English IV AP Terms Drama 1.Act- A major division of drama.

The major parts of the Greek plays were distinguished by the appearance of the chorus, and they generally fell, as Aristotle implies, into five parts. The Latin tragedies of Seneca were divided into five acts; and, when English dramatists in the Elizabethan Age began using at divisions, they followed their Roman models, as did other modern European dramatists. In varying degrees the five-act structure corresponded to the five main divisions of dramatic action: exposition, complication, climax, falling action, and catastrophe. 2.Antagonist-The character directly opposed to the protagonist. A rival, opponent, or enemy of the protagonist. 3.Aside-A dramatic convention by which an actor directly addresses the audience but is not supposed to be heard by the other actors on stage. 4.Catastrophe-The conclusion of a play, particularly of a tragedy; the last of the four parts into which the ancients divided a play. It is the final stage in the falling action, ending the dramatic conflict and consisting of the actions that result from the climax. Because it is used mostly in connection with a tragedy and involves the death of the hero, it is sometimes used by extension to designate an unhappy ending in nondramatic fiction and life as well. 5.Catharsis- In Poetics Aristotle, in defining tragedy, sees its objective as being through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of theses emotions, but he does not explain what proper purgation means...Some believe that the spectators, by vicarious participation, learn through the fate of the tragic hero, that fear and pity are destructive and thereby learn to avoid them in their own lives. Others believe that the spectator, being human and thus subject to disturbing emotions of fear and pity, has this imbalance rectified and these internal agitations stilled by having an opportunity vicariously to expend fear and pity on the hero. Still others see the tragic hero as a scapegoat, on which the excessive emotions of the spectator can be placed, leaving the spectator at the end calm, all passion spend. 6.Character Dynamic-A character who develops or changes as a result of the actions of the plot. Flat-A character that is immediately recognizable and can usually be represented by a single sentence. Round-A character sufficiently complex to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility. Static-A character that changes little if at all. Things happen to static characters without modifying their interior selves. Stock-Conventional character types. Thus, a boisterous character known as the Vice came too expected in a morality play. The Elizabethan revenge tragedy commonly employed, among other stock characters, a high-thinking vengeance-seeking hero (Hamlet), the ghost of a murdered father or son, and a scheming murderer-villain (Claudius). 7. Climax-A rhetorical term for a rising order of importance in the ideas expressed. Such an arrangement is called climactic, and the item of greatest importance is called climax. In large compositions-the essay, the short story, the drama, or the novel-the climax is the point of highest interest, whereat the reader makes the greatest emotional response. In dramatic structure climax designates the turning point in the action, the crisis at which the rising action reverses and becomes the falling action. 8. Comedy-In medieval times the word comedy was applied to nondramatic literary works marked by a happy ending and a less exalted style than that of tragedy. Compared with tragedy, comedy is lighter form of drama that aims primarily to amuse. 9. Comic Relief-A humorous scene, incident, or speech in the course of a serious fiction or drama, introduced it is sometimes thought, to provide relief from emotional intensity and, by contrast, to heighten the seriousness of the story. 10. Conflict-The struggle that grows out of the interplay of two opposing forces. Conflict provides interest, suspense, and tension. At least one of the opposing forces is customarily a person. This person, usually the protagonist, may be involved in conflict of four different kinds: a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person, usually the antagonist, a struggle against society, or a struggle for mastery by tow elements within the person. A fifth kind is also cited, the struggle against fate or destiny. 11. Crisis-The point at which the opposing forces that create the conflict interlock in the decisive action on which a plot will turn. Crisis is applied to the episode or incident wherein the situation of the protagonist is certain either to improve or worsen. 12. Denouement- Literally, unknotting. The final unraveling of a plot; the solution of a mystery; an explanation or outcome. It implies ingenious untying of the knot of intrigue, involving not only a satisfactory outcome of the main situation but an explanation of all the secrets and misunderstandings connected with the plot complication. 13. Deus ex machina- The employment of some unexpected and improbable incident to make things turn out right. In the ancient Greek theater, when gods appeared, they were lowered from the machine or structure above the stage. Such abrupt but timely appearance of a god, when used to extricate characters from a situation so perplexing that the solution seemed beyond mortal powers, was referred to in Latin as deus ex machina (god from the machine). The term now characterizes any device whereby an author solves a difficult situation by a forced invention. 14. Epilogue-A concluding statement. Sometimes used in the sense of peroration but more generally applied to the final remarks of an actor addressed to the audience. An epilogue is opposed to a prologue, which introduces a play. 15. Exposition- One of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. Its purpose is to explain something.

