Senior English

QUARTER 2

1.abase (v.) to humiliate, degrade

–(After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror

2.aberration (n.)something that differs from the norm

–In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.

3.abnegation (n.) denial of comfort to oneself

–The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.

4.abstruse (adj.) hard to comprehend

–Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.

5.accede (v.) to agree

–When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to their request.

6.acrimony (n.) bitterness, discord

–Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.

7.acumen (n.) keen insight

–Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.

8.adroit (adj.) skillful, dexterous

–The adroit thief could pick someone’s pocket without attracting notice.

QUARTER 1
Vocabulary #1
flowstone
granitic
collet
discalced
barrows
shoddy
scabland
riprap

Vocabulary #2
pipeclayed
chifforobe
macadam
sappers
woad
chert
middens
bolus

Vocabulary #3
aesthetic
anachronistic
clairvoyant
conformist
diligent
frugal
nonchalant
novice

Vocabulary #4
deleterious
demagogue
enervating
precocious
querulous
spurious
surreptitious
adulation

Vocabulary #5

 Abasement  - n., humiliation; degradation

Billowing – adj., swelling; fluttering; waving

Harangue – adj., noisy, attacking speech         

Nullify - v., to counter; make unimportant        

Abrogate  - v., cancel; deny; repeal  

Enigma – n., puzzle; mystery            

Ensconce - v., establish firmly in a position    

Tawdry  - adj.,      of little value; gaudy

ACAA – Ms. Tomasik

Senior English Literary Terms

You will master and apply the following literary terms taught  throughout the 2012 – 2013 school year. I would use this as a reference guide to keep safe your English notebook while lectures and book discussions are taken in class. We will review these terms as a class and discuss their application to the novel or writing unit studied at the time.

An easy way is to study the online flashcards of these terms found on quizlet.com. You can access the link here. 

