Terms : Hide Images
| 7255055310 | Allegory | A story illustrating an idea or a moral principle in which objects take on symbolic meanings. | 0 | |
| 7255055311 | Allusion | A reference in one literary work to the words, characters, themes, etc. found in another literary work. | 1 | |
| 7255055313 | Antithesis | (a) Opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction. Example, They promised freedom and delivered slavery. (b) the direct opposite. Example: Heaven is the antithesis of hell. | 2 | |
| 7255055314 | Analogy | A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure for the purpose of clarification. | 3 | |
| 7255055322 | Colloquial language | Used in informal or familiar conversation. the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing | 4 | |
| 7255055326 | Connotation | The implied meaning of that word or phrase | 5 | |
| 7255055328 | Diction | Choice of words in speech or writing. | 6 | |
| 7255055333 | Ethos | A speaker's offering evidence that s/he is credible—knows important/relevant information. Often makes use of an Ethical appeal. | 7 | |
| 7255055334 | Euphemism | substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant. A related term is circumlocution, which can mean: 1) "talking around a word" (essentially euphemism) and 2) "talking around a subject" | 8 | |
| 7255055337 | Hyperbole | Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect. | 9 | |
| 7255055340 | Irony | Expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean another. The three main types are verbal, situational, and dramatic. | 10 | |
| 7255055341 | Logos | Clear, reasonable central idea or ideas through appropriate reasoning, examples or details. | 11 | |
| 7255055343 | Metaphor | Implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to it. An Extended Metaphor is simply a metaphor that last longer than a sentence or phrase. | 12 | |
| 7255055345 | Mood | The atmosphere of a story or text. | 13 | |
| 7255055349 | Oxymoron | Apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another. | 14 | |
| 7255055350 | Paradox | An assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it. | 15 | |
| 7255055351 | Parallelism | Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. | 16 | |
| 7255055352 | Parody | A satiric imitation of a work or of an author with the idea of ridiculing the author, his ideas, or work; A literary work that imitates the style of another literary work. Imitation | 17 | |
| 7255055353 | Pathos | Draws on emotions and interests of the audience so they will be inclined to accept the speaker's argument. See also Emotional Appeal. | 18 | |
| 7255055354 | Personification | Attribution of personality to an impersonal thing. | 19 | |
| 7255055357 | Repetition | The act of repeating something that has already been said (words, phrases, etc) | 20 | |
| 7255055358 | Rhetoric | The art of effective or persuasive writing or speaking | 21 | |
| 7255055359 | Rhetorical question | a question, to which no answer is expected, often used for rhetorical effect to repeat or stress importance | 22 | |
| 7255055360 | Sarcasm | A cutting, often-ironic remark intended to wound. Insulting, irony with teeth, just for cruelty | 23 | |
| 7255055361 | Satire | A piece of literature designed to ridicule the subject of the work. Critiquing, make a comment on something, prescriptive measure to a problem | 24 | |
| 7255055364 | Style | The manner of expression; It describes how an author uses to express his/her point | 25 | |
| 7255055367 | Syntax | The pattern or arrangement of words and phrases. | 26 | |
| 7255055369 | Theme | A general ideal contained in the text; it is not simply an idea, but one that is developed, often over the course of a text. | 27 | |
| 7255055370 | Tone | The attitude or manner towards a subject. | 28 | |
| 7255055372 | Understatement | A statement that lessens or minimizes the importance of what is meant. | 29 | |
| 7255055378 | Anaphora | The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines. | 30 | |
| 7255055381 | Begging the Question / circular reasoning / tautology | A form of logical fallacy in which an argument is assumed to be true without evidence other than the argument itself. Essentially, it is circular reasoning. My favorite example is in fact from Beavis and Butt-Head, quoted below in all their eloquence: Beavis: How come Tom Petty's on TV? Butt-Head: Because he's famous, *******. Beavis: Yeah, but how come he's famous? Butt-Head: Because he's on TV, buttmunch! Beavis: Yeah, but how come he's on TV? And so on and so ... | 31 | |
| 7255055383 | Equivocation | Occurs when a key word or phrase has two or more meanings in the same argument. (Remember the witches in Macbeth?) Example, From The Pink Panther: Clouseau: Does your dog bite? Hotel Clerk: No. Clouseau: [bowing down to pet the dog] Nice doggie. [dog bites Clouseau's hand] Clouseau: I thought you said your dog did not bite! Hotel Clerk: That is not my dog. | 32 | |
| 7255055404 | Synecdoche | Understanding one thing with another; the use of a part for the whole, or the whole for the part. (A form of metonymy.) Example: "Lend me your ears." (Pay attention.) | 33 | |
| 7255060395 | asyntedon | a stylistic device used in literature and poetry to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence, yet maintain the grammatical accuracy/For example: Without looking, without making a sound, without talking (Oedipus at Colonus by Sophecles) | 34 | |
| 7255067428 | clause | a combination of words within a sentence that is comprised of a subject and a predicate, there are 4 types/independent, dependent, relative, noun | 35 | |
| 7255079814 | didactic | literary texts which are overloaded with informative or realistic matter and are marked by the omission of graceful and pleasing details, a derogatory term referring to the forms of literature that are ostentatiously dull | 36 | |
| 7255091895 | Figure of speech | a phrase or word having different meanings than its literal meanings. It conveys meaning by identifying or comparing one thing to another, which has connotation or meaning familiar to the audience / | 37 | |
| 7255096628 | loose sentence | A sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by subordinate phrases and clauses. As the number of subordinate constructions increases, the loose sentence approaches the cumulative style "I found a large hall, obviously a former garage, dimly lit, and packed with cots." | 38 | |
| 7255104875 | pedantic | a writer, a character, feelings, tone or words concerned with precision, formalism, accuracy, minute details in order to make an arrogant and ostentatious show of learning | 39 | |
| 7255111034 | periodic sentence | Long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word--usually with an emphatic climax "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." | 40 | |
| 7255116896 | polysyndeton | The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause (opposite of asyndeton). Multiplicity, Encompass something complex, Calls attention to each item in a list / He drank a soda and orange juice and water and wine. | 41 | |
| 7255125493 | prose | a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry | 42 | |
| 7255129689 | syllogism | a rhetorical device that starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific / "All love is wonder; if we justly do Account her wonderful, why not lovely too?" | 43 | |
| 7255136502 | synesthesia | a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time | 44 | |
| 7255141846 | thesis | a statement in a non-fiction or a fiction work that a writer intends to support and prove | 45 | |
| 7255386970 | ad hominem | "against the man." As the name suggests, it is a literary term that involves commenting on or against an opponent, to undermine him instead of his arguments. A reply to an argument or assertion by attacking the person presenting the argument or assertion rather than the argument itself. Example: -I think writing well is important. -Only an ugly person like you would think that. | 46 | |
| 7255389627 | ad populum | Appealing to the emotions of a crowd; also appealing to a person to go along with the crowd. Often uses "peer pressure" style arguments without having to explain logic. Example: "Everyone's doing it!" | 47 | |
| 7255451279 | denotation | literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings | 48 |
