EXAMNIABLE TERMS 2



Terms and Devices – List #2

English 12

Mrs. Woodliffe

1. ANTAGONIST – the character or force that opposes the protagonist

2. ANTITHESIS – the placing of contrasting elements side by side in parallel structure

usually a balanced set of phrases. Example – To Err is human; to

forgive is divine.

3. ARCHAIC LANGUAGE – words and language structures that are outdated and no

longer used in common speech

4. CATASTROPHE – in a drama, particularly a tragedy, the concluding action

following the climax that contains the resolution of the plot; an

event causing great suffering or damage

5. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER - the organization based on time; first second, etc.

6. CLIMACTIC ORDER – the organization is based on a series of events, thoughts, or

statements that are arranged in order of increasing

importance with a climax at the end

7. COMPARE – to consider the similarities between two or more stories, poems, essays,

characters or other things

8. CONTRAST - to consider the differences between two or more stories, poems,

essays, characters or other things

9. DICTION – the choice or use of words in speech or writing

10. EPILOGUE – the closing or concluding section of a drama or play, which provides a

comment or conclusion to the events that have transpired in the work

in question

11. FORMAL LANGUAGE – language that is elevated or uses a high level of diction –

commonly used in essays, lectures, and traditional

poetry

12. INFORMAL LANGUAGE – a language style that is conversational, relaxed, and

“real-life”; often considered colloquial

13. JARGON – specialized language often characteristic of a particular subject. Using

jargon should be avoided when writing for most audiences. Example:

Computer jargon: megs, ram

14. PARALLELISM – the effective use of words, phrases, sentences, or ideas that are

parallel or have a similar structure in order to heighten the

focus; the arrangement of words, clauses or sentences to

suggest a link between them

15. SLANG – words that are used popularly, or in a particular class of society, but are

not generally acknowledged as correct English. These words should be

avoided in formal essays. Example: I bought an old beater for a couple

hundie.

16. SYMBOL/SYMBOLISM – an object that represents or stands in for a more abstract

idea. Example: A rose stands for love; Snow might

symbolize purity, cleanliness or even cruelty because of

its coldness.

17. THEME – the main idea that an author develops in a story or poem; the general idea

or insight about life that a writer wishes to express in a literary work. A

theme can usually be summarized in a general statement about life.

18. THESIS or THESIS STATEMENT – a statement for the essay; the first step in

asserting an opinion, argument, explanation, or demonstration

19. VOICE – the tone, syntax, and characteristics of the speaker within a work of

literature

20. VORACIOUS – extremely greedy; insatiable; gluttonous

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download