8th Grade Literary and Vocabulary Terms – Flashcards
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Alliteration
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the repetition of initial sounds, as in "scorching summer sensations."
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Allusion
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reference to a well-known person, place, thing, idea, event, etc.
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Analogy
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a comparison of two or more similar objects, suggesting that if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well
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Antagonist
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a character who opposes the main character
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Anthology
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a published collection of works or parts of works by an author or several authors
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Assonance
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the repetition of vowel sounds
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Ballad
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a narrative passed on in the oral tradition
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Bard
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a poet, Shakespeare is sometimes referred to as the Bard
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Bibliography
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a list of written sources of information
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Characterization
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method the author uses to acquaint readers with characters
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Indirect
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learn about characters through what they say, what others say about them, and what they do
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Direct
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directly told through exposition
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Main Character
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the most important figure in a literary work.
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Minor Characters
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the "support cast" for the most important figure in a literary work.
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Dynamic Character
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a figure in a story that undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds.
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Static Character
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a figure in a story who remains the same no matter what.
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Cliché
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an overused, predictable, and therefore uninteresting expression or idea
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Climax
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The point of greatest interest in a story or play.
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Colloquial
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of speech and informal writing, conversational
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Conflict
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the struggle between opposing forces.
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Connotation
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meaning suggested by a word beyond its definition, what a reader believes the word means
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Consonance
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repetition, at close intervals, of final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words
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Couplet
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a rhymed pair of lines
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Denotation
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a dictionary definition
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Dialect
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a major subdivision of a language
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Dialogue
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conversation carried on by the characters in a literary work
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Elegy
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usually a lyric poem on death or some other somber subject.
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Epic
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a long narrative poem recounting the exploits of larger-than-life character in important and heroic acts
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Euphemism
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use of a less direct, less offensive word or phrase
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Fable
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a short, simple story that teaches a lesson. It usually includes animals that talk and act like people
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Farce
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literature based on a highly humorous and highly improbable plot
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Fiction
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writing from a writer's imagination. It can be inspired by actual events or completely made up.
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Figurative Language
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using figures of speech to heighten meaning i.e. metaphor, simile, personification
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Flashback
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interruption in the narrative to show an episode from the past
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Foil
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someone who serves as a contrast or challenge to another character
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Folk Tale
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the customs, legends, songs, and stories of a people or nation once handed down in the oral tradition
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Foreshadowing
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a hint to the reader of what is to come
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Genre
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a form or type of literature: novel, short story, poem, play, etc.
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Humor
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a quality that provokes laughter or amusement.
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Hyperbole
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an extreme exaggeration
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Idiom
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in language, a customary expression, "She has rats in her hair."
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Imagery
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the sensory details that relate to the senses and create pictures in our minds
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Invocation
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calling upon a divine power for aid. Many poems begin with an invocation asking for inspiration
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Irony
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a contrast between what appears to be and what really is.
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Jargon
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language of a trade or profession
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Memoir
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a form of autobiographical writing in which a writer shares his or her own personal experiences and observations of significant events or people.
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Metaphor
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an implied comparison, "A green plant is a machine that runs on solar energy"
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Meter
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A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.
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Monologue
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in drama, an extended speech by one person alone, with or without an audience
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Mood
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the emotions the literature makes the reader feel
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Moral
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a lesson that a story teaches.
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Myth
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a traditional story connected with religion of a people usually explaining something in nature
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Non-fiction
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writing about real people, places, things, and events. Essays, news stories, speeches, etc.
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Novel
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a long work of fiction.
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Ode
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a lyric poem usually composed in complex stanza form and generally intended to praise or commemorate
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Onomatopoeia
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words that sound like the thing being spoken about, Boom, Crack, Sizzle, Screech
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Parable
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a brief fictional work that teaches a lesson
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Paradox
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statement that seems contrasting to common sense yet may be true: "Coach said it was a good loss."
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Paraphrase
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rewording
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Parody
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a form of literature intended to mock a particular literary work or its style, a comic effect is intended
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Personification
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giving human qualities to non-living objects
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Plagiarism
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LITERARY THEFT, when a writer duplicates another writer's work without giving proper credit
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Poet Laureate
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the officially recognized or chief poet of a nation
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Poetic Devices
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terms used to describe features of a poem
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Poetry
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a kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to our emotions and imagination. _____ is usually arranged in lines, often has a regular pattern of rhythm, and has a regular rhyme scheme.
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Point of View
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the relationship between the teller of the story and the characters in it.
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Prose
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literary writing not marked by rhyme or meter
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Protagonist
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main character
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Pun
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a play on words; a humorous way to use a word
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Repetition
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repeating a word or phrase to stress its importance, especially in poetry
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Rhetoric
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the art of persuasion by speech or writing
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Rhyme scheme
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pattern of rhyme in a stanza
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End rhyme
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the rhyming of words at the ends of lines of poetry
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Internal Rhyme
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a rhyme that happens inside a line of poetry ("use a log to hit a hog")
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Rhythm
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the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables
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Rising Action
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the stage of the plot that develops the conflict, or struggle.
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Satire
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a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, often with the intent of correcting, or changing the way things are.
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Short Story
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a work of fiction that centers on a single idea and can be read in one sitting.
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Simile
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a comparison using like or as, "She stood in front of the altar, shaking like a freshly caught trout."