active voice	Describes the relationship between the action (and state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its arguments (subject, object, etc.). When the subject is the agent or actor of the verb, the verb is in the active voice.
allegory	An extended narrative, which carries a second meaning along with its surface story; the people and events are symbolic.
alliteration	The repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
allusion	Referring metaphorically to persons, places, and things from history or previous literature. Enrich their contexts by reminding the reader of relevant associations.
analogy	An explanation of one thing by comparing it point by point with something else.
antagonist	The forces arrayed against the main character (persons, things, conventions of society, or traits of the protagonist's own character).
anti-climax	An abrupt declension (either deliberate or unintended) on the part of a speaker or writer from the dignity of idea which he appeared to be aiming at. (ex. "The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.")
antithesis	Using contrasts for effect (ex. Deserts are dry; oceans are wet)
apostrophe	The direct addressing of a person, an inanimate entity, or an abstract quality as though it were present and listening.
argumentative essay	An essay, which attempts to convince the reader of the truth of a premise by means of logic and other forms of persuasion.
anecdotal evidence	Usually relate to how certain types of evidence cannot be used to logically conclude something.
archaic language	Old-fashioned, out-of-date language and expressions.
aside	A stage convention used to indicate words spoken by a character but heard only by the audience and not by other characters on stage.
assonance	The repetition of vowel sounds without the repetition of the same consonants. (ex. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.)
atmosphere	The mood the reader gets from the setting, the characterization and the tone of the narrator.
audience	The people for whom a written work or presentation is intended.
autobiography	A non-fictional account of a person's life written by the subject.
ballad	Traditionally, narrative poems that began as songs and were handed down orally.
ballad stanza	Four-line stanzas (quatrains) with alternating four-beat and three-beat lines, and rhymes in the second and fourth lines.
bias	A subjective point of view in which the writer's opinion affects the integrity of the work.
biography	A non-fictional account of someone's life.
blank verse	Usually iambic pentameter but no rhyme. (ex. Shakespeare's plays)
cacophony	A combination of harsh, unpleasant sounds, which create an aggregate effect.
caricature	A description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others for comic reasons.
case study	A detailed analysis of an individual, group, or event.
catastrophe	One name for the concluding action of a tragedy; a disaster of huge proportions.
cause and effect	Two events are related when one event brings about or causes the other. The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect.
character	A person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature.
characterization	A method of presenting the special qualities or features of a character.
character foil	A character that contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality.
chorus	A group of people who serve mainly as commentators on the characters and events. Add to the audience's understanding of the play by expressing traditionally moral, religious, and social attitudes.
chronological order	The order in which events happen in time.
cliché	An over-used, time-worn expression or idea.
climactic order	To save the most important to last.
climax	Turning point, point of maximum interest, and highest tension in the plot of a story, play, or film. Usually occurs towards the end of story after the reader has understood the conflict and become emotionally involved with the characters.
colloquialism	A word or phrase used in an easy informal style of writing or speaking.
colloquial language	Informal language; language that is "conversational".
comedy	A ludicrous and amusing event or series of events in a work of literature.
comedic relief	The inclusion of a humorous character or scene in an otherwise serious work of literature.
compare and contrast	To note the similarities and differences between two things.
comparison	The process of identifying similarities.
conflict	The tension or problem of a story; a struggle between opposing forces. (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. himself)
connotation	The cluster of implications that words or phrases may carry with them, as distinguished from their denotative, or exact, meanings.
consonance	A special type of alliteration in which the repeated pattern of consonants are marked by changes in the intervening vowels.
contrast	Showing differences between or among things.
couplet	A pair of rhymed lines that form a stanza.
denotation	The specific, exact meaning of a word, independent of its emotional coloration or associations.
denouement	The outcome of a series of events, the resolution that occurs after the climax of a work of literature.
descriptive essay	An essay that describes a person, place, or object.
dialect	Language from a particular place, era, or social class.
dialogue	Lines spoken between characters of a work of literature.
diary	An informal record of a person's private life.
diction	The choice of words and word order in a work of literature.
didactic	Writing used to teach or convince the reader of a particular point.
dilemma	A problem that creates conflict within or between characters.
direct presentation	When the writer tells readers what kind of personality the character possesses rather than allowing the character to show his or her personality and allow readers to draw their own conclusions.
dissonance	The deliberate use of syllables or words that sounds harsh together.
drama	Writing presented in the form of a pantomime, play, or dialogue in front of an audience.
dramatic irony	A situation in a narrative or drama where the audience knows more than the character.
dramatic monologue	When a single character addresses a silent audience at a critical moment and reveals something about himself or herself.
