Key Terms

• What is alliteration?

  Repetition of the same sound in succession
• How does Scrooge use allusion in A Christmas Carol?

  He references Biblical themes indirectly
• What is anaphora?

  A word referring to a previously used word
• What is antithesis?

  Contrasting concepts placed together for effect
• What is asyndetic listing?

  A list separated by commas, not conjunctions
• What is auditory imagery?

  Language appealing to the reader's hearing
• What does 'biblical' refer to?

  Relating to the Bible and its themes
• What is a catalyst in literature?

  A tool used to speed up the plot
• What is colloquialism?

  An informal phrase common at its time
• What is connotation?

  Implied meaning without explicit reference
• What does didactic mean?

  A moral message meant to instruct
• What is dramatic irony?

  When the audience knows something the character does not
• What is an epitome?

  A perfect example or embodiment of a concept
• What does foreboding mean?

  Apprehension that a bad event will occur
• What is foreshadowing?

  An indication that an event will occur later
• What is hyperbole?

  Use of exaggerated statements for effect
• What is an interjection?

  A sudden remark or interruption in text
• What is irony?

  Using language to imply the opposite meaning
• What is juxtaposition?

  Comparing two contrasting concepts closely
• What is a moral imperative?

  An instruction on right and wrong behavior
• What is olfactory imagery?

  Language appealing to the reader's sense of smell
• What is an oxymoron?

  Two opposing terms placed next to each other
• What is pathetic fallacy?

  Attributing human qualities to nonhuman things
• What is poetic justice?

  Characters receive what they deserve, often ironically
• What is polysyndetic listing?

  Listing using conjunctions like 'and'
• What is prolepsis?

  A flash forward in the narrative
• What is satire?

  Criticizing people through humor or irony
• What is a semantic field?

  Words linked by a theme throughout a text
• What is sibilance?

  Repetition of an "s" sound in text
• What is a stave?

  A set of five lines for musical notation
• What does syntactic refer to?

  Relating to the arrangement of words in sentences
• What is symbolism?

  Using one object to represent a wider concept
• What is a superlative?

  An adjective describing the highest degree
• What is temporal deixis?

  Language referencing or manipulating time
• What is tricolon?

  Three parallel phrases placed in succession
• What is an altruistic attitude?

  Behavior based on devotion to others
• What is authorial voice?

  An authoritative voice used by the Ghosts
• What is dichotomy?

  Contrast of two beings that are distinctly different
• What is a foil?

  A character that contrasts another for emphasis
• What is an altruistic attitude?

  Behaviour based on devotion to others