16. Falling Action-The second half or resolution of a dramatic plot. It follows the climax, beginning often with a tragic force, exhibits the failing fortunes of the hero and the successful efforts of the counter players, and culminates in catastrophe. 17. Farce-In France, it meant any sort of extemporaneous addition in a play, especially jokes or gags, the clownish actors speaking more that was set down for them. In the late seventeenth century farce was used in England to mean any short humorous play, as distinguished from regular five-act comedy. 18. Foil-A term applied to any person who through contrast underscores the distinctive characteristics of another. 19. Hamartia- The error, frailty, mistaken judgment, or misstep through which the fortunes of the hero of a tragedy are reversed. This error is not necessarily a flaw in the character. It can be an unwitting, even a necessary, misstep in doing rather than an error in character. It may be the result of bad judgment, bad character, ignorance, inherited weakness, accident or any of many other possible causes. It must, however, express itself through a definite action or failure to act. 20. Hero-The central character in a work. The character that is the focus of interest. 21. Hubris-Overweening pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy. Hubris leads the protagonist to break a moral law, attempt vainly to transcend normal imitation, or ignore a divine warning with calamitous results. 22. Monologue- A composition giving the discourse of one speaker. By convention, a monologue represents what someone would speak aloud in a situation with listeners, although they do not speak; the monologue therefore differs somewhat from the soliloquy, which represents what someone is thinking inwardly, without listeners. 23. Prologue-An introduction most frequently associated with drama and especially common in England in the plays of the Restoration and the eighteenth century. In the plays of ancient Greece a speaker announced, before the beginning of the play proper, such salient facts as the audience should know to understand the play itself. 24. Protagonist-The chief character of a work. 25. Rising Action-The part of a dramatic plot that has to do with the complication of the action. It begins with the exciting force, gains in interest and power as the opposing groups come into conflict, and proceeds to the climax. 26. Scene-A subdivision of an act in a dramatic presentation that takes place in one setting and period of time. 27. Soliloquy-A speech delivered while the speaker is alone, calculated to inform the audience of what is passing in the characters mind. 28. Tragedy-A dramatic or literary work depicting a protagonist engaged in a morally significant struggle, ending in ruin or utter disappointment. 29. Tragic Flaw- The theory that there is a flaw in the tragic hero that causes his or her downfall. 30. Villain-An evil character, potentially or actually guilty of serious crimes; he or she acts in opposition to the hero. The villain is the chief antagonist of the drama. Elements of Style 31. Atmosphere- The prevailing tone or mood of a literary work, particularly-but not exclusively-when that mood is established in part by setting or landscape. It is, however, not simply setting but rather an emotional aura that helps to establish the readers expectations and attitudes. 32. Colloquial-Typical of or appropriate to the spoken language or to writing that seeks the effect of speech: informal. 33. Connotation- The emotional implications and associations that words may carry, as distinguished from their denotative meanings. 34. Denotation-The basic meaning of a word, independent of its emotional coloration or associations. 35. Dialect-In the broader sense, simply the art of argumentation or debate, but the term is customarily used in one of its more restricted senses. In classical literature it refers to the tradition of continuing debate or discussion of eternally unresolved issues. 36. Dialogue-Conversation of tow or more people. It can embody certain values: it advances the action and is not mere ornament; it is consistent with the character of the speakers; it gives the impression of naturalness without being verbatim record of what may have been said; it presents the interplay of ideas and personalities among the people conversing; it varies according to the various speakers participating; it serves to give relief from passages essentially descriptive or expository. 37. Diction-Choice and use of words in speech or writing. 38. Epigram-A short poem tersely and wittily expressing a single thought or observation. 39. Invective- An abusive or denunciatory expression. 40. Inversion- The placing of a sentence element out of its normal position. Probably the most offensive common use of inversion is the placing of the adjective after the noun in such expressions as house beautiful. 41. Irony Dramatic-The words or acts of a character may carry a meaning unperceived by the character but understood by the audience. Usually the characters own interests are involved in a way that he or she cannot understand. The irony resides in the contrast between the meaning intended by the speaker and the different significance seen by others. Situational- Situational irony defies logical cause/effect relationships and justifiable expectations. For example, if a greedy millionaire were to buy a lottery ticket and win additional millions, the irony would be situational because such a circumstance cannot be explained logically. Such a circumstance seems unfair. This sense of being unfair or