dramatic form	Various literary forms that are related and include dramatic material.
dynamic character	A character that develops and changes in a work of literature.
editorial	An opinion piece about any topic.
elegy	A mournful poem; a lament for the dead.
emotional appeal	Persuading an audience through the use of emotion.
epic	A poem that is a long narrative, has a hero or anti-hero, uses elevated language, and in which the outcome of a group of people is based on the success or failure of the protagonist.
epilogue	A short addition of concluding section at the end of a literary work, often dealing with the future of its characters.
epiphany	A revelation of such power and insight that it alters the world-view of the person who experiences it.
epigram	A short verse at the beginning of a poem or novel.
epitaph	An inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there; a summary statement of commemoration for a dead person.
euphemism	A "nicer" word or phrase used to replace an offensive word or phrase.
euphony	Agreeable sounds produced by a succession of mellifluous words.
expert testimony	An opinion given by a person highly educated in a topic.
exposition	The "exposing" of the story behind the story; an act of writing a speech for the purpose of conveying information.
expository essay	A simple essay usually factual and written without emotion.
extended metaphor	A metaphor that is extended through a stanza or entire poem, often by multiple comparisons of unlike objects or ideas.
external conflict	A struggle between two opposing characters or forces.
fable	A short tale with animal characters that teaches a moral lesson.
falling action	The action that occurs after the climax of a work of literature.
fantasy	Literature that contains characters and a plot involving magic and invented characters.
farce	A light humorous play.
figurative language	Language that contains many poetic devices; a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of words.
first person point of view	A POV in which an "I" or "we" serves as a narrator of a piece of literature.
flashback	The presentation of a scene that takes place before the present in a work of literature.
flat character	A minor character who has little depth of personality.
foil	A character that contrasts with and reveals various aspects of the main character's personality.
foreshadowing	A hint of things to come.
form	The structure of a piece of writing.
formal essay	An essay that uses academic language, logical organization, and serious purpose.
formal language	The use of "high" language or dialect in preference to "low" language or dialect; academic language
frame story	Employs a narrative technique whereby an introductory main story is composed, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage for a fictive narrative or organizing a set of shorter stories, each of which is a story within a story.
free verse	A poem that has no limitations in its use of meter or rhyme.
genre	A category of literary work- horror, comedy, tragedy, chick lit., pastoral, etc.
graphic text	A combination of pictures and words to tell a story.
hero	The central character of a story, usually possesses positive qualities (as opposed to a protagonist who can be positive or negative).
historical reference	A reference to something historical.
hyperbole	Obvious and intentional exaggeration.
iambic pentameter	A common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.
idiom	An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements or from the grammatical rules of a language.
image	Concrete details and figures of speech that help the reader to form vivid sense impressions of what is being described.
imagery	Representation through language of sense experience. Most often suggests a mental picture, but may also represent a sound, smell, taste, or tactical experience.
indeterminate ending	Literature with an uncertain ending or where some problem or conflict may remain undecided.
indirect presentation	The writer presents the character in action, allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about the personality of that character.
informal essay	An essay that does not follow the restrictions of a formal paper. Personal pronouns and casual, spoken language are acceptable.
informal language	The casual language we use every day.
interior monologue	A type of stream of consciousness that depicts the inner thoughts of a character.
internal conflict	The problem or struggle that takes place in the main character's minds (person vs. self).
internal rhyme	Rhyme which comes within lines.
irony	A literary device which reveals concealed or contradictory meanings.
jargon	Language especially the vocabulary peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.
juxtaposition	An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.
legend	A story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually someone of heroic accomplishments.
limited omniscient point of view	Author tells the story in third person, but from the viewpoint of a single character. The thoughts and feelings of other characters are not shown.
literal language	What is said is based exactly in reality without the comparisons used in figurative language.
lyric	Any short poem intended mainly to express a state of mind or feeling.
melodrama	A dramatic form characterized by excessive sentiment, exaggerated emotion, sensational and thrilling action, and an artificially happy ending.
metaphor	A comparison between two things which are essentially dissimilar. Usually implied rather than directly stated.
meter	Any regular pattern of rhythm based on stressed and unstressed syllables.
monologue	An extended speech by one person.
mood	The overall emotional atmosphere of a scene or situation.
mystery	A suspense story which contains a crime and a solution by a detective.
myth	Applies particularly to a story connected with the religion of a primitive civilization. Usually about gods or superhuman beings and are invented to explain certain beliefs or some aspect of nature.
narrative	The story or account itself.
narration	The telling of a story.
narrator	The person telling the story.
objective (language, tone, etc.)	Not about the thoughts of the speaker or writer; giving the facts as they are without bias.
