Terms : Hide Images
| 13740191564 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. | 0 | |
| 13740195219 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in tow or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 1 | |
| 13740206503 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. | 2 | |
| 13740209139 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 13740209865 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. It can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. It can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 4 | |
| 13740219277 | Anaphora | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. | 5 | |
| 13740221197 | Anecdote | A short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person. | 6 | |
| 13740222529 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. | 7 | |
| 13740224831 | Antithesis | Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences. It creates a definitive and systematic relationship between ideas. | 8 | |
| 13740230939 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. It can be a memorable summation of the author's point. | 9 | |
| 13740233961 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect is to give vent to or display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back. | 10 | |
| 13740239341 | Asyndeton | Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can give the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account. | 11 | |
| 13740243913 | Atmosphere | The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. It frequently foreshadows events. | 12 | |
| 13740249154 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element should also become aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | 13 | |
| 13740256131 | Colloquialism/Colloquial | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing but they give a work a conversational, familiar tone. | 14 | |
| 13740262942 | Coherence | A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. | 15 | |
| 13740265339 | Connotation | The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning; may involve ideas, emotions or attitudes. | 16 | |
| 13740270675 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | 17 | |
| 13740272440 | Diascope | Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase: word/phrase...x...word/phrase...x... | 18 | |
| 13740274758 | Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | 19 | |
| 13740276599 | Didactic | Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive; a piece of writing that is written in a way as to treat the reader in a patronizing way. | 20 | |
| 13740280983 | Enumeratio | Figure of amplification in which a subject is divided into constituent parts or details, and may include a listing of causes, effects, problems, solutions, conditions, and consequences; the listing or detailing of the parts of something. | 21 | |
| 13740285724 | Expletive | Figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side. | 22 | |
| 13740292068 | Euphemism | A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. It may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. | 23 | |
| 13740295961 | Exposition | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose is to explain something. | 24 | |
| 13740299833 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 25 | |
| 13740303564 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 26 | |
| 13740306126 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. | 27 | |
| 13740309421 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. | 28 | |
| 13740313277 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 29 | |
| 13740314251 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. | 30 | |
| 13740318425 | Hypophora | Figure of reasoning in which one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). | 31 | |
| 13740320538 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. It uses terms related to the five senses. | 32 | |
| 13740327070 | Inference/Infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | 33 | |
| 13740330072 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 34 | |
| 13740331023 | Irony/Ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. | 35 | |
| 13740335159 | Juxtaposition | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. | 36 | |
| 13740340245 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. This language makes the writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking and meaningful. | 37 | |
| 13740345785 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional response. | 38 | |
| 13740352255 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect it. | 39 | |
| 13740358590 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 40 | |
| 13740360568 | Onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. | 41 | |
| 13740362358 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. | 42 | |
| 13740366815 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. | 43 | |
| 13740368221 | Parallelism | Refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. | 44 | |
| 13740370139 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It distorts or exaggerated distinctive features of the original. | 45 | |
| 13740374350 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. | 46 | |
| 13740376329 | Personification | A figure of speech in which the author present or describes concepts, animals or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. | 47 | |
| 13740381728 | Polysyndeton | Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses; the deliberate and excessive use of conjunctions in successive words or clauses. The effect is a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration and building up - a persistence or intensity. | 48 | |
| 13740391456 | Predicate Adjective | One type of subject complement is an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clauses that follows a linking verb. | 49 | |
| 13740395477 | Predicate Nominative | A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that names the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence. | 50 | |
| 13740397800 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre; refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. | 51 | |
| 13740399467 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 52 | |
| 13740400070 | Rhetoric | Describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively | 53 | |
| 13740402018 | Rhetorical Modes | Describes the variety, the conventions, and the purpose of the major kinds of writing. | 54 | |
| 13740403652 | Rhetorical Question | A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected. | 55 | |
| 13740404456 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. | 56 | |
| 13740406999 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 57 | |
| 13740407479 | Style | An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other; Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. | 58 | |
| 13740412276 | Subjective Complement | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follows a linking verb and completes the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it. | 59 | |
| 13740421535 | Subordinate Clause | A clause in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and that functions within the sentence as a noun or adjective or adverb | 60 | |
| 13740424197 | Syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. | 61 | |
| 13740437823 | Symbolism | Anything that represents itself and stands for something else. | 62 | |
| 13740440871 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole, the whole for a part, the specific for the general, the general for the specific, or the material for the thing made from it. In short, any portion, section or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa). | 63 | |
| 13740448930 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. | 64 | |
| 13740449929 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. | 65 | |
| 13740451330 | Thesis | The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. | 66 | |
| 13740452275 | Tone | Describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. It is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. | 67 | |
| 13740455565 | Transition | A word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph; shifts the focus from one idea to another. | 68 | |
| 13740459164 | Understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. | 69 | |
| 13740463063 | Undertone | An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. | 70 | |
| 13740463744 | Wit | Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights | 71 |
