| Term | Definition |
|---|
| anaphora | A type of repetition in which the same word or phrase is used at the beginning of two or more sentences or phrases. |
| assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words that do not rhyme. e.g., "The black cat scratched the saddle." |
| asyndeton | The omission of conjunctions in a series. e.g, "I came, I saw, I conquered." |
| alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." |
| allusion | A reference contained in a work. |
| analogy | A comparison of two things that are somewhat alike. |
| archetypes | Primordial images and symbols that occur in literature, myth, religion, and folklore. e.g, forest, moon, stars, earth mother, warrior, etc. |
| conceit | In poetry, an unusual, elaborate comparison--essentially, an extended metaphor. |
| consonance | The repetition of a consonant at the end of two or more words. e.g., "Hop up the step." |
| metaphor | A direct comparison between dissimilar things. "Your eyes are stars" is an example. |
| parataxis | Sentences, phrases, clauses, or words arranged in coordinate rather than subordinate construction. |
| polysyndeton | The overuse of conjunctions in a sentence. |
| simile | An indirect comparison that uses the words "like" or "as" to link the differing items in the comparison. ("Your eyes are like stars.") |
| tone | The author's attitude toward his subject. |
| adjective | A word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. |
| adverb | A word that describes a verb, explaining where, when, how, or to what extent. This word modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb. |
| noun | A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. |
| preposition | A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence. |
| verb | A word or words that show the action in the sentence and tell what the subject is doing. |
| simple sentence | A sentence that is one independent clause. |
| compound sentence | A sentence consisting of two or more independent clauses. |
| complex sentence | One independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses. |
| compound-complex sentence | Two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses. |
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