objective point of view	The narrator knows only what can be heard and seen from outside the characters' thoughts and emotions.
octave	An eight line stanza.
ode	A lyric poem of some length, serious in subject and dignified in style.
omniscient point of view	God-like scope; able to enter the mind of any character at any time to reveal his thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
onomatopoeia	The use of words which sound like what they mean.
oxymoron	Two contradictory words placed side by side for emphasis (ex. jumbo shrimp).
paradox	A statement in which there is an apparent contradiction which is actually true.
parallelism	A repetition of sentences using the same structure.
parody	A work designed to ridicule the style and substance of another literary work.
passive voice	The subject of the sentence is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agent or by something unnamed.
pastoral	A literary work that has to do with shepherds and rustic settings.
pathos	Occurs when the audience experiences the emotions of pity, tenderness, or sorrow.
personal essay	A first person narrative.
personification	Giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or idea.
persuasive essay	An essay designed to convince a reader of a writer's point of view.
persuasive technique	Strategies employed (such as emotional appeal or bias) to convince a reader of a writer's point of view.
plot	The story line or organization of incidents in a story. Consists of episodes and conflict, usually has a rising and falling action.
point of view	Who tells the story and how the story gets told.
pro and con argument	Expressing arguments that are both for and against a position.
prologue	An introductory speech or written passage at the start of a work of literature.
propaganda	Biased writing with extreme examples meant to sway an audience to a certain POV.
protagonist	The main character.
proverb	A phrase, describing an example of a basic truth that is transferred to common situations.
purpose	What the writer is trying to achieve through the writing.
pun	A joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.
quatrain	A four lined stanza that can be rhymed or unrhymed.
question and answer	The process of raising a question while reading in an effort to understand characters and events.
refrain	A line or lines that are repeated in music or verse.
repetition	When a specific word or phrase is used several times to emphasize a particular idea.
research	Close, careful study using various sources of a topic.
resolution	The part of a work of literature that occurs after the climax and ties up any loose ends.
rhetorical question	A literary technique that involves asking a question that has an obvious answer that does not need to be answered.
rhyme	The repetition of similar or duplicate sounds at regular intervals, usually the repetition of the terminal sounds of words at the ends of lines.
rhyme scheme	The pattern of rhyme; traditionally marked by assigning letters of the alphabet to each rhyming sound at the end of each line.
rhythm	A pattern of stressed and unstressed sounds in poetry.
rising action	The events that lead up to the climax in a work of literature.
round character	A many-sided character that does not always act predictably.
sarcasm	Crudely mocking or contemptuous language; a form of verbal irony.
satire	A form of literature that ridicules some aspect of human behavior, customs, or attitude in an attempt to bring about change.
sestet	A six line poem or stanza.
setting	The time, place, and mood of a work of literature.
simile	When something is described by comparing it to something else, using like, than or as (ex. "He ran like a monkey.").
slang	A type of informal verbal communication that is generally unacceptable for formal writing.
soliloquy	A dramatic conversation through which a character, alone onstage, utters his or her thoughts aloud.
sonnet	A 14 line poem usually written in iambic pentameter; can be Shakespearean or Italian
speaker	The "voice" used by an author to tell a story or speak a poem.
stanza	A "paragraph" in poetry.
stream of consciousness	A running or flowing way a character or narrator expresses his or her feelings and inner-most thoughts.
statistical evidence	The use of factual numbers to support an argument.
static character	A character who does not change throughout a work; the reader's knowledge of the character also does not grow.
stereotype	A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified concept, opinion, or image.
stock/stereotyped character	A one-dimensional character that possessed stereotyped qualities relating to gender, class, or ethnicity.
story within a story	A literary device in which one story is told during the action of another story.
style	The characteristics of an author's writing.
stylistic technique	The techniques used by an author in his or her writing.
subjective (language, tone, etc.)	Language that can be interpreted in different ways depending on the reader.
surprise ending	An ending that is meant to shock the reader.
suspense	A state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.
symbol	An object that represents something more than its literal definition.
symbolism	The use of symbols to convey meaning.
theme	A unifying or dominant idea in a story usually implied rather than directly used.
thesis	The main argument of an essay.
thesis statement	A statement that presents the main argument of an essay.
third person point of view	The point of view that relates action through "he" and "she".
tone	The author's implicit attitude towards the reader or the places, people, and events in a work of literature.
tragedy	A work of literature that features a catastrophic fall from grace of its protagonist.
understatement	The opposite of hyperbole; the purposeful saying of less than what is meant.
voice	The dominating tone of a literary work, not always identifiable with the actual views of the author.
wit	Intellectually amusing statements.
synecdoche	A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole (ex. All hands on deck.).
verbal irony	The use of words where what is said is different and often opposite of what is meant.
situational irony	Refers to a contrast between what a character or the reader expects to happen in a situation and what really happens.