Terms : Hide Images
| 10500259983 | Alliteration | The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of consecutive words. Example: Dan's dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove. | 0 | |
| 10500271921 | Allusion | An indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event. Example: When your parents learn about your new plan to raise money, it's going to sink like the Titanic. | 1 | |
| 10500279365 | Anadiplosis | A repetition of a word in successive clauses in a way that the last word of a clause or sentence is repeated as the first word of the following clause or sentence. Example: Jennifer had a problem, and her problem was getting bigger by the minute. | 2 | |
| 10500285213 | Analogy | An extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things. Example: Finding a good man is like finding a needle in a haystack. | 3 | |
| 10500291935 | Anaphora | The repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or paragraphs. Example (poem): "After the torchlight red on sweaty faces, / After the frosty silence in the gardens, / After the agony in stony places," | 4 | |
| 10500306939 | Anastrophe | The inversion of the usual order of words in phrases. Example: In the night sky shimmered the moon. | 5 | |
| 10500311491 | Anecdote | A short account of an interesting event. Example (described): Before beginning a lecture on why staying out late is inappropriate, a father tells his daughter about a scary incident he had one time when he stayed out too late. | 6 | |
| 10500318523 | Annotation | Explanatory or critical notes added to a text. | 7 | |
| 10500324354 | Antecedent | The noun to which a later pronoun refers. Example: "Adeline bit her lip." [Adeline = antecedent] | 8 | |
| 10500329404 | Antimetabole | The repetition of exact same words in a reverse order to sharpen a contrast. Example: Charm is a woman's strength, strength is a man's charm. *It is considered a subcategory of the Chiasmus. Classically, chiasmus refers to a figure of speech in which concepts were introduced in the first half of a sentence, then repeated in reverse order. Chiasmus, however, was not used for structures in which the words themselves were repeated, but only the concepts. The definition of the Antimetabole states that words are repeated in reverse order. - This is what a plain & regular Chiasmus looks like: Dark was the night and the day dawned light. | 9 | |
| 10500371265 | Antithesis | Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas. Example: We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. | 10 | |
| 10500383029 | Aphorism | A short, astute statement of a general truth. It is usually nicely put so that it states the truth in a memorable way. Example: I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees. | 11 | |
| 10500400138 | Apostrophe | A direct address to a character, idea, deity, object, or abstraction that is not present. (Because there is a clear speaker and change of addressee, apostrophe is most commonly found in plays.) Example: Hold, on, my kid's going crazy—Jim, come back here, stop running with scissors! | 12 | |
| 10500420637 | Appositive | A word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun. Example: The fastest man ever timed, Usain Bolt is competing in Rio this summer. | 13 | |
| 10500432525 | Archaic diction | The use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language. For an example, remember Hawthorne's dialogues. | 14 | |
| 10500438061 | Assumption | A belief or statement taken for granted without proof. An example of Assumption is expecting or believing that there will be food at a party without one actually having any idea if there will for sure. | 15 | |
| 10503852605 | Asyndeton | Leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, clauses. Example: An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was thick, warm, heavy, sluggish. | 16 | |
| 10503860229 | Attitude | The speaker's position on a subject as revealed through his or her tone. | 17 | |
| 10503862136 | Authority | A reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge. For example our Myers' book for AP Psychology. | 18 | |
| 10503866893 | Bias | Prejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue. For example, teachers on a good amount of cases aren't allowed to teach their own children. | 19 | |
| 10505382369 | Chiasmus | The repetition of the exact same grammatical structure of balanced clauses in a reverse order. Example: Don't let a fool kiss you, a kiss fool you. | 20 | |
| 10505636031 | Close reading | A careful reading that is attentive to organization, figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other literary and structural elements of a text. |  | 21 |
| 10505649412 | Colloquial/ism | An informal or conversational use of language. Example: "I didn't want to go back no more. I had stopped cussing, because the widow didn't like it; but now I took to it again because pap hadn't no objections... But by-and-by pap got too handy with his hick'ry, and I couldn't stand it. I was all over with welts. He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in. Once he locked me in and was gone three days. It was dreadful lonesome." | 22 | |
| 10505663060 | Compound sentence | A sentence that consists of independent clauses. Example: The photographer held up a bear, and the little boy smiled. | 23 | |
| 10505677999 | Complex sentence | A sentence that consists of independent and dependent clauses. Example: We won the game, but my uniform was muddy because it rained the entire time. | 24 | |
| 10505694807 | Concession | A reluctant acknowledgment or yielding. For example, in argumentative speech and writing, the speaker or writer makes an argument supported by claims, or evidence. Sometimes, the writer or speaker also includes a concession, which is when the opposing viewpoint is acknowledged. | 25 | |
