English 12 Provincial Exam Terms & Devices KEY
The following are a selection of terms that have been used in previous English 12 Exams. Since we can’t fully
predict which terms will be used on this semester’s Exam, it would be a good idea for you to be familiar with
them all. (Having said that, some are more likely to appear that others – we’ll discuss this in class.)
Sources for definitions:
 Memory!
 Notes from previous English classes
 Dictionary, though some terms may be problematic
 Online sources, such as Wikipedia, various online terms guides (eg.:
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xLitTerms.html), etc.
Term/Device
Definition
Example
Expression in which the subject of the sentence
carries out the action directly. (See Passive Voice)
The hunter saw the deer.
Allegory
Extended narrative that carries a second meaning in
addition to the main meaning/story.
Animal Farm – about pigs AND
Stalinesque totalitarian regimes.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning
of words.
To sit in solemn silence in a dull,
dark, dock
Allusion
A quick reference to something well known.
Bible (Abraham’s Bosom)
Shakespeare (TBONTB)
Etc.
Analogy
A likeness or comparison between 2 things that have
similar features.
He felt like a fish out of water = a
person felt out of place
Antagonist
The person(s) or force(s) opposing the protagonist
Claudius, in Hamlet
Darth Vader, in Star Wars
Anti-Climax
An effect which works against the climax, often
using a quick descent from something lofty or noble
to something much more common.
Eg. in The War of the Worlds, the
alien invaders are defeated, not by
massive weaponry, but by the
common cold
Something that stands in opposition, but not
necessarily in conflict, with something else – often
meant in terms of character.
Eg. In Harry Potter, Albus
Dumbledore is the antithesis of
Voldemort
Active Voice
Antithesis
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Apostrophe
Form of poetry addressed to a person absent or
deceased, or to some inanimate object or entity.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star/
How I wonder what you are, etc.
Argumentative
Essay
Essay form in which a point of view or assertion is
presented in an attempt to prove a position an
attempt to convince the reader of the assertion.
Eg. an essay that compares and
contrasts cats v.s. dogs, and makes
assertions based on provable
evidence, using logic or emotion.
Anecdotal
Evidence
Archaic Language
Aside
Informal evidence based not on scientific-type proof,
but on the evidence presented in a story or
eyewitness account, and not therefore always
considered infallible.
Words and phrases that once were common, but
now are not used often.
Much of Shakespeare!
Forsooth!
Doth!
Etc.
A short theatrical sotto voce passage, usually
directed at the audience, assumed to be inaudible to
others on stage.
The repetition of vowel sounds inside words.
And murmuring of innumerable
bees
Atmosphere
The mood or emotion conveyed by a setting; also
can relate to the ways in which an author uses
words to describe a scene.
It was a dark and stormy night
Audience
A person or group of people who participate in or
encounter a particular work
Autobiography
An account of one’s own life, generally written as a
continuous narrative of major life events.
Assonance
Ballad
Ballad Stanza
Traditional short narrative verse form, originally
sung, which tells a story
A quatrain consisting of alternating 4- and then 3stress lines.
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white Moon-shine.
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Bias
Biography
The seeming need to hold onto a particular
viewpoint, despite being aware of other, just as
valid, views.
An account of a person’s life, generally written as a
continuous narrative of major life events, written by
someone else.
Blank Verse
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Much of Shakespeare
Cacophony
Discordant or harsh sounds which are introduced for
poetic effect. The effect is one of a jarring
irregularity of syllables or sounds.
A tap at the pane,
The quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match
Caricature
The portrayal of a character whose features or
demeanor is exaggerated for comic effect, whether
in literature or of famous figures in newspapers.
Case Study
An intensive analysis of something, usually done in
an effort to then use it as a baseline example of
something.
Catastrophe
Term used to describe the resolution of plot events
in Classical drama and literature
Cause & Effect
The idea that an event or happenstance then is the
reason behind later a related event or occurrence –
think causality.
Character
General name for a narrative agent in a story; BUT
can also refer to a person’s overall personality and
sense of morality.
Characterization
Character Foil
The sinking of the Titanic as an
example of how not to arrange
watertight compartments or
lifeboats!
