| Term | Definition |
|---|
| alliteration | the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group |
| allusion | a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication |
| atmosphere | the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air. |
| ballad | any light, simple song, esp. one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody |
| biography | a story written about a person by another person |
| autobiography | a story written about a person by that person |
| cliché | a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, |
| connotation | an act or instance of connoting. |
| denotation | the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by it; |
| epic | a long poetry on a tragedy |
| epithet | any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality |
| essay | a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative. |
| simile | comparing two things using like or as |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally |
| personification | inanimate objects with human like characteristics |
| genre | a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like |
| hyperbole | obvious and intentional exaggeration. |
| imagery | the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively |
| irony | the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning |
| verbal irony | a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant |
| dramatic irony | irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play. |
| theme | a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic |
| situational irony | an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected, the difference between what is expected to happen and what actually does |
| onomatopoeia | the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. |
| figurative language | speech or writing that departs from literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning, speech or writing employing figures of speech |
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