Game 6 - Literature Terms Quiz

A way of speaking that is characteristic of a social group or inhabitants of a certain area

Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.

A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words. Ex: X,Y,Z

The repetition of sound patterns that creates a rhythm in poetry.

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, etc. 

A poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit.

Writing that records the thinking that goes on inside a character’s head

The choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language in a literary work

An idealized model of a person, object, or conceptfrom which similar instances are patterned

A character who acts as contrast to another character

Literature emphasizing a particular setting, including customs, clothing, dialect, landscape

Continuation of sense and grammatical construction of sentence beyond the end of poetic line

Work in which characters, settings, etc. stand for other people, events, abstract ideas 

Form of understatement in which positive form is emphasized through negation of a negative

Category of literary work which may refer to both the content of a given work and to its form

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. 

Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes

A compound poetic phrase substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. 

The use of words whose sounds echo their sense

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

Rhyme within a line of poetry instead of at the end

Play on words based on multiple meanings of words that sound alike but mean different things.

a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.

Comment made by stage performer intended to be heard by audience but not by other characters.

Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme

Figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. 

Presentation of essential information about what has occurred prior to beginning of the play.

In a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine which leads to his or her downfall

Repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonants in words close together

Use of language to evoke a picture or concrete sensation of a person, thing, place, experience

Person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and also stands for something more

Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story.

Figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

A work that uses mockery, humor/ wit to critique and change human nature and institutions

Attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience

The author’s creation--the voice “through which the author speaks.”

Deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work

Willingness of a reader to ignore minor inconsistencies or unbelievable behavior in fiction.

A story within a story, within sometimes yet another story

Poetry written without rhymes, but which retains a set metrical pattern like iambic pentameter

Sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate items in a series. “X and Y and Z”

A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work 

Comedy in which ridiculous, stereotyped characters are involved in silly, unlikely situations

The central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action.

When meaning of character’s words, actions are unknown by character but understood by audience

Comparison between two unlike things WITHOUT the use of like, as, than, or resembles

A style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character’s mind.

Use of fancy language to describe the trivial or switch from serious thought to a trivial one

Rhetorical balance in which second part is syntactically balanced against first but reversed. 

Artificial device or coincidence used to bring about a convenient, simple solution to a plot 

Repetition of same or similar sounds at the beginning of words close together

When a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something associated with it.

A word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse

Unpleasant sounds in jarring juxtaposition of harsh letters or syllables which sound grating

“In the midst of things” – standard of epic poetrywhere the action begins in middle of story

Substitution of an comfortable or inoffensive expression to replace an unpleasant one

Emotional breakdown or climax consisting of overwhelming feelings or extreme emotional change

Reference to someone or something from history, literature, religion, politics, etc.  

Rhetorical device in which unassociated ideas, words, phrases are placed next to one another

A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.

The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

A statement which appears contrary to common sense, yet can be seen as true

When words appearing at the ends of two or more verses have similar final consonant sounds

Harmony or beauty of sound which provides a pleasing effect to the ear

Excessive pride or ambition that leads to a character’s downfall

The emotional tone or background that surrounds ascene

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using words such as like, as , than, etc.

Device in which the same expression is repeated at the end of two or more lines or clauses

Callingout to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, place, thing, or personified abstract idea

When the intended meaning of a statement differs from the apparent meaning