Round or flat; static or dynamic
The way in which a character’s personality or
portrayal is conveyed by the author
A character who contrasts with another character
(usually the protagonist) in order to highlight
particular qualities of the other character. (Sidekick)
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
The Lone Ranger and Tonto
etc.
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Chorus
Chronological
Order
Cliché
Climactic Order
Climax
Colloquialism
Colloquial
Language
Comedy
Single figure who gives the prologue, epilogue, and
sometimes introduces scenes in plays.
Eg. the Chorus in Henry V
For something to appear listed in order of time
An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work
which has been overused to the point of losing its
original meaning or effect
Busy as bees
Working like a dog
An attention-getting plot sequencing device in which
the most important information is kept until last –
thereby making it more “climactic”.
The point of highest tension in a story; also where
the crisis is generally resolved.
A word or phrase used in ordinary or informal
language and settings, but not in more formal ones.
Gonna
Shoulda
“mate” for friend, etc.
Overall language used in ordinary or informal
settings, designed to put speaker and listener on
equal verbal footing.
A non-serious literary or dramatic work, which
commonly is assumed to have a happy ending.
Comic Relief
A comic element inserted into a tragic or serious
work in order to provide some momentary light
relief.
Compare &
Contrast
Generally, a literary work that compares the
similarities and contrasts the differences of
something.
Comparison
Comparing the similarities of 2 things;
The degree to which something’s value relates to
something else
Think “Osric” in Hamlet
“X” is higher than “Y”
“Z” is the highest, etc.
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Conflict
The opposition of 2 forces or characters in a work.
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Environment/Society
Person vs. Self
Connotation
The implications or suggestions evoked by a word
“Home” = warmth, love, peace,
security, etc.
Consonance
Close repetition of consonant sounds before and
after different vowels.
Flip-flop
Feel-fill
Contrast
Identifying the differences between 2 things.
Couplet
2 rhyming lines of verse (AA) with the same meter.
Lizzie Borden with an axe
Hit her father forty whacks
The thing or situation to which a word refers, the
definition thereof, or its literal meaning.
“Elephant” = large tusked mammal
Denotation
Dénouement
Descriptive Essay
Dialect
Dialogue
Diary
The events following the major climax of the plot in
which things are sewn up.
French for “unknotting”.
Gives details, facts, or figures for the specified topic.
Supporting evidence should be provable and
measurable.
An essay that describes differing
breeds and characteristics of dogs
or cats.
Evidence and supporting details
should show signs of research.
A form of language spoken in a particular
geographical area or by members of a particular
social class or occupational group
“Norn Iron”
Newfoundland English/Canajan
Canajan
The speeches/words said by characters in a narrative
or a play.
A person’s private, day-to-day autobiographical
jottings.
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Diction
The choice and arrangement of words in a literary
work.
Didactic
The use of a literary work to expound some moral,
political, religious, etc., teachings or beliefs.
The Bible
Machiavelli’s The Prince
Dilemma
The choice between 2 unpleasant outcomes.
Often involve moral or ethical issues.
Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be…”
Direct
Presentation
When a character’s traits/motivations, etc. are
actually described by the author.
“He was tall, dark and handsome”
Dissonance
The juxtaposition of harsh or jarring sounds or
rhythmical patterns – see cacaphony
Drama
A work designed to be represented on stage by
actors, but also restricted to “serious” plays only.
Dramatic Irony
Used to describe a situation when a character in a
play speaks lines that have a double meaning to the
audience, but not to the character(s) onstage.
Dramatic
Monologue
A poem consisting of a single character’s words that
reveal his own thoughts, nature, and the dramatic
situation.
Dramatic Form
Think soliloquy
The type of drama being presented – tragical,
comical, dramatical, tragical-comical, etc.
Dynamic
Character
Character whose traits/motivations evolve over the
course of the play – the character obviously learns
something from his/her experience.
Editorial
A newspaper article that expresses someone’s
opinion on something – either the actual Editor’s or
a member of the readership in response to current
events.
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Elegy
Formal lament over the death a particular person.
Emotional Appeal
A passionately delivered speech done to engender
feelings of sympathy, empathy or identity in the
audience.
(See Pathos)
Epic
An extended narrative poem, often exalted or heroic
in theme.
