. "She tossed her hair back."

Question 58

Litotes

Answer 58

Device used to express an affirmative by negating its opposite. E.g. "I can't say that I won't have seconds of that dessert."

Question 59

Listing

Answer 59

A list or catalogue.

Question 60

Metaphor

Answer 60

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison by relating one thing to another unrelated thing. E.g. "She is the black sheep in her family."

Question 61

Metonymy

Answer 61

A figure of speech that replaces words with related or associated words, which are typically a part of the larger whole. E.g. Crown = monarchy

Question 62

Modality

Answer 62

High, e.g. "I must." and low, e.g. "I might."

Question 63

Motif

Answer 63

A recurring symbol, image or idea in a text.

Question 64

Neologism

Answer 64

A newly minted word or expression coined by a writer.

Question 65

Onomatopoeia

Answer 65

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. E.g. sizzle, bang, crash

Question 66

Overstatement

Answer 66

An act of stating something more profoundly than it is for the sake of humour or emphasis. E.g. "I would die if I ever met Taylor Swift."

Question 67

Oxymoron

Answer 67

A figure of speech wherein two contradicting elements are combined for humorous effect or to reveal a paradox. E.g. "Friendly fight."

Question 68

Paradox

Answer 68

Paradox is similar to oxymoron; however, paradox does not place opposing words side-by-side like oxymoron does. E.g. "They called him a lion. But in the boxing ring, the lion was a lamb."

Question 69

Personification

Answer 69

When an inanimate object or animal is assigned human characteristics. E.g. "The rising sun played hide and seek behind the trees."

Question 70

Plosives

Answer 70

p, k, b, t when used to create a harsh sound.

Question 71

Polysyndeton

Answer 71

The use of a conjunction (e.g. and) between each word, phrase or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton.

Question 72

Pun

Answer 72

A play on words that relies on words with more than one meaning or two words that sound the same. E.g. "Don't worry my computer won't byte!"

Question 73

Punctuation

Answer 73

Ellipsis (...), parenthetical aside, full stop, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, exclamatory (!)

Question 74

Repetition

Answer 74

Repeated words or phrases.

Question 75

Rhetorical question

Answer 75

A question not answered as the answer is obvious or obviously desired.

Question 76

Rhyme (feminine)

Answer 76

Rhyme in which the final two syllables of one line mimic the sound of the final two syllables of another line. E.g. repeat, deplete

Question 77

Rhyme (masculine)

Answer 77

Rhyme in which the final syllable of one line mimics the sound of the final syllable of another line. E.g. black, back

Question 78

Internal rhyme

Answer 78

Rhyme that occurs inside a line. E.g. "The knell of the bell saddened me."

Question 79

Sibilance

Answer 79

Repetition of 'S' sound.

Question 80

Simile

Answer 80

Literary decide that uses "like", "as," or "than" to compare two different things. E.g. "He was as wild as the ocean."

Question 81

Style

Answer 81

The way an author writes a literary work; manifests itself in author's choice of words & phrases, sentence structure, paragraph length, tone, etc. Words to describe style: narrative, conversational, descriptive, persuasive, realistic, whimsical, elegant, pompous, sardonic, lyrical, simple, sincere, direct.

Question 82

Synecdoche

Answer 82

Substitution of a part to stand for the whole, or the whole to stand for a part. E.g. "The Confederates have eyes in Lincoln's government." ("eyes" meaning spies)

Question 83

Symbolism

Answer 83

Objects, places, words, or ideas to represent abstract concepts.

Question 84

Tone

Answer 84

The stylistic qualities of writing, e.g. formality, dialect & mood. Words to describe tone: accusatory, apologetic, incredulous, mocking, nostalgic, respectful, sentimental, thoughtful, urgent, humourous.

Question 85

Vignette

Answer 85

A short, impressionistic scene or description that focuses on one moment.

Question 86

Zeugma

Answer 86

A figure of speech where a verb or preposition joins two objects within the same phrase while conveying two different meanings. E.g. "She was looking for motivation, a personal trainer, and some dessert."

Question 87

Zoomorphism

Answer 87

A literary technique that ascribes the qualities of an animal to a person, deity, or object. E.g. "I didn't know that leaving my dirty dishes in the sink would ruffle your feathers."