unfortunate is a trademark of situational irony. Because people cannot explain the unfairness, it causes them to question whether or not the world makes sense. Verbal-Verbal irony refers to spoken words only. Verbal irony occurs when a character says one thing, but suggests or intends the opposite. The contrast is between what the speaker says and what he actually means. For example, in Julius Caesar, Mark Antony repeats the words "and Brutus is an honorable man" in the famous Friends, Romans, countrymen speech. Mark Antonys meaning, however, is that Brutus is completely dishonorable because Brutus, Caesars best friend, joined the other conspirators and plunged a knife into Caesars chest. Note: Verbal irony may be confused with sarcasm, but sarcasm is harsh and direct, while verbal irony is implied. 42. Mood- In a literary work, the mood is the emotional-intellectual attitude of the author toward the subject. 43. Paradox-A statement that although seemingly contradictory or absurd may actually be well founded or true. 44. Proverb-A saying that briefly and memorably expresses some recognized truth about life; originally preserved by oral tradition, though it may be transmitted in written literature as well. 45. Pun-A play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings. 46. Sarcasm- A caustic and bitter expression of strong disapproval. Sarcasm is personal, jeering, intended to hurt. 47. Satire- A work or manner that blends a censorious attitude with humor and wit for improving human institutions or humanity. Satirist s attempt through laughter not so much to tear down as to inspire a remodeling. 48. Slang-A vernacular speech, not accepted as suitable for highly formal usage, though much used in conversation. The aptness of slang is usually based on humor, exaggeration, onomatopoeic effect, or a combination of these qualities. Frequently, slang develops as a shortcut. 49. Tone- Tone has been used for the attitudes toward the subject and toward the audience implied in a literary work. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, condescending, or many other possible attitudes. 50. Voice- The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or of a character in a work

Fiction 51. Anecdote- A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of an important person and should lay claim to an element of truth. Though anecdotes are often used as the basis for short stories, an anecdote lacks complicated plot and relates a single episode. 52. Anticlimax-An arrangement of details such that the lesser appears at the point where something greater is expected. The term is customarily used to describe an effect resulting from a decrease in importance in the items of a series. 53. Character-A person portrayed in an artistic piece, as a drama or novel. 54. Flashback- A device by which a work present material that occurred prior to the opening scene of the work. Various methods may be used, among them recollections of characters, narration by the characters, dream sequences, and reveries. 55. Incident-A separate and definite occurrence or event. 56. Motivation-The reasons, justifications, and explanations for the action of a character. Motivation results from a combination of the character's moral nature with the circumstances in which the character is placed. Motivation helps to determine what the character does, says, and feels or fails to feel. 57. Narrative Voice-The voice of the narrator telling the story 58. Point of View - Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told. First Person-uses "I" - A character is telling the story. As readers, we cannot know or witness anything the narrator does not tell us. We share all the limitations of the narrator. This technique makes us feel like were part of the story because we identify ourselves with the I in the story. Third Person- Third person - uses "he," "she," or "it" - The author is telling about the characters. There are three types of third person narration. Omniscient-The point of view in a work of fiction in which the narrator is capable of knowing, seeing, and telling all. It is characterized by freedom in shifting from the exterior world to the inner selves of a number of characters, a freedom in movement in both time and place, and a freedom of the narrator to comment on the meaning of actions. Limited-Limited omniscient - We are told the thoughts and feelings of only one character (sometimes, but very seldom, of two or three characters). We do not know what is in the minds of other characters. Objective- Dramatic or objective - We are told only what happens and what is said; we do not know any thoughts or feelings of the characters. It is called "dramatic" because it includes the words and actions, just what you would see and hear if it were in a play or film.

