A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
1. opaque – light cannot pass through
2. prodigious – enormous, huge
3. decayed –rotted
4. aspirations – hopes, dreams, wishes
5. bred – raised, brought up
6. kin – relatives
7. disclaimed – deny any connection with
8. portly – fat, obese
9. cupola – dome on a rooftop
10. vestige – sign or trace of something past
11. agility – quickness of movement
12. relenting – giving in, becoming less harsh
13. decanter – ornamental glass container
14. apprentice – one learning a trade
15. almshouse – poorhouse, shelter
16. dowerless – no money or goods for marriage
17. lustrous – shining, glowing
18. penitence – sorrow for wrong doing
19. idol – item (person) worshipped
20. reclamation – act of reforming, bringing back from evil
21. kith – friends, neighbors
22. negus – warm, spiced wine
23. ubiquitous – present everywhere, underfoot
24. jocund – happy, merry, gay
25. pawnbroker – buys and sells used goods
26. idle – not busy, doing nothing
27. fervor – enthusiasm
28. scabbard – sword case
29. bough – large branch of a tree
30. hob – shelf in a fireplace
**********************************************************************************************
KNOW THESE TERMS FOR YOUR FINAL EXAM!!!
LITERARY TERMS - STUDENTS WERE GIVEN THIS LIST TO KEEP IN THEIR ENGLISH BINDER ALL YEAR
Connotation - the meaning beyond the dictionary meaning
Dialogue - conversation between two (2) or more characters
External conflict - the characters struggle against each other, nature, or society
Flashback - an interruption in the action of the story to show an event that happened earlier in
time
Hyperbole - an exaggeration statement to heighten effect
Irony - the contrast (opposite) betwwen what is expected, appreast to be, and what actually is
Metaphor - a comparison betwwen two (2) unlike things, NOT using "like" or "as"
Narration - the kind of writing or speaking that relates a story
Personification - giving human characteristics to inanimate objects
Plot - a series of related events in a story that brings about the resolution of some conflict
Simile - a direct compareison betwwen two (2) unlike things using "like" or "as"
Stereotype - a fixed, generalized idea about a character or situation
Theme - the author's intended message or underlying meaning in a literary work
Tone - the author's attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject or toward an audience
Anthology - a collection of stories, poems, and plays
characterization - the method an author uses to create a character
Denotation - the strict dictionary meaning of the word
Mood - the feeling in a literary work
Internal Conflict - the character struggles against some element of his own personality
Traditional short story stresses plot
Modern short story emphasizes character