Epilogue
The ending of a speech, fable, or play in which the
“moral” is identified.
Epigram
A short witty statement or poem
Epiphany
From the Greek, meaning “a showing forth”, and
refers to a sudden understanding or clarity of
thought .
Epitaph
Euphemism
Euphony
Whitman’s O Captain, my Captain”
The Iliad, and the Odyssey
“Candy is dandy, but liquor is
quicker”
- Oscar Wilde
Tombstone inscription, but also used to characterize
a poem that is written with respect for the dead
To use a replacement word or phrase to describe
something which is normally unpleasant
Eg. “to pass away” for “death”
Agreeable sounds as well as word combinations that
are pleasing to the ear and mind.
Expert Testimony
Someone who has recognized expertise in a
particular area, such that his or her opinion can be
relied upon during legal proceedings.
Exposition
The beginning of a short story or play in which the
audience is given much-needed background
information.
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Expository Essay
Extended
Metaphor
Explains topic; uses supporting details to support thesis.
Combines fact and opinion.
An essay that compares and contrasts
cats and dogs.
Uses ideas, opinions, and facts to get
point across.
A metaphor that is continued into the sentences
beyond in order to continue the analogy
Frost’s The Road Not Taken
External Conflict
Conflict that originates from outside of the
protagonist(s).
Fable
A brief story which illustrates a moral truth.
Falling Action
Post-climax wrapping up of plot points
Fantasy
A literary work’s radical departure from what would
be considered “normal life”, often requiring a
sustained suspension of disbelief.
Farce
Any play which evokes laughter through the use of
low comedy or physical buffoonery, and is not really
concerned with plot or subtlety
Figurative
Language
Language which uses “figures of speech” to compare
often dissimilar objects.
Often uses similes, metaphors, etc.
First Person POV
Flashback
Flat Character
Aesop’s Fables
Orwell’s Animal Farm
Alice in Wonderland
The Lord of the Rings
Narrative told from the point of view of “I”.
An inserted scene which gives information about
events which happened at an earlier time.
A character who has few traits, or who caricatures a
single idea or quality.
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Foil
Foreshadowing
Form
Formal Essay
Formal Language
Frame Story
Free Verse
Genre
The straight man in a comedy double act.
Events or character experiences that can be seen to
hint as to what will happen later on.
The particular pattern in a type of poetry.
A serious work of literature, using formal language
and proper essay structure.
Modes of expression that are used in explain and
signify serious topics; language not used colloquially.
A “story within a story”, in which both are of equal
interest to the audience. (See Story within a story)
Poetry that lacks regular meter and line length.
A literary type or class.
Graphic Text
Text that is dissociated from the main body of a
literary work; often is in another colour, font, size,
etc.
Hero
A character with admirable traits such as courage,
idealism and fortitude.
Can also be a general term for the protagonist.
Historical
Reference
Ballad form
Sonnet form
Etc.
Epic
Tragedy
Comedy
Etc.
When reference is made in a literary work to actual
events that have taken place in the past; events that
the audience will recognize and draw conclusions
from .
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Hyperbole
When emphasis is achieved through deliberate
exaggeration.
His arms hung a mile out of his
sleeves
Iambic
Pentameter
An “iamb” is a type of metrical foot used in poetry
“Pentameter” = 5, so IP = Iambs in groups of 5
Think: Shakespeare
Idiom
An expression, word or phrase that has figurative
meaning apart from the literal meanings of the
words themselves.
Eg. “Kick the bucket” = death, but
you wouldn’t get that from “kick”
and “bucket” alone!
Image
A visual picture, described in words
Imagery
Use of visual pictures, described in words to add
meaning to literature
Indeterminate
Ending
Ending in which the outcome is not immediately
clear.
Indirect
Presentation
Character presentation in which the reader learns
about a character indirectly through the
explanations, opinions, and actions of other
characters, or the character is question.
Informal Essay
Essay that uses informal (vernacular) language and
conventions.
Informal Language
Interior
Monologue
Internal Conflict
Language not designed for serious topics or
discussion. (Slang)
When a character in a play speaks to him/herself,
although of course, it has to be out loud, since the
audience has to be able to hear it.
