allegory
using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction
alliteration
repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
allusion
a direct or indirect reference to something
ambiguity
multiple meanings of a word, phrase, etc.
analogy
a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them
antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
antithesis
involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure
aphorism
a terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle
apostrophe
directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction
atmosphere
the emotional mood
caricature
the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect
inverted chiasmus parallelism
clause
contains both a subject and a verb
colloquialism
slang or informality
conceit
a fanciful expression that is an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
the nonliteral, connotation associative meaning
dictionary denotation definition
diction
related to style and the writer's word choices
didactic
"instructive" with the primary aim of instructing or teaching
euphemism
a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts
extended metaphor
a metaphor occurring frequently in or throughout a work
figurative language
is not intended to carry literal meaning
figure of speech
a device used to produce figurative language
describes generic traditions for conventions each genre
genre
the major category into which a literary work fits
homily
"sermon"
hyperbole
A deliberate exaggeration
imagery
sensory details that refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory
inference/infer
to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented
invective
an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack
irony
the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what it really meant
juxtaposition
placing dissimilar items especially for comparison or contrast
loose sentence
the main idea, followed by a dependent grammatical unit
metaphor
using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other
substitute metonymy name
mood
indicative, subjunctive, and imperative
narrative
the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events
sounds like onomatopoeia whoosh! whack! boom! meow!
oxymoron
"pointedly foolish", suggest a paradox
paradox
a statement that appears to be self-contradictory
parallelism
"beside one another", parallel construction or parallel structure
parody
a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule
pedantic
overly scholarly, academic, or bookish
periodic sentence
a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end
personification
describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told
predicate adjective
an adjective or group of adjectives that follows a linking verb
predicate nominative
a noun or group of nouns that renames the subject and follows a linking verb
prose
ordinary language and most closely resemble everyday speech
repetition
duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language
rhetoric
"orator" term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively
rhetorical appeal
persuasive device to sway the audience's attention: logos, ethos, and pathos
rhetorical modes
term describes the variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing: argumentation, exposition, description, and narration
rhetorical question
a question that is asked that is asked merely for effect and is not intended for a reply
sarcasm
"to tear flesh" involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something
satire
a work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule
simile
an explicit comparison, normally using "like", "as", or "if"
style
sum of the choices an author makes, or classification
subject complement
the word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements the subject by either renaming or describing it
subordinate clause
contains both a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone
syllogism
a deductive system of formal logic that present two premises
symbol/symbolism
anything that represents or stands for something else: natural, conventional, literary
syntax
the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences
theme
The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life
thesis
in expository writing, it directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning...
tone
describes the author's attitude toward his or her material
transition
a word or phrase that links different ideas
understatement
presents something less significant than it is: litotes, meiosis
wit
is intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights
