84 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW FOR THE EOC!

1. simile -- shows a comparison between two unlike things by the use of such words as like, as, as if, than
(He eats like a bird)
2. metaphor -- an implied comparison of two different things, accomplished by saying that one thing IS the other
thing (Your life is a long winding road)
3. personification—words that give human qualities to non-human things (The car aimed ahead its parking lights)
4. hyperbole -- a deliberate exaggeration in order to make a point (I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!)
5. oxymoron -- a figure of speech that combines two opposite ideas (sweet sorrow, jumbo shrimp, feather of lead)
6. onomatopoeia -- using a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning (swoosh, buzz, yelp, sizzle)
7. alliteration -- the repetition of similar consonant sounds (Sue sells sea shells down by the seashore)
8. figurative language—language that is not intended to be taken in the literal sense (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, idiom,
personification—all these fall into the category of figurative language)
9. idiom-- an expression that has meaning other than the literal one (It’s raining cats and dogs; I’m as fit as a
fiddle)
10. imagery -- language that appeals to any sense or a combination (visual, hearing, smell, touch, etc.)
11. epic simile -- also called a Homeric simile—an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects
12. meter -- a generally regular pattern of stressed & unstressed syllables in poetry
13. assonance -- repetition of vowel sounds (How now brown cow; The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain)
14. consonance -- repetition of consonant sounds (like alliteration, but without the requirement that the sounds fall at
the beginning of each successive word)
15. ode -- a long, formal lyric poem with a serious theme (Ode to a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale)
16. elegy -- a dignified poem mourning the death of someone
17. sonnet -- a 14-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter in an established rhyme scheme
18. lyric poem -- a highly musical verse that expresses observations & feelings of a single speaker
19. free verse -- poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern or meter
20. blank verse -- poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter
21. haiku -- a 3-line verse form; the 1st & 3rd lines each have 5 syllables; the 2nd line has 7 syllables
22. ballad -- a songlike poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure, romance, and/or death
23. narrative poem—a poem that tells a story
24. limerick -- a 5-line poem (which is usually funny); the 1st, 2nd, & 5th lines rhyme and the 3rd & 4th lines rhyme
25. epic -- a long, narrative poem which tells the deeds of a hero; it incorporates myth, legend, folk tale &
history and the heroes appear larger than life. Gods/goddesses are often a part of the story.
26. folklore -- a story used to show a particular culture’s beliefs, values, history, and myths
27. anecdote -- a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event, told to make a point
28. drama -- a story acted out, usually on a stage, by actors who takes the parts of characters
29. myth -- a fictional tale that explains the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena (Why the sun
crosses the sky, for example)
30. novella -- a work of fiction that falls (in length) between a short story and a novel
31. parable -- a short moral tale which teaches a moral truth (Jesus often taught through the use of parables)
32. monologue -- a long, uninterrupted speech on stage, spoken to others characters (Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech is
one example)
33. soliloquy -- a speech, usually lengthy, made by a character alone on the stage which expresses thoughts
34. foreshadowing -- the use of hints or clues in a story which suggests an action that is to come
35. flashback -- a storytelling technique that “flashes back” to a previous incident in order to explain the present
36. aside -- a short remark usually directed to the audience and not intended to be heard by other characters
37. protagonist -- the main character in a story; the story’s hero; the “good guy”
38. antagonist -- a character or force in the story in conflict with the main character (Tybalt is the antagonist in R&J)
39. analogy -- like a simile or metaphor, but it goes further (in length) to compare one thing or event to another
40. allusion -- a reference in one piece of literature made to another work of literature (Doodle had the patience of
Job when he was being trained to learn to walk)
41. satire -- writing that ridicules (makes fun of) some part of human behavior by showing it at its most
extreme. It is intended to show the reader the weaknesses or wrongdoings of humans, groups,