Aka Person vs. Self – when a character wrestles with
internal demons.
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Internal Rhyme
A rhyme scheme that takes place in the middle of
words or phrases, instead of at the end.
Irony
A device in which the writer expresses a meaning
that is different from the words stated.
Jargon
Specific words or language used by a certain, usually
technical or professional, group.
Juxtaposition
The putting together of two or more unlikely things
Legend
A well-known story which has basis in fact but may
contain imaginary material.
Limited
Omniscient POV
POV in which the narrator gives the reader an idea
about his or her inner self, but cannot provide such
details about others.
Literal Language
Words or phrases which are to be understood
exactly as they are, with no interpretive or figurative
meaning.
Lyric
Short poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings
of a single speaker.
Originally, a poem sung to accompany a lyre.
Melodrama
Metaphor
Metre/Meter
Eg. Ozymandias, where we have to
despair over the wonder of the
works, yet there is nothing there
Originally meant as a synonym to opera, but now
means anything that is deliberately over-acted in a
dramatic fashion.
A direct comparison of one thing with another.
“My love is a red, red rose”
Refers to the number of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry.
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Monologue
Mood
Mystery
Myth
An extended speech by one person.
Aka soliloquy
The “feeling” or atmosphere presented in a literary
work.
Act I of Macbeth is creepy due to
the witches and the weather
A “whodunit”, or a dramatized story taken from
Scripture…
A supposedly historical anonymous tale, the origins
of which are unknown.
Narrative
Story told by a narrator
Narration
Story as told by the narrator
Narrator
Person telling a story
Objective
(language, tone,
etc.)
Objective POV
Octave
Ode
When the author seems to be presenting his
characters in an impersonal, non-committal fashion
without offering any judgment on them or their
actions.
Story told from the above perspective.
An 8-line stanza
Long, serious, and dignified lyric poem
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Omniscient POV
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Paradox
Parallelism
Parody
Passive Voice
POV in which the narrator, “God-like” knows
everything about everyone and everything.
Words that sound like their meanings.
Wham!
Boom!
Bam!
Zing!
A figure of speech that presents two apparently
contradictory terms in a paradoxical way.
“freezer burn”
“dodge ram”
“civil war”
Etc.
An apparently contradictory statement which does,
in fact, contain a truth that reconciles the seeming
opposites.
The arrangement of equally important ideas,
presented in a similar way, which then indicates
their equal importance.
To ridicule a specific type of literature, by recreating
its style in a comic manner.
Expression in which the subject of the sentence
carries out the action indirectly. (See Active Voice)
Pastoral
Literature that deals with rural or country life,
originally focusing on shepherds, etc.
Pathos
Literature that deliberately seeks to evoke
sympathy, pity, tenderness, etc.
Personal Essay
Essay in which the author asserts an opinion without
having to prove a verifiable point.
Personification
When inanimate objects are given human-like
qualities or characteristics.
The deer was seen by the hunter.
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Persuasive Essay
Persuasive
Technique
Plot
Point of View
Pro/Con Argument
Must prove a position and attempt to convince an
audience of that position.
Combines logic and emotion to bring about a change in
attitude.
Audience to take some form of action.
Term used to describe actual method of persuasive
effort in an essay or article.
What happens in a story.
The particular perspective a story is told from.
Technique that compares and contrasts an idea’s
good and bad points.
Prologue
“Blurb” at the beginning of a play that gives a brief
outline of the plot, theme, or action.
Propaganda
Literature devised and distributed in order to put
forth a persuasive argument or used as a dissuading
factor.
Protagonist
The main character in a story
Proverb
A short saying, usually an observation or piece of
advice.
Pun
Word play involving:
- the use of a word with 2 different meanings,
- the similarity of meaning in 2 words spelled differently, but
pronounced the same,
- 2 words that look the same but have different meanings
Purpose
An essay that compares and contrasts
cats v.s. dogs.
Makes assertions based on provable
evidence, using a combination of logic
and emotion to best effect.
The lowest form of humour!
The reason behind which something happens.
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Quatrain
Question &
Answer
A 4-line stanza with rhyme scheme of AABB, ABAB,
or ABBA.
Rhetorical motif in which the point is made or
information is given through the deliberate
interactions between characters.