59. Stream of Consciousness-The total range of awareness and emotive-mental response of an individual, from the lowest prespeech level to the highest full articulated level of rational thought. The assumption is that in the mind of the individual that a given moment a stream of consciousness is a mixture of all the levels of awareness, an unending flow of sensations, thoughts, memories, associations, and reflections; if the exact content of the mind is to be described at any moment, then these varied, disjointed, and illogical elements must find expression in a flow of words, images, and ideas similar to the unorganized flow of the mind. 60. Subplot-A subordinate or minor story in a piece of fiction. This secondary plot interest, if skillfully handled, has a direct relation to the main plot, contributing to it in interest and in complication. 61. Theme-A central idea. In nonfiction prose it may be thought of as the general topic of discussion, the subject of the discourse, the thesis. In poetry, fiction, and drama it is the abstract concept that is made concrete through representation in person, action, and image. Figures of Speech 62. Allusion- A figure of speech that makes brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object. 63. Apostrophe-A figure of speech in which someone (usually but not always absent), some abstract quality, or a nonexistent personage is directly addressed at though present. 64. Euphemism- A device in which indirectness replaces directness of statement, usually in an effort to avoid offensiveness. 65. Hyperbole-Exaggeration. the figure may be used to heighten effect, or it may be used for humor. 66. Litotes- A form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite. 67. Metaphor-An analogy identifying one object with another and ascribing to the first object one or more of the qualities of the second. 68. Onomatopoeia-Words that by their sound suggest their meaning: hiss, buzz, whirr, sizzle. 69. Personification-A figure that endows animals, ideals, abstractions and inanimate objects with human form; the representing of imaginary creatures or things as having human personalities, intelligence, and emotions; also an impersonation in drama of one character or person, whether real or fictitious, by another person. 70. Simile-A figure in which a similarity between two objects is directly expressed. Most similes are introduced by as or like. 71. Symbol-A symbol that is itself and also stands for something else. In a literary sense, a symbol combines a literal and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive aspect. 72. Synecdoche- A trope in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part. To be clear, a good synecdoche ought to be based on an important part of the whole and, usually, the part standing for the whole ought to be directly associated with the subject under discussion. 73. Understatement- A common figure of speech in which the literal sense of what is said falls detectably short of the magnitude of what is being talked about. Form 74. Allegory-A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. Thus, it represents one thing in the guise of another-an abstraction in that of a concrete image. 75. Anecdote-A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of an important person and should lay claim to an element of truth. Though anecdotes are often used as the basis for short stories, an anecdote lacks complicated plot and relates a single episode. 76. Diary-A daily record of events, experiences, and observations. 77. Discourse Argumentation- Its purpose is to convince by establishing truth or falsity of a proposition. Description-Its purpose is the picturing of a scene or setting. Exposition-Its purpose is to explain something. Narration-Its purpose is to recount events. 78. Essay Formal-A serious, dignified, orderly essay. Humorous- generally uses wit, parallelism, contrast, counterpoint, exaggeration, incongruity, juxtaposition, etc. The writer uses these to capture his/her audience with amusement or enjoyment, and then he will develop his thoughts about the chosen topic. Informal-Qualities that make an essay informal include: the personal element, humor, graceful style, rambling structure, unconventionally or novelty, freedom from stiffness and affectation. 79. Fable-A brief tale told to point a moral. The characters are frequently animals, but people and inanimate objects are sometimes central. 80. Genre-Used to designate the types or categories into which literary works are grouped according to form, technique, or, sometimes, subject matter.

