ELA LITERARY TERMS

ABSTRACT: THE PURPOSE OF A PAPER OR ARTICLE WHICH HELPS THE READER TO FOCUS ON THE INTENDED TOPIC.

ACTIVE VOICE: WHERE THE SUBJECT PERFORMS THE ACTION EXPRESSED IN THE VERB. AD HOMINEM FALLACY: A GENERAL CATEGORY OF FALLACIES IN WHICH A CLAIM OR ARGUMENT IS

REJECTED ON THE BASIS OF SOME IRRELEVANT FACT ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF OR THE PERSON PRESENTING THE CLAIM OR ARGUMENT.

AD MISERICORDIAM FALLACY: THE FALLACY COMMITTED WHEN PITY OR A RELATED EMOTION SUCH AS SYMPATHY OR COMPASSION IS APPEALED TO FOR THE SAKE OF GETTING A CONCLUSION ACCEPTED.

APOSTROPHE: A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH SOMEONE ABSENT OR DEAD OR SOMETHING NONHUMAN IS ADDRESSED AS IF IT WERE ALIVE AND PRESENT AND WAS ABLE TO REPLY.

ARCHETYPE: AN ORIGINAL MODEL OR PATTERN FROM WHICH OTHER LATER COPIES ARE MADE, ESPECIALLY A CHARACTER, AN ACTION, OR SITUATION THAT SEEMS TO REPRESENT COMMON PATTERNS OF HUMAN LIFE. OFTEN, ARCHETYPES INCLUDE A SYMBOL, A THEME, A SETTING, OR A CHARACTER THAT SOME CRITICS THINK HAVE A COMMON MEANING IN AN ENTIRE CULTURE, OR EVEN THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE.

ARTISTIC UNITY: CONDITION OF A SUCCESSFUL LITERARY WORK WHEREBY ALL ITS ELEMENTS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ITS CENTRAL PURPOSE.

CATHARSIS: ANY EMOTIONAL DISCHARGE WHICH BRINGS ABOUT A MORAL OR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OR WELCOME RELIEF FROM TENSION AND ANXIETY. THE USUAL INTENT IS FOR AN AUDIENCE TO LEAVE FEELING THIS RELIEF FROM TENSION OR ANXIETY AFTER HAVING VIEWED A PLAY.

CHARACTER FOIL: A CHARACTER WHOSE TRAITS CONTRAST WITH THOSE OF THE PROTAGONIST

CINEMATOGRAPHY: SIMPLY FILM MAKING AND PHOTOGRAPHY CITATION: STATES THE PUBLICATION INFORMATION AND COPYRIGHT OF A SOURCE CLICHÉ: A TRITE OR OVERUSED EXPRESSION OR IDEA. COHERENCE: THE LOGICAL RELATIONSHIP OF EACH ELEMENT OF THE WORK. COLLOQUIALISM: USE OF INFORMAL EXPRESSIONS APPROPRIATE TO EVERYDAY SPEECH RATHER THAN

TO THE FORMALITY OF WRITING, AND DIFFERING IN PRONUNCIATION, VOCABULARY, OR GRAMMAR.

COMIC RELIEF: A HUMOROUS SCENE, INCIDENT, OR REMARK OCCURRING IN THE MIDST OF A SERIOUS OR TRAGIC LITERARY SELECTION.

CONTROLLING IDEA: A MAIN IDEA THROUGHOUT A PIECE OF LITERATURE CRITICAL ANALYSIS: AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF A PIECE OF LITERATURE. DEUS EX MACHINA ENDING: (GOD MACHINE) THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS IN THE STORY THAT COULD

ONLY BE A ‘GODLY’ EVENT DIDACTIC: INTENDED TO TEACH OR MORALIZE EXCESSIVELY. DIRECTOR: THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE SET OF A FILM; THE ONE WHO MAKES SURE THE PIECE GOES

ACCORDING TO PLAN. DOCUMENTARY: PRESENTING FACTS OBJECTIVELY WITHOUT EDITORIALIZING OR ADDED FICTION EDITORIAL: AN ARTICLE IN A PUBLICATION EXPRESSING OPINION ELEGY: A SONG OR POEM COMPOSED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LAMENT OF A DECEASED PERSON ESSAY: A LITERARY COMPOSITION ON A SINGLE TOPIC

EULOGY: A SPEECH WRITTEN TO REFLECT UPON THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF A DECEASED PERSON

EXPOSITION: A STATEMENT OR RHETORICAL DISCOURSE INTENDED TO PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION OR INFORMATION

EXPOSITORY: MATERIAL INTENDED TO EXPLAIN AND DESCRIBE THE AUTHOR’S SUBJECT TO THE READER EXTENDED METAPHOR: A METAPHOR THAT CARRIES ON TO THE NEXT SENTENCE OR FURTHER EYE-LEVEL SHOT: A SHOT DONE AT EYE LEVEL WITH THE AUDIENCE; AS THOUGH THEY ARE RIGHT THERE

