1.
Absolute: a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best", "all", "unique", "perfect")
2.
ad hominem argument: an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue
3.
Adage: a familiar proverb or wise saying
4.
Allegory: a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
5.
Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
6.
Allusion: a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
7.
Analogy: a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
8.
Anaphora: the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
9.
Anecdote: a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
10.
Antecedent: the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
11.
Antithesis: a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
12.
Aphorism: A concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance
13.
Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction
14.
Archetype: a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
15.
Argument: a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
16.
Asyndeton: a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
17.
Balanced Sentence: a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast
18.
Bathos: insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity
19.
Chiasmus: a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary")
20.
Cliche: an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off
21.
Climax: the point of highest interest in a literary work
22.
colloquialism: informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
23.
complex sentence: a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
24.
compound sentence: a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions
25.
conceit: a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor
26.
concrete details: details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events
27.
connotation: the implied or associative meaning of a word
28.
cumulative sentence: a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases
29.
declarative sentence: a sentence that makes a statement or declaration
30.
deductive reasoning: reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case
31.
denotation: the literal meaning of a word
32.
dialect: a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region
33.
dialogue: conversation between two or more people
34.
diction: the word choices made by a writer
35.
didactic: having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing
36.
dilemma: a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives
37.
dissonance: harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds
38.
elegy: a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme
39.
ellipsis: the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deducted from the context
40.
epic: a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
41.
epigram: a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying
42.
epigraph: a saying or statement on the title of a page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work
43.
epiphany: a moment of sudden revelation or insight
44.
epitaph: an inscription on a tombstone or burial place
45.
epithet: a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric ones are often compound adjectives that become an almost formulaic part of a name. They can be offensive or abusive but are not so by definition.
46.
eulogy: a formal speech praising a person who has died
47.
euphemism: an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
48.
exclamatory sentence: a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark
49.
expletive: an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes a profanity
50.
fable: a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters
51.
fantasy: a story that concerns an unreal world or characters; it may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point
52.
figurative language: language employing one or more figures of speech
53.
flashback: the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative
54.
flat character: a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story
55.
foreshadowing: the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work
56.
frame device: a story within a story
57.
genre: a major category or type of literature
58.
homily: a sermon, or a moralistic lecture
59.
hubris: excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy
60.
hyperbole: intentional exaggeration to create an effect
61.
hypothetical question: a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition
62.
idiom: an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect.
63.
imagery: the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses.
64.
implication: a suggestion an author or speaker makes without stating it directly.
65.
inductive reasoning: deriving general principles from particular facts or instances
66.
inference: a conclusion one draws based on premises or evidence
67.
invective: an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack
68.
irony: the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs
69.
jargon: the specialized language or vocab of a particular group or profession
70.
juxtaposition: placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
71.
legend: a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements
72.
limerick: light verse consisting of 5 lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of 3 ft) rhyme, and the 3rd and 4th lines (each consisting of 2 ft) rhyme
73.
limited narrator: a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts info to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character
74.
literary license: deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (intentional sentence fragments)
75.
litotes: a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture")
76.
malaproprism: a mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (The food is malicious).
77.
maxim: a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
GRAB THE BULL BY THE HORNS
78.
metaphor: a direct comparison of 2 different things
79.
metonymy: substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it (the pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]).
80.
mood: the emotion atmosphere of a work
81.
motif: a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works
82.
motivation: a character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which compels a character to act.
83.
myth: a traditional story presenting supernatural characters in episodes that help explain natural events
84.
narrative: a story or narrated account
85.
narrator: the one who tells the story; may be the 1st or 3rd person, limited or omniscient.
86.
non sequitur: an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally does not follow)
87.
omniscient narrator: a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters
88.
onomatopoeia: a word formed from the imitations of natural sounds
89.
oxymoron: an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined
90.
parable: a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson
91.
paradox: an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth
92.
parallelism: the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactic forms
93.
paraphrase: a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity
94.
Parenthetical: a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain
95.
Parody: a humorous imitation of a serious work
96.
Pathos: the quality in a work that prompts the readers to feel pity
97.
Pedantic: characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship
98.
Personification: endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics
99.
Philippic: a strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century
100.
Plot: the action of a narrative or drama
