| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. |
| allegory | for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. |
| alliteration | the repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). |
| alliteration | the repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. |
| allusion | a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. |
| allusion | can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical |
| 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 |
| analogy | can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. They can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. |
| 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 a moral principle |
| aphorism | a memorable summation of the author's point. |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. |
| apostrophe | the effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. |
| 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 |
| atmosphere | can create a mood (weather) |
| 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. |
| independent, or main, clause | expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence |
| dependent, or subordinate clause | cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause |
| colloquial/colloquialism | the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. |
| colloquial/colloquialism | not generally acceptable for formal writing, gives a work a conversational, familiar tone, includes local or regional dialects. |
| conceit | a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| conceit | displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. |
| connotation | the non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. |
| connotation | may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. |
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