| Term | Definition |
|---|
| allegory | form of extended metaphor, in which objects, person, & actions in a narrative are equated with the meanings outside the narrative. |
| alliteration | repetition of intial sounds in neighboring words |
| anaphora | deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at beginning of several successive verses |
| antithesis | opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or a parallel construction |
| aphorism | brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle |
| apostrophe | when an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds |
| asyndeton | stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses |
| chiasmus | type of rhetoric in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first |
| colloquial | informal spoken language or conversation |
| conceit | an elaborate, usually intellectually ingenious poetic comparison or image |
| consonance | the repetition of constant sounds but not vowels |
| dialect | the language of a particular district, class or group of persons |
| diction | choice and use of words used in speech or writing |
| didactic | literature that is instructional or informative |
| elegy | a type of literature defined as a song or poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation |
| epistrophe | a figure in which successive clauses end with the same word or affirmation |
| epitaph | brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person |
| ethos | the disposition, character, or fundamental values peculiar to a specific group; persuasive appeal of one's character or credibility |
| eulogy | a laudatory speech or written tribute, especially praising someone who died |
| euphemism | the substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend the listener |
| exposition | rhetorical discourse intended to give information about or explanation of difficult material |
| homily | a sermon, or short exhortatory work to be read before a group of listeners in order to instruct them spiritually or morally |
| hyperbole | exaggeration or overstatement |
| inference | to draw reasonable conclusion from the information presented |
| irony | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant |
| jargon | potentially confusing words and phrases used in an occupation, trade, or field of study |
| juxtaposition | the arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions for the purpose of comparison, contrast, or rhetorical effect |
| litote | figure of speech in which affirmative is expressed by negation of the opposite. Irony using understatement. |
| loose sentence | the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units |
| metonymy | metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase |
| mood | the atmosphere (feeling) that the literary work conveys to the reader |
| narrative | rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually in chronological order |
| oxymoron | a figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side |
| paradox | using contradiction in a manner that oddly makes sense at a deeper level |
| parallel structure | when the writer establishes similar patterns of grammatically structure and length |
| pathos | a writer's or speaker's attempt to inspire an emotional reaction in audience (emotional appeal) |
| periodic sentence | a long sentence that is not gramatically complete until leader reaches the final portion of the sentence |
| rhetorical question | a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected |
| allusion | brief reference to a person, event or place, real or ficticious |
| logos | persuasion by demonstration of the truth, real, or apparent |
| satire | a text that uses irony or wit to expose/ attack human rise, foolishness, or stupidity |
| simile | figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared using like or as |
| symbol | anything that stands or represents something else |
| synecdoche | figure of speech in which a part is used to represent a whole, the whole for the pert, specific for general and vice versa |
| syntax | the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses or sentences |
| theme | a central message or insight into the life expressed in the literary work |
| tone | the attitude toward the subject and audience conveyed by the language and rhythm of the speaker in the work |
| voice | an author or narrator's distinct style or manner of expression |
| zeugma | the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be gramatically or logically correct with only one |
Combine with other sets
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