| 10505701643 | Connotation | That which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning (see denotation). For example, the words childish, childlike and youthful have the same denotative, but different connotative, meanings. Childish and childlike have a negative connotation, as they refer to immature behavior of a person. Whereas, youthful implies that a person is lively and energetic. | 26 | |
| 10505713732 | Coordination | Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but. *Albanian: Bashkerenditja | 27 | |
| 10505726488 | Counterargument | A challenge to a position; an opposing argument. | 28 | |
| 10505738870 | Cumulative sentence (a.k.a. loose sentence) | A type of sentence that begins with an independent clause followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail. Example: The radiators put out lots of heat, too much, in fact, and old-fashioned sounds and smells came with it, exhalations of the matter that composes our own mortality, and reminiscent of the intimate gases we all diffuse. [Main part = The radiators put out lots of heat.] | 29 | |
| 10505773119 | Declarative sentence (1/4) | A sentence that makes a statement. Example: Fran is sad. *Albanian: Deftorja | 30 | |
| 10505790032 | Deduction | Reasoning from general to specific. *AP Psychology: Top-down reasoning | 31 | |
| 10505800745 | Denotation | The literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition. Example: 'Gay' literally means "lighthearted and carefree". | 32 | |
| 10505815022 | Dialect | Language that is particular to a specific region or social group. Example: American English vs. British English vs. Australian English | 33 | |
| 10505823605 | Diction | Word choice. | 34 | |
| 10505828690 | Elegiac | Mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone. For example, "Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines" by P. Neruda | 35 | |
| 10505849390 | Ellipsis | A set of dots that indicate the omission of word or words from speech or writing. Example: ... / . . . (depends on where it is being used) | 36 | |
| 10505856317 | Epanalepsis | The repetition of the same phrase in the beginning and the end of a sentence. Example: Take it easy baby, take it easy. | 37 | |
| 10505872880 | Epigram | A brief witty statement. Example: If we don't end war, war will end us. | 38 | |
| 10505880936 | Epistrophe (a.k.a. Epiphora) | The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. Example: I want pizza, he wants pizza, we all want pizza! | 39 | |
| 10505896980 | Ethos | A Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see logos and pathos). Scenario example: At a meeting about new standards in education, the featured speaker is a college professor, who argues for the new standards. | 40 | |
| 10505931556 | Euphemism | A polite or mild word to substitute something embarrassing, taboo, or unpleasant. For example saying 'negative patient outcome' instead of 'dead'. | 41 | |
| 10505962866 | Figurative language | The use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect. Example: metaphor, parallelism, etc. | 42 | |
| 10506000778 | Figure of speech | An expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning. | 43 | |
| 10506002910 | Hyperbole | Exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. Example: It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing hats and jackets. | 44 | |
| 10506009287 | Imagery | Vivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing). Example: I could hear the popping and crackling as mom dropped the bacon into the frying pan, and soon the salty, greasy smell wafted toward me. | 45 | |
| 10506015470 | Imperative sentence (2/4) | A sentence that requests or commands. Example: Get out of here! *Albanian: Urdherorja | 46 | |
| 10506025849 | Induction | Reasoning from specific to general. "If you have trouble remembering the difference between inductive and deductive logic, consider their roots. Induction comes from Latin for 'to induce' or 'to lead.' Inductive logic follows a trail, picking up clues that lead to the end of an argument. Deduction (both in rhetoric and expense accounts) means 'to take away.' Deduction uses a commonplace to pull you away from your current opinion." Example: The following passage comes from Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech to Congress on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, declaring a state of war between the United States and Japan. "Yesterday the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island. Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area." | 47 | |
| 10506139529 | Inversion | A sentence in which the verb precedes the subject; reverse order of sentence elements. Example: The iambic pentameter that a poet uses. | 48 | |
| 10506186074 | Irony | A contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result. | 49 | |
| 10506187601 | Jargon | Language that is used in a specific setting or context. | 50 | |
| 10506190436 | Juxtaposition | Placement of two things side by side for contrast and emphasis. | 51 | |
| 10506193562 | Logos | A Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and pathos). | 52 | |
| 10506199416 | Malapropism | A similar sounding but incorrect or inappropriate word that is used in place of another word (by accident or on purpose, often for a humorous effect). Example: "Our watch, sir, has indeed comprehended two auspicious persons"(apprehended two suspicious persons) | 53 | |
| 10506210069 | Metaphor | A figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison. Example: The curtain of night fell upon us. | 54 | |
