Mr Onion Grade 12 Literary Terms Quiz

Continuing actions conform to what the author has already revealed about him

The emphasis or stress placed on a certain syllable; a term applied in poetry

An original model or pattern from which copies are made.

A word or phrase no longer in actual use

In the theatre, a short passage spoken in an undertone, usually directly to the audience

A character that does not have individual personalities but represents abstract ideas

Language that is old-fashioned or obsolete. Used to suggest something written in the past

A partial similarity of features on which a comparison may be based

A descent in which a writer, trying to be passionate or elevated, falls into stupid imagery

A short narrative used to give a point to a longer work, like an essay

Revelation and development of character

A style of writing in which the subject precedes the verb.

Complex, many sided, real and life-like

The final disaster of a tragedy, usually including a resolution back to order

Going against the convention of describing a woman idealistically

A four-line stanza. Lines 1 and 3 have 4 stresses, lines 2 and 4 have 3 stresses and rhyme

Subject matter that the author has chosen to include in order to reveal or emphasize

A detailed account of a person's life written by another person.

An inclination or preference that makes it difficult to judge fairly in a particular situation.

An opponent, the character or force opposite to the central character

A concise, pointed statement expressing a wise or clever observation about life

Lines of iambic pentameter which are unrhymed. It is closest to the natural rhythms of English.

A description of a life written by the person who has lived it

A break or pause in a line of poetry

Putting a person, object, or event in a time when he or it does not belong

"Bad sounding."; the term signifies discordant, jarring, unharmonious language.

Can be summed up in one or two statements; no depth

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in words, especially in poetry

Contrary ideas expressed in a balanced phrase

The person or people gathered to hear, see, or read a work.

A person not present or a personified non-human object is addressed directly

Character consisting of certain selected features exaggerated for comic effect

The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants or consonant clusters, in a group of words

An abrupt shift from the important to the insignificant, with a disappointing or amusing effect

Latin phrase meaning "seize the day" or "live for the moment"

The relief that comes after witnessing the catastrophe of a tragedy

A stereotyped figure, an easily recognized type

The air or mood which prevails at any moment in a work

An extended narrative that carries a second meaning along with the surface story

A hymn of praise, patriotism, or devotion

A common strategy in argumentative essays, it is the explaining of the "why" of something

A song which tells a story, often a folktale, composed in stanzas and meant to be sung

A carelessness that produces two or more meanings

A brief reference, explicit or implicit, to a person, place, event, or to another literary work

Changes in some aspect of his character, personality, or outlook as a result of experience

A character who sets off another character by contrast

A detailed analysis of an individual or group

The series of events of which a story is composed

Does not change throughout the work