RLA (English) GED Vocabulary Questions and Answers 2023

RLA (English) GED Vocabulary Questions and Answers 2023 Act An act is the largest section of a play. Plays are divided into acts, and acts are divided into scenes. Alliteration Alliteration is using words that start with the same letter, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." Blank verse Blank verse is a type of poetry that does not rhyme. Character A character is a person in a story or play. "Character" can also describe the qualities of a character. Characterization Characterization is how the writer shows the character's qualities. For example, when Ebenezer Scrooge won't let his worker put coal on the fire because he doesn't want to waste money, it is characterization showing that Scrooge is greedy. Climax The climax is the point in the story where the conflict or difficulties are at their most dramatic point and need to be resolved. In an action movie, the climax might be a big fight between the hero and the villain. Conflict The conflict is the trouble in the story. There are three main types of conflict. Man vs. man involves human beings disagreeing, fighting, or having problems with each other. Man vs. nature involves people caught in natural disasters or struggling to survive. Man vs. himself involves a person in conflict with himself or herself. The character has inner troubles that cause difficulties. Stories can have one, two, or all three of these types of conflicts. Couplet A couplet is two lines of poetry that go together and rhyme. Dialogue Dialogue is what two or more characters say to each other. Basically, dialogue is characters talking. Figurative language Figurative language is language that doesn't just use words for their dictionary meaning. Figurative language uses words to make comparisons or for emotional impact. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is when the writer hints at something that will happen later in the story. It's a hint or suggestion of what's coming up. Genre A genre is the type of story you're telling like science fiction, mystery, romance, drama, comedy, or horror. Hyperbole Hyperbole is a big exaggeration, like saying that the Thanksgiving turkey is the size of a mountain. Idiom An idiom is a common type of phrase that people use in everyday speech but that doesn't just have a literal meaning, like saying someone has "a chip on her shoulder" (meaning she's proud or haughty) or that passing the test will be "a piece of cake" (really easy). Imagery Imagery is creating pictures that the reader can visualize through description. The writer is trying to make you see, hear, feel, smell, or even taste the scene. Irony Irony is when the truth or what a character means, is the opposite of what is said. Sometimes irony can be similar to sarcasm. There are different types of irony, like dramatic irony (when the audience knows information the character doesn't know). Line In drama a line of dialogue is what one character says, called out by that character's name before the text. In poetry a line is one row (or line) of words in a stanza. Poems are divided into stanzas, and stanzas are divided into lines. Metaphor A metaphor is a type of figurative language when the writer says something is something else, drawing a parallel between the two things. For example, it's a metaphor to say "my love is a flower," or "Bob is a pig." Meter Meter is the rhythm of the language in poetry. Monologue A monologue is when, in a drama, only one character talks to the audience. Narrator The narrator is a character who tells the story. Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is when a word is meant to sound like what it means. Examples of onomatopoeia are the words "woof," "cock-a-doodle-do," and "meow." Oxymoron An oxymoron is two contradictory or opposite terms used together, such as "dark light" or "empty fullness." Parody Parody is an imitation of a type of writing, an author, or a popular figure that makes fun of that writing or person. Personification Personification is when a writer gives an object, animal, or idea human characteristics. For example, saying "the tree wept" is personification because trees don't cry. It's giving the tree a human characteristic. Point of view The story's perspective is its point of view. If a character tells the story, saying, "I walked down the street... I saw... I said...," that's known as first-person point of view, from that character's perspective. If the narrator or storyteller isn't a character, and the story says, "He walked down the street... He saw... He said...," that's known as third-person point of view, from the perspective of someone outside the story looking on. Repetition Repetition is used in writing to give emphasis to certain ideas or words. One example is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech, in which he repeats the words, "I have a dream" for emphasis. Rhyme Rhyme is when words end with the same sounds. Rhyme is typically used in poetry: "Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold." Rhythm Rhythm is the number of syllables in language and how those syllables are emphasized. Many poems are written according to rules of rhythm. Satire Satire is a type of writing that makes fun of people or events. Often, satire makes fun of political situations or political figures. Scene A scene is a small section of a play, usually taking place in one setting. Plays are divided into acts, and acts are divided into scenes. Simile A simile is a comparison using a word such as "like" or "as." Examples of similes include, "fat as a pig," "big as a house," or "swims like a fish." Stanza A stanza is a group of lines in a poem, usually separated by extra space between the stanzas. Poems are divided into stanzas, and stanzas are divided into lines.