- You are here: Jé Maverick
- Poetry And Literature Glossary Entries Beginning With A
Please click on the image of a letter below to see all glossary entries beginning with that letter.
Glossary entries beginning with the letter A
ab initio (adv.)
A Latin term, literally meaning "from the beginning", it is used to described a narrative that is told from the beginning rather than from the middle of the action (in media res). See Also: in media res, Common Latin Terms
ab ovo (adv.)
See: ab initio, Common Latin Terms
abecedarian verse (n.)
A type of poem in which (beginning with A) each successive word in the poem begins with the next successive letter in the alphabet. See Also: Verse Forms
e.g.:
abhanga (n.)
A stanza form originating in India, the abhanga is composed of four lines with lines 2 and 3 rhyming. The first three lines of the stanza each have a count of six syllables, while the final line has a syllable count of four (6,6,6,4). See Also: Verse Forms
e.g.:
abridged version (n.)
When talking of a volume of writing, an abridged version is one that has been reduced in size without sacrificing the sense of the original work. Also known as a summary version, condensed version, or a redaction. See Also: redaction
absolute phrase (n.)
Also known as a "nomitave absolute", the absolute phrase is a group of words which modifies a sentence, enabling more description to be added to it. They are one of the least used sentence modifiers in English grammatical structure.
e.g. In the following example, the bold, italicised text is where the absolute phrase is used in the sentence.
Jeremiah stood by the window that looked out over the prairie, his eyes scanning the horizon for even the slightest puff of raised dust.
Without the use of the absolute phrase, the above sentence would become two, and look something like:
Jeremiah stood by the window that looked out over the prairie. His eyes were scanning the horizon for even the slightest puff of raised dust.
absolute word (n.)
An absolute word is one which has a limited quality, such as unique, perfect, or round. Roundness, perfection, and uniqueness are all absolute qualities, and nothing can be said to be very unique, extremely perfect, or even perfectly round. It's either round, or it isn't!.
absolutist criticism (n.)
A strictly defined set of parameters which, according to the critic in question, literature must be evaluated with. These parameters can vary, depending on the critic. This method of criticism can also be likened to the concept of "one true religion."
abstract (adj.)
1. the quality of being imperceptible . 2.( n.) something that possesses such a quality. 3.( n.) a written summary, usually in point form.
abstract noun (n.)
An abstract noun is a thing that cannot be observed or experienced by any of the five senses. Gravity, pride, and knowledge are all abstract nouns. See Also: abstract terms
abstract poetry (n.)
Poetry in which literary quality is secondary in comparison to the emphasis on sound, rhyme, and rhythm.
abstract terms (n.)
An abstract term is an idea or concept that has no referent in physical reality. Love, yellowness, and Communism. See Also: abstract noun
acatalectic (adj.)
A complete metrical line of verse is an acatelectic line. See Also: catalectic
accent (n.)
An accent is an emphasis or stress that is placed on a syllable when being read or spoken, in relation to other syllables. Accent is a dominant part of speech, and is largely responsible for rhythm and prosody.
accentual verse (n.)
Verse in which each line has a strict number of stressed syllables, though the number of unstressed syllables is not strictly measured. See Also: accentual-syllabic verse, quantitative verse, syllabic verse
accentual-syllabic verse (n.)
A variant of accentual verse, accentual-syllabic verse is constructed from lines in which both stressed and unstressed syllables have a uniform number. See Also: accentual verse, quantitative verse, syllabic verse
accidence (n.)
A branch of English grammar (morphological) that deals with inflections.
acephalous line (n.)
A line of poetry in which the initial syllable has been omitted.
acoustic scansion (n.)
See: scansion
acronym (n.)
A noun formed from the successive initial letters of a multi-word proper name (such as FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation), or from parts of a compound term (sonar from sound navigation ranging).
acrostic (n.)
A verse form, in which the first letter (in descending order) of each line is used to form a message. See Also: double acrostic, mesostich, telestich, Verse Forms
e.g.:
**** Coming Soon ****.
acryon (n.)
A rhetorical device, the instance of using a word which is repugnant or contrary to an implied meaning. See Also: Rhetorical Terms
act (n.)
The major section of a dramatic or theatrical performance. See Also: scene
active voice (n.)
In a sentence, the active voice is at work when the subject (noun) is performing an action (verb). See Also: passive voice
e.g..
Jackson (subject) is waving (verb) his arms.
or
Anenomes (subject), tentacles ever at the ready, feast (verb) on small fish.
adaptation (n.)
An adaptation is a story or a piece of writing that has been altered to suit a different medium than the one that it was originally written for.
adjectival metaphor (n.)
An adjectival metaphor is a metaphor in which the noun is given further description by an adjective.
e.g..
blind faith, rough justice, tough love.
adjective (n.)
An adjective is a class of words in grammar, used to identify words that modify or give qualities to nouns, causing the noun to be more specific.
e.g.:
Night is a noun in and of itself. Cold night is a noun that has been modified, given a specific quality by the adjective "cold".
allegory (n.)
An allegorical tale is one that is typically rich in metaphors and figurative language, the usual premise of which is to impart a truism of human experience or a moral lesson.
alliteration (n.)
The repetition of intitial consant sounds in two or more neighbouring words.
e.g. In the following example, the bold, italicised text is alliteration.
alexandrine (n.)
An alexandrine is a line of verse that contains twelve syllables.
allusion (n.)
An implicit reference to a piece of art, literature, history or knowledge, that it is assumed the audience will recognise or understand.
aside (n.)
1. A theatrical term to describe instances in a performance where an actor's line is intended for the audience as opposed to the other onstage characters, an indirect and temporary lowering of the fourth wall. 2. a literary device known as a Jamesian parenthesis. See also: fourth wall, Jamesian parenthesis
Please click on the image of a letter below to see all glossary entries beginning with that letter.
