Literary Style & Genre — C1 English Vocabulary
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This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about literary style & genre — craft, form and the writer’s toolkit. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
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allusion/əˈluː.ʒən/
“The poem is full of allusion.”
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alliteration/əˌlɪt.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
“He loves alliteration.”
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assonance/ˈæs.ən.əns/
“The line uses gentle assonance.”
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onomatopoeia/ˌɒn.ə.mæt.əˈpiː.ə/
“‘Buzz’ is onomatopoeia.”
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hyperbole/haɪˈpɜː.bəl.i/
“It is obvious hyperbole.”
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understatement/ˈʌn.də.steɪt.mənt/
“‘Quite good’ was an understatement.”
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euphemism/ˈjuː.fə.mɪ.zəm/
“‘Passed away’ is a euphemism.”
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oxymoron/ˌɒk.sɪˈmɔː.rɒn/
“‘Bittersweet’ is an oxymoron.”
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personification/pəˌsɒn.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
“The weeping wind is personification.”
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metaphorical/ˌmet.əˈfɒr.ɪ.kəl/
“He spoke in metaphorical terms.”
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literal/ˈlɪt.ər.əl/
“Take the word in its literal sense.”
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connotative/ˈkɒn.ə.teɪ.tɪv/
“The word is highly connotative.”
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prosaic/prəʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/
“His style is rather prosaic.”
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lyrical/ˈlɪr.ɪ.kəl/
“She writes lyrical prose.”
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elegiac/ˌel.ɪˈdʒaɪ.ək/
“The tone is elegiac.”
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terse/tɜːs/
“His style is terse and clipped.”
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verbose/vɜːˈbəʊs/
“The report is too verbose.”
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florid/ˈflɒr.ɪd/
“She uses florid language.”
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succinct/səkˈsɪŋkt/
“Keep your answer succinct.”
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pithy/ˈpɪθ.i/
“He gave a pithy reply.”
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epic/ˈep.ɪk/
“It is an epic poem.”
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sonnet/ˈsɒn.ɪt/
“She wrote a sonnet.”
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ode/əʊd/
“He composed an ode to autumn.”
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elegy/ˈel.ə.dʒi/
“The poem is an elegy.”
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epitaph/ˈep.ɪ.tɑːf/
“His epitaph was very simple.”
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anecdotal/ˌæn.ɪkˈdəʊ.təl/
“The evidence is only anecdotal.”
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allegorical/ˌæl.ɪˈɡɒr.ɪ.kəl/
“The tale is allegorical.”
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dystopian/dɪsˈtəʊ.pi.ən/
“It is a dystopian novel.”
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utopian/juːˈtəʊ.pi.ən/
“His vision was utopian.”
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gothic/ˈɡɒθ.ɪk/
“She loves gothic fiction.”
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surreal/səˈrɪəl/
“The scene felt surreal.”
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modernist/ˈmɒd.ən.ɪst/
“It is a modernist classic.”
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narration/nəˈreɪ.ʃən/
“The narration is in the first person.”
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omniscient/ɒmˈnɪs.i.ənt/
“It uses an omniscient narrator.”
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subtext/ˈsʌb.tekst/
“There is a clear subtext.”
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motif/məʊˈtiːf/
“Water is a recurring motif.”
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juxtaposition/ˌdʒʌk.stə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/
“The juxtaposition is striking.”
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pathos/ˈpeɪ.θɒs/
“The scene is full of pathos.”
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catharsis/kəˈθɑː.sɪs/
“Tragedy offers catharsis.”
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denouement/deɪˈnuː.mɒ̃/
“The denouement was satisfying.”
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cliffhanger/ˈklɪfˌhæŋ.ə/
“The chapter ends on a cliffhanger.”
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antihero/ˈæn.tiˌhɪə.rəʊ/
“The novel has a complex antihero.”
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pastiche/pæsˈtiːʃ/
“The film is a clever pastiche.”
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homage/ˈhɒm.ɪdʒ/
“The film pays homage to old westerns.”
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vignette/vɪnˈjet/
“Each chapter is a short vignette.”
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preamble/ˈpriː.æm.bəl/
“She skipped the long preamble.”
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epigraph/ˈep.ɪ.ɡrɑːf/
“An epigraph opens the book.”
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compendium/kəmˈpen.di.əm/
“It is a compendium of essays.”
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couplet/ˈkʌp.lət/
“He ended with a rhyming couplet.”
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metre/ˈmiː.tə/
“The poem has a steady metre.”
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iambic/aɪˈæm.bɪk/
“It is written in iambic verse.”
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cadence/ˈkeɪ.dəns/
“Her sentences have a lovely cadence.”
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tone/təʊn/
“The tone is gently mocking.”
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voice/vɔɪs/
“She has a distinctive narrative voice.”
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stylistic/staɪˈlɪs.tɪk/
“It is a stylistic choice.”
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embellish/ɪmˈbel.ɪʃ/
“He tends to embellish stories.”
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paraphrase/ˈpær.ə.freɪz/
“Let me paraphrase the passage.”
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verbatim/vɜːˈbeɪ.tɪm/
“She quoted him verbatim.”
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interlude/ˈɪn.tə.luːd/
“The poem is a quiet interlude.”
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exposition/ˌek.spəˈzɪʃ.ən/
“The opening exposition sets the scene.”