| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically |
| alliteration | the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds |
| 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 |
| antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
| antithesis | the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite |
| aphorism | a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. |
| atmosphere | the emotional nod 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 |
| caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics |
| clause | a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb |
| colloquial/colloquialism | the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing |
| conceit | a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| connotation | the non literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. |
| denotation | the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color |
| diction | related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness |
| didactic | from greek meaning teaching; words that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles |
| euphemism | greek= good speech; more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. |
| 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 literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid |
| figure of speech | a device used to produce figurative language |
| generic conventions | this term describes traditions for each genre; help to define each genre |
| genre | the major category into which a literary work fits |
| homily | literally means sermon, but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement |
| 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 denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language |
| irony/ironic | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true |
| litotes | a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite |
| loose sentence/non-periodic sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent, grammatical units such as phrases/clauses |
| metaphor | a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity |
| metonymy | greek meaning "changed label" or "substituted name"; figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it |
| mood | the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work |
| narrative | the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events |
| onomatopoeia | a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words |
| oxymoron | greek for "pointedly foolish," a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox |
| paradox | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity |
| parallelism | comes from greek root meaning "beside another". It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. Can involve but not limited to: repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase |
| anaphora | a sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences |
| parody | a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule |
| pedantic | an adjective that describes words, phrases or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. "big words for the sake of big words" |
| periodic sentence | the opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end |
| personification | a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions |
| point of view | in literature, the perspective from which a story is told. 2 types, first person and third person |
| prose | one of the major divisions of genre, it refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms |
| repetition | the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern |
| rhetoric | from greek meaning "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively |
| rhetorical modes | flexible term describes the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. 4 most common are exposition, argumentation, description, and narration |
| sarcasm | from greek meaning "to tear flesh." it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something |
| satire | a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule |
| semantics | the branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another |
| style | (1) an evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. (2) classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors |
| subject complement | the word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it (predicate nominative), or describing it (predicate adjective) |
| subordinate clause | like all clauses, this word contains both a subject and a verb, but unlike the independent clause, it cannot stand alone; doesnt express a complete though |
| syllogism | from greek for "reckoning together," it is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. Major and Minor types |
| symbol/symbolism | generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or occasionally, the whole is used to represent the part |
| synesthesia | when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another |
| syntax | the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences |
| theme | the central idea or message of a work, the insight of it offers into life |
| thesis | in expository writing, it is the sentence or group of sentences that directly express the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position |
| tone | similar to mood, it describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both |
| transition | a word or phrase that links different ideas |
| understatement | the ironic minimizing of fact, it presents something as less significant than it is |
| wit | in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights |
Combine with other sets
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