| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning |
| alliterations | the repetion of sounds, especially inital constant sounds in two or more neighboring words |
| allusion | a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place or work of art |
| ambiguity | the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence or passage |
| analogy | a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them |
| anaphora | one of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses or sentences |
| anecdote | a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event |
| antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
| aphorism | a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses ab absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love |
| atmosphere | the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described |
| clause | a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb |
| colloquial/ colloquialism | the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing |
| coherence | a principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arrangesd so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible |
| conceit | a fanciful expression usually in the form of an extended metaphor or suprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| connotation | the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning |
| denotation | the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, deviod of any emotion, attitude, or color |
| diction | related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, and effectiveness |
| didactic | literally means "teaching"; has the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles |
| euphemism | Greek for "good speech", a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept |
| exposition | one of the four chief types of composition; purpose is to explain something; in drama, it is the introductory material, which creates the tone and gives the setting and introduces the conflict and characters |
| extended metaphor | a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work |
| figurative language | writing or speech that is not intended to carry a literal meaning and is usually mean to be imaginative and vivid |
| figure of speech | a device used to produce figurative language; includes apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonomy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatment |
| generic conventions | describes traditions for each genre |
| genre | major category into which a literary work fits; includes prose, poetry, and drama |
| homily | literally means "sermon", but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice |
| hyperbole | a figre of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatment |
| imagery | the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions |
| inference/ infer | to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented |
| invective | an emotionally violent, verbal dununciation or attack using strong, abusive language |
| irony/ ironic | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true |
| loose sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by a dependent gramatical units such as phrases or clauses |
| metaphor | a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity |
Combine with other sets
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