LOOKING THEMSELVES FORMAL ESSAY: AN ESSAY WITH AN UNDERLYING STRUCTURE AND SPECIFIC ELEMENTS GENRE: A STYLE OF LITERATURE HIGH CULTURE: THE “BEST OF BREED” AS USED ACADEMICALLY HIGH-ANGLE SHOT: A CAMERA SHOT TAKEN FROM A HIGH ANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THE SCENE AND

CHARACTERS IMPLIED THESIS: WHERE THE GENERAL IDEA IS GIVEN TO THE AUDIENCE, WITH LESS ``PUNCH`` THAN A

THESIS IN MEDIAS RES: “IN THE MIDDLE OF” A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS INFORMAL ESSAY: AN ESSAY WITH MORE PERSONAL THAN INFORMATION CONTENT BUT STILL

STRUCTURED INFORMATIONAL ESSAY: AN ESSAY WITH CLEAR STRUCTURE AND PRESENTS SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO

THE READER LANGUAGE ARTS: THE ABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE OF SPELLING, GRAMMAR, WRITING, COMPOSITIONS

ETC. LONG SHOT: A CAMERA SHOT TAKEN FROM FAR AWAY TO SHOW A VAST AMOUNT OF SPACE AND THE

SIGNIFICANCE IN A SCENE LOW CULTURE: MEANING NON- ELITE. LOW-ANGLE SHOT: A CAMERA SHOT TAKEN FROM A LOW ANGLE LOOKING UP AT THE SCENE AND

CHARACTERS MATTERS OF CHOICE: SELECTED BY THE AUTHOR, WHETHER OR NOT THE TOPIC WAS GOOD AND

SUPPORTING IDEAS MATTERS OF CORRECTNESS: WHETHER THE TOPIC AND SUPPORTING EVIDENCE IS LEGITIMATE

(SENTENCE STRUCTURE) MEDIUM SHOT: A CAMERA SHOT FROM A MEDIUM DISTANCE PASSIVE VOICE: A SUBMISSIVE OR NON-AGGRESSIVE TONE OF VOICE PERSONAL ESSAY: A TYPE OF WRITING THAT WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE USED BY AN APPLICANT OR TO

EXPLAIN WHO THE WRITER IS PERSONALLY TO THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THEM PLAYWRIGHT: A PERSON WHO WRITES PLAYS POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC FALLACY: (AFTER THIS THEREFORE BECAUSE OF THIS) BASED UPON

THESIS TAKEN NOTION THAT SIMPLY BECAUSE ONE THING HAPPENS AFTER ANOTHER, THE FIRST EVENT WAS A CAUSE OF THE SECOND EVENT.

RHETORICAL QUESTION: A QUESTION THAT IS ASKED, WITH NO INTENT ON RECEIVING AN ANSWER. EX. WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?

SARCASM: ANOTHER TERM FOR VERBAL IRONY--THE ACT OF OSTENSIBLY SAYING ONE THING BUT MEANING ANOTHER

SATIRE: IS THE RIDICULE OF SOME VICE OR IMPERFECTION — AN ATTACK ON SOMEONE OR SOMETHING BY MAKING IT LOOK RIDICULOUS OR WORTHY OF SCORN.

SCRIPT: A PLAY WRITTEN THAT TELLS ACTORS WHAT TO SAY, WHEN TO SAY IT AND WHAT TO DO WHILE THEY ARE SAYING IT.

STAGE DIRECTIONS: TELLS ACTORS WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DURING THE PERFORMANCE SYNTACTIC: CONFORMING TO THE RULES OF SYNTAX SYNTAX: GRAMMATICAL FIXTURES IN A SENTENCE THESIS STATEMENT: A CONCISE SENTENCE OR EXPLANATION OF WHAT THE PIECE OF WRITING THE

AUDIENCE IS WRITING ENTAILS THESIS: A THEORY OR NOTION ABOUT A TOPIC TRAGEDY: AN UNFORTUNATE OR SAD PIECE OF LITERATURE TRAGIC FLAW: THE EVENT THAT LEADS TO THE TRAGIC HERO`S DOWNFALL TRAGIC HERO: MAIN CHARACTER IN A TRAGEDY WHOSE ACTIONS LEAD TO THEIR DOWNFALL VERISIMILITUDE: THE QUALITY OF APPEARING TO BE REAL OR TRUE VOICE-OVER: A COMMENTARY OR ALTERNATE VOICE WEASEL WORDS: WORDS THAT ARE AMBIGUOUS AND NOT SUPPORTED BY FACTS. WORKS CITED LIST (BIBLIOGRAPHY): A LIST OF WRITINGS WITH TIME AND PLACE OF PUBLICATION WRITER'S HANDBOOK: FOR WRITERS TRYING TO MAKE A NAME WRITING PROMPT: GIVES DEFINITION AND DIRECTION TO THE ASSIGNED TOPIC