81. Novel-Novel is used in its broadest sense to designate any extended fictional narrative almost always in prose. 82. Novella-A tale or short story. 83. Parable-An illustrative story teaching a lesson. 84. Prose-In its broadest sense the term is applied to all forms of written or spoken expression not having a regular rhythmic pattern. 85. Verse-Used in two senses: as a unity of poetry, in which case it ahs the same significance as stanza or line or as a name given generally to metrical composition. Poetry 86. Alliteration-The repetition of initial identical consonant sounds or any vowel sounds in successive or closely associated syllables, especially stressed syllables. 87. Assonance-Same or similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with different consonant sounds. 88. Blank Verse-Unrhymed but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic pentameter. This form, generally accepted as that best adapted to dramatic verse in English, is commonly used for long poems whether dramatic, philosophic, or narrative. 89. Cacophony- The opposite of euphony; a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds. Though most specifically a term used in the criticism of poetry, the word is also employed to indicate any disagreeable sound effect in other forms of writing. 90. Cadence-In one sense, the sound pattern that precedes a marked pause or the end of a sentence, making it interrogatory, hortatory, pleading, or such. In another sense it is the rhythm established in the sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables in a phrasal unity. 91. Caesura-A pause or break in a line of verse. 92. Conceit- The term designates fanciful notion, usually expressed through an elaborate analogy and pointing to a striking parallel between ostensibly dissimilar things. 93. Connotation-The emotional implications and associations that words may carry, as distinguished from their denotative meanings. 94. Consonance-The relation between words in which the final consonants in the stressed syllables agree but the vowels that precede them differ. 95. Controlling Image-An image or metaphor that runs throughout and determines the form or nature of a literary work. 96. Couplet- Two consecutive lines of verse with end rhymes. Formally, the couplet is a two-line stanza with both grammatical structure and a complete idea within itself. 97. Dirge- A wailing song sung at a funeral or in commemoration of death. A short lyric of lamentation. 98. Dissonance-Harsh and inharmonious sounds, a marked breaking of the music of poetry, which may be intentional. 99. Dramatic Monologue- A poem that reveals a soul in action through the speech of one character in a dramatic situation. The character is speaking to an identifiable but silent listener at a dramatic moment in the speakers life. 100. Elegy-A sustained and formal poem setting forth mediations on death or another solemn theme. 101. End-Stopped Line-Lines in which both the grammatical structure and the sense reach completion at end. 102. Enjambment- The continuation of the sense and grammatical construction of a line on to the next verse or couplet. Enjambment occurs in run-on lines and offers contrast to end-stopped lines. 103. Epic-A long narrative poem in elevated style presenting characters of high position in adventures forming an organic whole through their relation to a central heroic figure and through their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race. 104. Euphony- Pleasing sounds. Opposite of cacophony, the subjective impression of unpleasantness of sound. 105. Foot-The unit of rhythm in verse, whether quantitative or accentual syllabic. 106. Free Verse-Verse not following a conventional metrical or stanzaic pattern and having either an irregular rhyme or none at all. 107. Iamb-A foot consisting of an unaccented syllable and an accented. The most common rhythm in English verse. 108. Image-An image is a literal and concrete representation of a sensory experience or of an object that can be known by one or more of the senses. 109. Imagery- The collection of images in a literary work. 110. In medias res-Literally meaning in the midst of things. It is applied to the literary technique of opening a story in the middle of the action and then supplying information bout the beginning of the action through flashbacks and other devices for exposition. 110. Lyric-A brief subjective poem strongly marked by imagination, melody, and emotion, and creating a single, unified impression. 111. Measure-Frequently a synonym for meter, measure is more strictly either a metrical grouping, such as a foot, or a period of time. 112. Meter-The recurrence in poetry of a rhythmic pattern, or the rhythm established by the regular occurrence of similar units of sound. 113. Octave-An eight-line stanza. It is also used to denote the first eight-line division of the Italian sonnet as separate from the last six-line division, the sestet. 114. Ode-A single, unified strain of exalted lyrical verse, directed to a single purpose, and dealing with one theme. It is elaborate, dignified, and imaginative. 115. Pentameter-A line of verse of five feet. 116. Persona- Literally a mask. The term is widely used to refer to a second self created by an author and through whom the narrative is told. 117. Quatrain-A stanza of four lines. 118. Refrain- One or more words repeated at intervals in a poem, usually at the end of a stanza.

