Terms : Hide Images
| 3006920141 | Anaphora | Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. | 0 | |
| 3006948383 | Asyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunctions) to separate a series of words. The parts are emphasized equally when the conjunction is omitted; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. Asyndeton takes the form of X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z. | 1 | |
| 3006952377 | Balance | Construction in which both halves of the sentence are about the same length and importance. | 2 | |
| 3006955576 | Chiasmus | Arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of X Y Y X. Chiasmus is often short and summarizes a main idea. | 3 | |
| 3006971919 | Cumulative | Sentence that begins with the main idea and then expands on that idea with a series of details or other particulars. | 4 | |
| 3006976279 | Diction | Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang. | 5 | |
| 3006979668 | Elliptical | Sentence structure that leaves out something in the second half. (... we sometimes see in writing). Usually, there is a subject-verb-object combination in the first half of the sentence, and the second half of the sentence will repeat the structure but omit the verb and use a comma to indicate the removed material. | 6 | |
| 3006986957 | Freight-train | Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by conjunctions. | 7 | |
| 3006990985 | Inversion | Variation of the normal word order (subject first, then verb, then complement) that puts a modifier or the verb as first in the sentence. The element that appears first is emphasized more than the subject. | 8 | |
| 3006994031 | Isocolon | When parallel structures have the same number of words and sometimes even of syllables. | 9 | |
| 3007000510 | Negative-positive | Sentence that begins by stating what is not true and then ending by stating what is true.v | 10 | |
| 3007006433 | Paradox | A seemingly contradictory statement that is actually true. This rhetorical device is often used for emphasis or simply to attract attention. | 11 | |
| 3007009303 | Periodic | A sentence that places a main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements. | 12 | |
| 3007012503 | Polysyndeton | Sentence which uses and or another conjunction (with no commas) to separate the items in a series. Appears in the form X and Y and Z, stressing equally each member of the series. It makes the sentence slower and the items more emphatic than in the asyndeton. | 13 | |
| 3007017084 | Repetition | Word or phrase used two or more times in close proximity. | 14 | |
| 3007019479 | Syntactic Permutation | Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. This construction is often difficult for a reader to follow. | 15 | |
| 3007024690 | Tricolon | Sentence consisting of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three independent clauses. | 16 | |
| 3007088065 | Syntactic Fluency | The ability to create a meaningful variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple and varied in length. | 17 | |
| 3007093482 | Style | The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. The unified combination creates a work's manner of expression. It is thought to be both conscious and unconscious and may be altered to suit specific occasions. It is often habitual and evolves over time. | 18 |