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Soliloquy
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in drama, a speech in which character does not address others, but rather speaks aloud to himself
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Sonnet
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a type of short poem, usually 14 lines, popular in English since the Renaissance
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Speaker
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the person talking in a poem, not always the poet
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Stanza
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a group of two or more lines that form a unit in a poem.
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Continuous Poetry
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the lines follow each other without formal grouping, the only breaks being dictated by units of meaning, as paragraphs are in prose.
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Stanzaic Poetry
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poet writes in a series of stanzas; repeated units having the same number of lines, usually the same meter, and often an identical rhyme scheme
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Fixed Poetry
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traditional pattern that applies to a whole poem (i.e. haiku in Japan, and sestinas in France) In English poetry only two fixed forms have really taken hold: Limerick, Sonnet
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Shape Poetry
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made to look like the topic which it addresses (i.e. mountain, swimming laps)
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Style
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a manner of expression characteristic of the author
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Symbol
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something concrete that represents something else
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Tall Tale
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a humorously exaggerated story about impossible events, often involving the supernatural abilities of the main character.
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Theme
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the main idea of a piece of literature as it applies to human beings in general, not the plot
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Tone
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the author's attitude toward the subject matter
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Tragedy
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literature in which the character suffers disaster after a serious struggle but faces his or her downfall with heroic stature
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Trilogy
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a group of three related works
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Understatement
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a technique of creating emphasis by saying less than is actually or literally true.
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Vernacular
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the native language of any particular place
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Voice
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a unique use of language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in a writer's work.
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Vignette
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written or verbal sketch of a brief scene or incident
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clutch
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verb: to clasp or hold tightly
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prodigy
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noun: a person with an exceptional talent
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liable
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adjective: likely to
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sidekick
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noun: a close friend
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crouch
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verb: to stoop with bent knees
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acute
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adjective: sharp or keen
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conceive
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verb: to think of
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vex
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verb: to disturb or annoy
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stifled
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adjective: smothered
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crevice
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noun: crack
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stealthily
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adverb: cautiously; secretly
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audacity
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noun: shameless daring or boldness
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vehemently
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adverb: with intense emotion
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derision
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noun: ridicule
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hypocritical
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adjective: false or deceptive
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lark
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noun: a carefree or spirited adventure
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junction
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noun: a place where two roads meet
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sinister
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adjective: suggesting or threatening evil
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assurance
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noun: a guarantee or pledge
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monotony
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noun: tedious sameness
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impromptu
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adjective: unplanned
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ajar
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adjective: partially open
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tentatively
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adverb: uncertainly or hesitantly
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tremor
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noun: nervous trembling
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commence
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verb: to begin
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beckon
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verb: to signal to come
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gnarled
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adjective: roughened, as from age or work
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ominous
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adjective: threatening
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Rorschach test
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noun: the name of a personality test that uses inkblot designs
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sensation
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noun: a state of great interest and excitement
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tangible
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adjective: able to be seen, touched, or understood
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specialization
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noun: a focus on a particular area of study
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absurd
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adjective: ridiculously unreasonable
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refute
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verb: to prove as false
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impair
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verb: to weaken or damage
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proportional
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adjective: having a constant relation in degree or number
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peril
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noun: danger
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grimace
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noun: a facial expression of pain or disgust
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fate
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noun: a power that is thought to determine the course of events
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credulity
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noun: a disposition to believe too readily
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compensation
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noun: something, such as money, received in payment
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resignation
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noun: acceptance of something that is inescapable
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apprehension
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noun: nervousness
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disgruntled
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verb: to make unhappy
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foreboding
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noun: a sense of impeding misfortune
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fortify
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verb: to make strong
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indignantly
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adverb: angrily
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pandemonium
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noun: wild uproar or noise
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remorse
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noun: sorrow or regret
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unabashed
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adjective: obvious or bold
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ramble
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verb: to talk at length or aimlessly
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foreman
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noun: the leader of a work crew
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grope
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verb: to reach about with uncertainty
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stoop
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verb: to bend forward or down from the waist or middle of the back
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contractor
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noun: one who agrees to provide services for a specific price
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irate
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adjective: very angry
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feeble
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adjective: weak or faint
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predicament
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noun: an unpleasant situation from which it is difficult to free oneself.
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propaganda
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noun: information that supports a certain cause
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deprivation
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noun: the condition of not having one's needs met; a lack of
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futility
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noun: uselessness
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sterile
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adjective: barren; lacking vitality
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languish
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verb: to lose strength and vitality
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counterpart
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noun: one that has the same functions and traits as another
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exotic
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adjective: foreign; unusual; exciting
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exploit
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verb: to use for selfish purposes
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impropriety
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noun: an unsuitable or inappropriate act or quality
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adequately
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adverb: enough to satisfy a requirement or meet a need
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eliminate
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verb: to remove from consideration by defeating
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annihilate
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verb: to completely destroy or defeat
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aggression
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noun: hostile or destructive behavior or action
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ban
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verb: to prohibit
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conviction
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noun: a strong belief
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insolent
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adjective: insulting or arrogant
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refrain
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verb: to hold oneself back; to stop
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diminish
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verb: to become smaller or less
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opposition
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noun: the act of opposing or resisting
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inertia
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noun: resistance to motion, action, or change