Refrain
A line or lines repeated at intervals during a poem,
usually at the end of each stanza.
Repetition
The repeating of a particular element in a work for
deliberate effect.
Research
Looking stuff up…
Resolution
The events following the climax of a play or story;
also called falling action.
Rhetorical
Question
A question asked, not for information, but to achieve
a stylistic or dramatic effect.
Rhyme
Rhyme Scheme
William Blake’s The Tyger
The repetition of similar or duplicate sounds at
regular intervals, usually at the end of a line of
poetry.
The particular arrangement of rhymes in a poem,
stated as an alphabetical sequence: AABBA, etc.
Rhythm
The sense of movement given by the pattern of
stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Rising Action
Sequence of plot events that lead up to the climax.
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Round Character
Sarcasm
Character who displays many character traits.
Ironic verbal device, in which what is said is actually
the opposite of what is meant.
Satire
The ridiculing of any subject in order to demean it
and make it laughable.
Sestet
A 6-line stanza, also called a sextet.
Setting
When and where a story takes place.
Simile
A direct comparison using “like” or “as”.
Slang
Informal, and often colloquial terms and language
that take the place of more serious terms.
Soliloquy
An extended speech in which a single onstage
character expresses his thoughts – often like he is
simply thinking them to himself, but must say them
out loud for the audience to be able to hear them.
Sonnet
A poem of 14 lines with a complicated rhyme
scheme.
Speaker
The person doing the talking…
Stanza
A poetic “paragraph”, named after the number of
lines it contains: couplet, quatrain, sestet, etc.
“You look great today”… etc.
“My love is LIKE a red, red, rose”
“My love is as beautiful as the Sun”
Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be – that
is the question.”
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Stream of
Consciousness
Term that describes the flow of inner experience and
feelings through the mind of a character.
Statistical
Evidence
Evidence predicated upon scientific numerical proof.
Static Character
Character whose traits do not change throughout
the story.
Stereotype
A set of assumptions about someone or a group of
people, often with little basis in fact or reality.
All Irishmen are drunkards, etc.
Character that is representative of a general class of
people, and displays the assumed or “usual” traits of
that people.
James Bond
Superman
Mr. Empey as Irishman, etc.
Story within a
story
A “story within a story”, in which both are of equal
interest to the audience. (See Frame Story)
Hamlet’s play within the play
Style
The particular way in which a writer carries on in
terms of his or her word choice, sentence structure,
rhythms, use of figurative language, etc.
Stylistic Technique
A recognizable version of the above, labeled and
attributed to a particular writer or group of writers.
Subjective
(language, tone,
etc.)
Writing in which the expression of personal feeling
or experience is most important, as in
autobiographies, etc.
Surprise Ending
Plot conclusion that was not foreseen by the
reader/audience.
Stock/Stereotyped
Character
Suspense
The Lottery’s ending
An expectant uncertainty concerning the outcome of
the plot.
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Symbol
Symbolism
Something that represents both itself and something
else, that has narrative or dramatic meaning or
importance in a story.
The overall use of this technique.
Theme
The central idea, thesis, or subject of a work, stated
either directly or indirectly. (***Differentiate from
moral, which is the lesson that can be extracted
from a work.)
Thesis
Either a formal proposition to be maintained in the
face of opposing proof, or simply the main idea of a
literary work.
Thesis Statement
The actual wording of this in a formal literary work
such as an essay.
Third Person POV
POV in which the action is described from “outside”
the characters; i.e. by an observant, but not
necessarily omniscient, narrator.
Tone
The particular “voice” the author uses in a work,
which may indicate his/her attitude toward the
subject.
Generally, a plot in which unfortunate events take
place, especially the death(s) of many of the main
character(s).
Shakespearean plays in which most
people die by the end, and the
story ends “unhappily”
Understatement
The deliberate downplaying of something to make it
seem less than it really is.
Describing Hamlet as “a play of
some interest”, when obviously it is
MUCH more than that!
Voice
The character or “mask” assumed by the speaker or
narrator in a poem or work of fiction. (Can work with
Tone to give an indication as to the author’s
thoughts.)
Wit
Intellectually amusing utterances designed to delight
and surprise.
Tragedy
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