| 10506221928 | Metonymy | A word or phrase that represents something closely related to it (similar to synecdoche, but in metonymy the part does not have to represent the whole entity). Example: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears," from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is another metonymy. Although "ears" are part of a person, they are not being used to describe the whole here. Instead, "ears" represents attention and notice. | 55 | |
| 10506246395 | Oxymoron | A combination of two contradictory terms in one phrase. | 56 | |
| 10506248915 | Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true. Example: You can save money by spending it. | 57 | |
| 10506260810 | Parallelism (structure) | The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns. | 58 | |
| 10506264422 | Parentheticals | Information written in parentheses. Example: My umbrella (which is somewhat broken) can still shield the two of us from the rain. | 59 | |
| 10510002190 | Parody | A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule. Example: "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (spoof on all Robin Hood movies) | 60 | |
| 10510006421 | Passive voice | A grammatical structure in which the subject is acted on by the verb. *Albanian: forma joveprore | 61 | |
| 10510010679 | Pathos | A Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals (see ethos and logos). | 62 | |
| 10510011238 | Persona | The speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing. For another example, the persona I use in front of the child I babysit is different from the one I use in front of my school-friends. Most people show a different persona when working than with friends. | 63 | |
| 10510018030 | Periodic sentence | A sentence that has the main clause at the end. Example: In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued. | 64 | |
| 10510019943 | Personification | Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects. | 65 | |
| 10510020573 | Polemic | An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion. | 66 | |
| 10510021093 | Polysyndeton | The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions. Example: The boy ran over the grass and jumped over the grass and jumped over the puddle and skipped through the yard and hopped around the tree and swam through the stream. | 67 | |
| 10510023450 | Propaganda | A negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information. | 68 | |
| 10510023920 | Pun | A play on words that have more than one meaning or sound similar (for a comic effect). Example: Atheism is a non-prophet organization. In this case, the word "non-prophet" plays on the more common "nonprofit". *Depends on the situation | 69 | |
| 10510031581 | Refute | To discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument. | 70 | |
| 10510032205 | Rhetoric | The study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion." | 71 | |
| 10510032957 | Rhetorical modes | Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation. | 72 | |
| 10510036085 | Rhetorical question | A question asked more to produce an effect than to summon an answer. | 73 | |
| 10510036667 | Rhetorical shift | A noticeable change in the speaker or writer's focus, tone, style, or mode (organization). | 74 | |
| 10510037577 | Satire | An ironic, sarcastic, humorous, and witty composition that exposes the folly or corruption of an individual or the whole society. | 75 | |
| 10510037937 | Simile | A figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things. | 76 | |
| 10510040711 | Simple sentence | A statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause. *Albanian: fjalia e thjeshte | 77 | |
| 10510041621 | Style | The distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech. | 78 | |
| 10510043339 | Subject | In rhetoric, the topic addressed in a piece of writing. | 79 | |
| 10510044779 | Subordinate clause | Created by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause. *Albanian: pjesa e nenrenditur | 80 | |
| 10510046610 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is meant to represent the whole entity. *A synecdoche uses one representative part to describe the whole. For instances, "glasses" are just one part of a device that helps us to see better; the other part, the frame, is not mentioned. Calling your car "set of wheels" is another common synecdoche. | 81 | |
| 10510054585 | Syntax | Sentence structure. | 82 | |
| 10510055383 | Synthesize | Combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex. | 83 | |
| 10510062567 | Thesis | The central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer. | 84 | |
| 10510067680 | Thesis statement | A statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit. *Your fav that's always missing in essays* | 85 | |
| 10510068316 | Tone | The speaker's attitude toward the subject or audience. | 86 | |
| 10510070575 | Topic sentence | A sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's idea and often unites it with the work's thesis. | 87 | |
| 10510086677 | Tricolon | A rhetorical device that employs three parallel words, phrases, or clauses. "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." (In the beginning and at the end) | 88 | |
| 10510089781 | Trope | Artful diction; the use of language in a non-literal way; also called a figure of speech. | 89 | |
| 10510092008 | Understatement | Lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect. For example, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter "I am delighted", you are making an understatement. | 90 | |
| 10510095433 | Voice | In grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing. | 91 | |
| 10510096014 | Zeugma | A construction in which one word (usually a verb) modifies or governs—often in different, sometimes incongruent ways—two or more words in a sentence. Example: She broke his car and his heart. | 92 |