or institutions. (The movie Blazing Saddles is an example of satire, ridiculing racism)
42. archetype -- the “example” for all others (Odysseus is the hero archetype. Romeo & Juliet is the archetypal
tragic love story)
43. editorial -- an article stating an opinion, normally found in a newspaper or magazine
44. essay -- a short nonfiction work about a particular subject, often giving an opinion
45. theme -- the main point, lesson, or moral of a story
46. tone -- the author’s attitude toward the subject written about (In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the author’s tone
is serious because the events of his childhood are quite sad)
47. mood -- the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage (In “The Most Dangerous Game”
and “The Cask of Amontillado,” the mood is suspenseful)
48. conflict -- a struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a story
49. exposition -- the background information given (time, place, past actions) to readers which help in understanding of the story
50. rising action -- a series of conflicts in the story which leads to the climax
51. climax -- the turning point or point of highest interest in a story; the point of “no turning back”
52. falling action -- action that occurs in the plot after the climax (for example, everything that happens after the
death of Tybalt and up to the deaths of Romeo & Juliet is the falling action)
53. resolution -- the end of the central conflict (the deaths of Romeo & Juliet would be the resolution of the story)
54. denouement -- any events that occur after the resolution (Lords Capulet & Montague promising to erect statues
of their children in Verona would be a denouement to the story)
55. prologue -- a beginning speech or introduction to a literary work (play, novel, short story, etc.)
56. prose -- everyday language; straightforward, ordinary language and use as it is read in a story
57. epilogue -- a concluding or summarizing statement following the main body of a work
58. synopsis -- a brief summary of an event or of writing
59. verbal irony -- a contrast between what is stated and what is actually meant (the girl with the newly-dyed
purple, orange, and green hair is told, “Oh, your hair looks so natural!”)
60. situational irony -- a contrast between what you expect to happen and what actually does happen
61. dramatic irony -- when the reader or viewer knows something that a character in the story does not know
(When Juliet tells her mother to hold off on arranging a marriage, Lady Capulet does not
know that Juliet is already married to Romeo)
62. 1ST-person narrator—the person telling the story is actually in the story (In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator, Doodle’s
older brother, is in the story and is telling the story. The narrator uses first-person pronouns of
I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours)
63. 3rd-person omniscient -- an all-knowing observer tells the story, describing all the characters and actions as well
aw what these characters think and feel
64. 3rd-person limited omniscient -- a narrator who sees the world through onely one person’s eyes and tells only
that one character’s thoughts
65. genre -- a category of literature (fiction, poetry, drama, epic, short story, etc.)
66. plagiarism -- copying something (words) without giving credit to the author
67. parallelism -- phrases or sentences that are similar in structure and/or meaning and are placed near each other
68. dialect -- speech that represents a particular region or group; it is nonstandard, “imperfect” English
69. epithet -- a descriptive adjective or phrase used to characterise someone (Odysseus was “raider of cities”)
70. euphemism -- substitution of a mild & pleasant expression for a harsh & blunt one (pass away rather than die)
71. paradox -- a statement that seems wrong, but may indeed be true
72. clarity -- clear; understandable
73. pseudonym -- a false name
74. nostalgia -- a sentimental yearning for something in the past
75. cynical -- being distrustful of human nature and motives; extremely pessimistic
76. anachronism -- an event or detail existing out of its proper time
77. poignant -- something painfully affecting the feelings
78. lampoon -- a verb meaning “to attack someone satirically or sarcastically, usually in a malicious character sketch”
79. cliché -- a trite, overused expression or phrase (She is as cute as a button)
80. cacophony -- discordant or harsh sounds which are used for poetic effect
81. synonym -- a word that has nearly the same meaning as another word
82. antonym -- an opposite, a word which means the opposite of another word (light and dark)
83. connotation -- meaning given to a word through implied associations (positive or negative). For example, a
negative one would be: the odor of the food rather than the aroma of the food.
84. denotation -- the literal (dictionary) definition of a word