English Vocab 10

Olivia Nelson

Allergory• allegory |ˈaləˌgôrē|• noun ( pl. -ries)• a story, poem, or picture that can be

interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one : Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey.

Alliteration • alliteration |əˌlitəˈrā sh ən|• noun• the occurrence of the same letter or

sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Allusion• allusion |əˈloō zh ən|• noun• an expression designed to call

something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference : an allusion to Shakespeare | a classical allusion.

Ambiguity • ambiguity |ˌambiˈgyoō-itē|• noun ( pl. -ties)• uncertainty or inexactness of meaning

in language : we can detect no ambiguity in this section of the Act | ambiguities in such questions are potentially very dangerous.

Analogy• analogy |əˈnaləjē|• noun ( pl. -gies)• a comparison between two things,

typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification : an analogy between the workings of nature and those of human societies | he interprets logical functions by analogy with machines.

Apostrophe • apostrophe 2

• noun Rhetoric• an exclamatory passage in a speech or

poem addressed to a person (typically one who is dead or absent) or thing (typically one that is personified).

Clause • clause |klôz|• noun• 1 a unit of grammatical organization

next below the sentence in rank and in traditional grammar said to consist of a subject and predicate.

Colloquialism• colloquialism |kəˈlōkwēəˌlizəm|• noun• a word or phrase that is not formal or

literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

Connotation • connotation |ˌkänəˈtā sh ən|• noun• an idea or feeling that a word invokes

person in addition to its literal or primary meaning : the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression.

Denotation • denotation |ˌdēnōˈtā sh ən|• noun• the literal or primary meaning of a

word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests : beyond their immediate denotation, the words have a connotative power.

Diction • diction |ˈdik sh ən|• noun• 1 the choice and use of words and

phrases in speech or writing : Wordsworth campaigned against exaggerated poetic diction.

Euphemism• euphemism |ˈyoōfəˌmizəm|• noun• a mild or indirect word or expression

substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing : “downsizing” as a euphemism for cuts. The opposite of dysphemism .

Metaphor • metaphor |ˈmetəˌfôr; -fər|• noun• a figure of speech in which a word or

phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable : “I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression,” said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors | her poetry depends on suggestion and metaphor.

Figurative Language • figurative |ˈfigyərətiv|• adjective• 1 departing from a literal use of words;

metaphorical : gold, in the figurative language of the people, was “the tears wept by the sun.”

Genre• genre |ˈ zh änrə|• noun• a category of artistic composition, as in

music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

Hyperbole• hyperbole |hīˈpərbəlē|• noun• exaggerated statements or claims not

meant to be taken literally.

Imagery • imagery |ˈimij(ə)rē|• noun• visually descriptive or figurative

language, esp. in a literary work : Tennyson uses imagery to create a lyrical emotion.

Infer• infer |inˈfər|• verb ( -ferred , -ferring ) [ trans. ]• deduce or conclude (information) from

evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements : [with clause ] from these facts we can infer that crime has been increasing.

Irony • irony 1 |ˈīrənē; ˈiərnē|• noun ( pl. -nies)• the expression of one's meaning by

using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect : “Don't go overboard with the gratitude,” he rejoined with heavy irony.

Metonymy • metonymy |məˈtänəmē|• noun ( pl. -mies)• the substitution of the name of an

attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing

• narrative |ˈnarətiv|• noun• a spoken or written account of

connected events; a story : the hero of his modest narrative

Onomatopoeia • onomatopoeia |ˌänəˌmatəˈpēə; -ˌmätə-|• noun• the formation of a word from a sound

associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle).

• • the use of such words for rhetorical effect

Oxymoron • oxymoron |ˌäksəˈmôrˌän|• noun• a figure of speech in which apparently

contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true).

Paradox • paradox |ˈparəˌdäks|• noun• a statement or proposition that, despite sound

(or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory : a potentially serious conflict between quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity known as the information paradox

Pedantic • pedantic |pəˈdantik|• adjective• of or like a pedant : many of the

essays are long, dense, and too pedantic to hold great appeal.

Parody • parody |ˈparədē|• noun ( pl. -dies)• an imitation of the style of a particular

writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect : the movie is a parody of the horror genre | his provocative use of parody

Personification • personification |pərˌsänəfiˈkā sh ən|• noun• the attribution of a personal nature or

human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Point of view • point of view• noun• a particular attitude or way of

considering a matter : I'm trying to get Matthew to change his point of view.

Prose • prose |prōz|• noun• 1 written or spoken language in its

ordinary form, without metrical structure : a short story in prose | [as adj. ] a prose passage

Rhetoric• rhetoric |ˈretərik|• noun• the art of effective or persuasive

speaking or writing, esp. the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Satire • satire |ˈsaˌtīr|• noun• the use of humor, irony, exaggeration,

or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Semantics• semantics |səˈmantiks|• plural noun [usu. treated as sing. ]• the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with

meaning. There are a number of branches and subbranches of semantics, including formal semantics, which studies the logical aspects of meaning, such as sense, reference, implication, and logical form, lexical semantics, which studies word meanings and word relations, and conceptual semantics, which studies the cognitive structure of meaning.

Syllogism• syllogism |ˈsiləˌjizəm|• noun• an instance of a form of reasoning in which a

conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs).

Synecdoche • synecdoche |siˈnekdəkē|• noun• a figure of speech in which a part is

made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”).

Syntax • syntax |ˈsinˌtaks|• noun• the arrangement of words and phrases

to create well-formed sentences in a language : the syntax of English.

Thesis• thesis |ˈθēsis|• noun ( pl. -ses |-sēz|)• 1 a statement or theory that is put

forward as a premise to be maintained or proved : his central thesis is that psychological life is not part of the material world.

Tone• tone |tōn|• noun• 1 the overall quality of a musical or

vocal sound : the piano tone appears monochrome or lacking in warmth.

Transition• transition |tranˈzi sh ən; -ˈsi sh ən|• noun• the process or a period of changing

from one state or condition to another : students in transition from one program to another | a transition to multiparty democracy.

Understatement • understatement |ˈəndərˌstātmənt|• noun• the presentation of something as being

smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is : a master of English understatement | to say I am delighted is an understatement.