| Term | Definition |
|---|
| tri-colon | another term for parallelism |
| alliteration | using the same beginning consonant sounds in a line of prose or poetry |
| allusion | a reference to prior reading or knowledge |
| antithesis | two opposite clauses in one sentence |
| assonance | the same vowel sounds throughout a line of poetry or prose |
| analogy | a comparison between things |
| antecedent | word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
| aphorism | a short statement that makes a point about life |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech addressing something abstract |
| anaphora | a device of repetition ex: when the earth was young, when the waters were clear, when the wind was free, when the grass grew green, i walked the steps of life. |
| consonance | a strategy in poetry where the final consonants are the same but produce a different sound ex. good.... food |
| colloquial language | informal language |
| connotative meaning | the implied meaning |
| denotative meaning | the exact, dictionary meaning of a word |
| conceit | an extended comparison of two opposite subjects |
| asyndeton | a condensed form of expression w/o conjunctions ex. i came, i saw, i conquered. |
| caesura | pause in literature, for effect |
| chiasmus | a sentence that is balanced with opposites ex. flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike. |
| didactic | primary aim is to teach |
| pedantic | being overly scholarly |
| euphemism | substituting politically correct language for the truth |
| ellipsis | an omission |
| epiphany | a sudden flash of understanding |
| homily | a moralizing lecture or sermon |
| hyperbole | exaggeration for effect |
| imagery | vivid description |
| irony | when the outcome is different than expected |
| metaphor | a direct comparison |
| metonomy | substituting of one object to represent another |
| synecdoche | having a part represent the whole |
| oxymoron | two opposite words that make one meaning |
| paradox | a balancing of opposites |
| parallelism | repetitive structural phrasing in a sentence |
| personification | giving human traits to something inhuman |
| predicate adjective | a type of subject compliment using adjectives ex. Nate is tall, dark, and handsome. |
| predicate nominative | a type of subject compliment using noun phrase ex. Abe Lincoln is a man of integrity. |
| sarcasm | ridicule |
| satire | writing that targets the folly and vices of men and society |
| syllogism | deductive, logical reasoning (Always three lines that stand out) ex. All public libraries serve people. This is a public library. This library serves the people. |
| syntax | sentence structure |
| theme | the main idea of the main point |
| understatement | making something seem less than it really is |
| invective | strong, abusive language |
| motif | recurring theme |
| ad hominen | personal attack |
Combine with other sets
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