12th Grade British Literature Vocabulary

Allegory

• story with characters or events symbolizing deeper meanings or moral lessons

• a narrative that is purely fictional without any deeper meaning

• a type of poetry that focuses on nature and beauty

• a historical account of real events and figures

Foreshadowing

• A hint or clue about what will happen later in a story

• A detailed description of a character's background

• A sudden change in the plot

• A resolution of the main conflict

Imagery

• descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid mental pictures

• a type of figurative language that uses exaggeration

• a technique used to create rhythm in poetry

• the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

Soliloquy

• speech in a play where a character speaks thoughts aloud, usually alone

• a conversation between two characters in a play

• a type of poem that expresses personal feelings

• a dramatic speech delivered to the audience

Satire

• A technique using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or expose

• A form of serious literature that promotes moral values

• A style of writing that focuses on romantic themes

• A method of storytelling that emphasizes factual accuracy

Iambic Pentameter

• A line of verse with six metrical feet, each foot an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable

• A line of verse with five metrical feet, each foot an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable

• A line of verse with four metrical feet, each foot a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable

• A line of verse with five metrical feet, each foot a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable

Metaphysical Poetry

• characterized by emotional simplicity and straightforwardness

• characterized by intellectual playfulness, paradoxes, and complex imagery

• characterized by a focus on nature and pastoral themes

• characterized by a strict adherence to traditional forms and structures

Personification

• A literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human things or ideas

• A technique used to create vivid imagery through sensory details

• A form of writing that uses exaggerated statements for effect

• A method of comparing two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'

Alliteration

• repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words

• the use of similar vowel sounds in nearby words

• the repetition of the same word at the end of successive clauses

• the use of contrasting ideas in a balanced structure

Simile

• A figure of speech comparing two different things using 'like' or 'as'

• A type of metaphor that does not use 'like' or 'as'

• A statement that contradicts itself

• A form of personification that attributes human qualities to animals