Lit Terms 3

A short narrative account of an amusing,

unusual, revealing, or interesting event. A good anecdote has a single, definite point, and the setting, dialogue, and characters are usually subordinate to the point of the story.

Ex: At the beginning of a speech about fire safety,

the speaker tells a short cautionary tale about a serious injury that occurred as a result of not following protocol.

Anecdote

A play on two words similar in sound but

different in meaning. Ex

After periodic doubts about his vocational calling, the young chemistry teacher concluded he was out of his element.

The church choir robes were too long and needed to be hymned.

Pun

An expression in one language that cannot be

closely matched or translated easily into another language.

Ex A Chip on your shoulder Sick as a dog Pay the piper

Idiom

The implied definition of a word- goes beyond

the literal definition. Ex

Cheap, Frugal, Miserly, Economical Confident, Secure, Proud, Egotistical

Connotation

The minimal, strict definition of a word

as found in a dictionary, disregarding any historical or emotional connotation.

Ex House vs home Vizzini: He didn't fall? Inconceivable.

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.(The Princess Bride, 1987)

Denotation

a statement that is formulated as a question

but that is not supposed to be answered. Ex

"If practice makes perfect, and no one's perfect, then why practice?"(Billy Corgan)

"Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do 'practice'?"(George Carlin)

Rhetorical Question

Language that contains or uses figures of

speech Similes Metaphors Etc

Ex Her head was spinning from all the new

information. The toast jumped out of the toaster. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

Figurative Language

The reason for which something is done or

created or for which something exists. 3 main purposes:

To inform To persuade To entertain

Purpose

To point out/discover similarities between

things.

Compare

To point out/discover differences between

things.

Contrast

A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence

and reasoning.

Inference

the main points of a speech; the subtopics of a

speech..

Main Idea

Details that give more information about and

support the main idea.

Supporting Detail