119. Repetition- Reiteration of a word, sound, phrase, or idea. 120. Rhyme End- (External-Rhyme at the ends of lines in poem. The most common kind of rhyme. Internal-Rhyme that occurs at some place before the last syllables in a line. Feminine-A rhyme in which the rhyming stressed syllables are followed by an undifferentiated identical unstressed syllable. (motion/ocean or fortunate/importunate) Masculine- Rhyme that falls on the stressed, concluding syllables of the rhyming words. (disdain/complain or rare/despair or claims/fames) 121. Scansion- A system for describing conventional rhythms by dividing lines into feet, indicating the locations of binomial accents, and counting the syllables. 122. Sestet-The second, six-line division of an Italian sonnet. Following the eight-line division, the sestet usually makes specific a general statement that has been presented in the octave or indicates the personal emotion of the author in a situation that the octave has developed. 123. Sonnet-A poem almost invariable of fourteen lines and following one of several set rhyme schemes. English-Contains three quatrains and a rhymed concluding couplet. Rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Italian-It is divided into the octave and sestet. The octave rhyming ABBAABBA and the sestet CDECDE, CDCDCD, or CDEDCE 124. Stanza-A recurrent grouping of tow or more verse lines in terms of length, metrical form, and, often, rhyme scheme. 125. Stress-The emphasis give a spoken syllable. 126. Trochee- A foot consisting of an accented and unaccented syllable, as in the word happy. 127. Volta-The turn in thought-from question to answer, problem to solution-that occurs at the beginning of the sestet. 128. Terza Rima a verse form made up of three-line stanzas that are connected by an overlapping rhyme scheme 129. Villanelle-a verse form which consists of six stanzas (five tercets and one quatrain) containing two rhymes and two lines repeated in a prescribed pattern Syntax 130. Antithesis- A figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, clauses, sentences, or ideas. 131. Balanced Sentence-Balance characterizes a structure in which parts of the whole-as words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence-are set off against each other so as to emphasize a contrast. 132. Coherence- A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be so arranged that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. 133. Complex Sentence- consists of one independent clause, and one or more dependent clauses. The clauses are connected through either a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun. The dependent clause may be the first or second clause in the sentence. If the first clause in the sentence is dependent, a comma usually separates the two clauses. 134. Compound Sentence- is composed of at least two independent clauses, but no dependent clauses. The clauses are joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, a comma and a correlative conjunction, or a semicolon with no conjunction 135. Ellipsis- The omission of one or more words that, while essential to a grammatical structure, are easily supplied. 136. Inverted Sentence- A sentence in which the normal grammatical order of subject, verb, object has been inverted, usually to place emphasis on the initial or end word(s). i.e., Among the weeds were a few wildflowers. 137. Loose Sentence-A sentence grammatically complete before the end; the opposite of periodic sentence. A complex loose sentence consists of an independent clause followed by a dependent clause. i.e., I am willing to pay slightly higher taxes for the privilege of living in Canada, considering the free health care, the cheap tuition fees, the low crime rate, the comprehensive social programs, and the wonderful winters. 138. Periodic Sentence - A sentence in which the main clause or its predicate is withheld until the end; for example, Despite heavy winds and nearly impenetrable ground fog, the plane landed safely.