Terms : Hide Images
| 10794354733 | adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying (the early bird gets the worm) | 0 | |
| 10794357096 | ad hominem argument | attacking the character of the arguer rather than the argument itself | 1 | |
| 10794360616 | allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. | 2 | |
| 10794369068 | Alliteration | the practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound (the twisting trout tinkled below) | 3 | |
| 10794374553 | allusion | a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing | 4 | |
| 10794379481 | Anadiplosis | Figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or terms in one sentence, clause, or phrase is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of the next sentence, clause, or phrase. (fear leads to anger; anger leads hate; hate leads to suffering) | 5 | |
| 10794386501 | Ambiguity | Allows for two or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a work. | 6 | |
| 10794388890 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. | 7 | |
| 10794390344 | 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. | 8 | |
| 10794394080 | Antanagoge | placing a good point or benefit next to a fault criticism, or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point (the new anti-pollution equipment will increase the price of the product slightly, I am aware; but the effluent water from the plant will be actually cleaner than the water coming in) | 9 | |
| 10794431029 | 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. | 10 | |
| 10794432508 | antecedent | the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers (peter was more unhappy for he could not sleep at night) | 11 | |
| 10794445540 | Antithesis | the juxtaposition of contrasting words, often in parallel structure (I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character) | 12 | |
| 10794469623 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.(it is better to be hated for what one is than loved for what one is not") | 13 | |
| 10794485299 | Aporia | expresses doubt about an idea or conclusion. Among its several uses are the suggesting of alternatives without making a commitment to either or any. can also dismiss assertions irrelevant to your discussion without either conceding or denying them | 14 | |
| 10977612860 | Apostrophe | a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate, as if animate. They are addressed directly | 15 | |
| 10977625635 | Appositive | A noun or noun phrase that follows another noun immediately or defines or amplifies its meaning (john and jane, two excellent students, passed the AP test) | 16 | |
| 10977633379 | Assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words, e.g. the words "cry" and "side" have the same vowel sound | 17 | |
| 10977733672 | Asyndeton | the omission of conjunctions between related clauses (i came, i saw, i conquered) | 18 | |
| 10977747942 | bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity | 19 | |
| 10977921373 | Chiasmus | a form of parallelism; a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part structurally reversed (he was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man) | 20 | |
| 10977968179 | cliché | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off (were not out of the woods yet!) | 21 | |
| 10977975391 | colloquial | the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing. Gives work a conversational, familiar tone. Include local or regional dialects. | 22 | |
| 10977996106 | complex sentence | A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause (when we handed in the homework, he forgot to hand in the last page) | 23 | |
| 10978011493 | compound sentence | a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions (i tried to speak french, but my friend spoke it better) | 24 | |
| 10978019770 | conceit | a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. (comparing a prison cell to the world or an icy garden to your heart) | 25 | |
| 10978047412 | Conduplicatio | resembles anadiplosis in the repetition of a preceding word, but it repeats a key word (not just the last word) from a preceding phrase, clause, or sentence, at the beginning of the next. (I could list the problems which cause people to feel cynical, problems which include lack of integrity in government) | 26 | |
| 10978061923 | context | the convergence of time, place, audience, and motivating factors in which a piece of writing or a speech is situated | 27 | |
| 10978086608 | consonance | the repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect (drawing blinds did nothing indubitably different) | 28 | |
| 10978101120 | circomlocution | the use of unnecessarily large number of words or an indirect means of expression to express an idea so as to affect an evasion in speech | 29 | |
| 10978116592 | cumulative sentence | a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by a defendant grammatical units such as phrases and clause (i write this at a wide desk in a pine shed as I always do these recent year, in this life I pray will last, while the summer sun closes the sky to Orion and to all the other winter stars over my roof) | 30 | |
| 11228898773 | declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement (the sky is blue) | 31 | |
| 11228900933 | dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region | 32 | |
| 11228902634 | diction | author's word choice. includes connotation/denotation and levels of formality | 33 | |
| 11228907580 | distinctio | Figure of explication in which an introductory reference to a word's meaning is made (e.g., "by x I mean", "which is to say that", "that is") followed by a further elaboration of that word's meaning; explicit definition of or elaboration upon the meaning or meanings of a particular word or set of words. (to make methanol for twenty-five cents a gallon is impossible; by "impossible" I mean currently beyond our technological capabilities | 34 | |
| 11228921044 | double entendre | the double (or multiple) meanings of a group of words that the speaker or writer has purposely left ambiguous (if I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?) | 35 | |
| 11228929154 | epigram | a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying | 36 | |
| 11228930359 | epigraph | a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work | 37 | |
| 11228931464 | epithet | a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. often compound adjectives ("swift-footed Achilles") that become an almost formulaic part of a name. can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. | 38 | |
| 11228938880 | Epistrophe | The opposite of anaphora, repetition at the end of successive clauses (They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no evil) | 39 | |
| 11228952808 | eponym | in rhetoric, similar to allusion, referring to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else. (is he smart? why, the man is an Einstein) | 40 | |
| 11228958806 | ethos | The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator | 41 | |
| 11228959982 | Euphemism | an indirect expression of unpleasant information in such a way as to lessen the impact (passed away instead of died) | 42 | |
| 11228966604 | explitive | an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity | 43 | |
| 11228968269 | extended analogy/metaphor | An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well. carried though several sentences or paragraphs | 44 | |
| 11284379737 | homily | literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice | 45 | |
| 11284387415 | hyperbole | a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration (the shot heard round the world) or (there are a million things to do) | 46 | |
| 11284394691 | hypophora | a figure of speech in which a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer to that question. Commonly, a question is asked in the first paragraph and then the paragraph is used to answer the question | 47 | |
| 11284410041 | ibid | the term is Latin to provide a footnote citation for a source that was cited in the preceding endnote or footnote; it serves a similar purpose to "ditto marks" | 48 | |
| 11284424296 | imagery | consists of words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons. objects. actions, feelings, and idead descriptively by appealing to the senses | 49 | |
| 11284432195 | invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language | 50 | |
| 11284437554 | verbal irony | when a speaker says one thing but means the opposite | 51 | |
| 11284441642 | situational irony | when a situation turns out differently from what one would expect normally- though the twist is oddly appropriate | 52 | |
| 11284449011 | dramatic irony | when a speaker or character says or does something that has a different meaning from what he or she thinks it means; though, the audience and other characters understand the full implications of the speech or actions | 53 | |
| 11284458388 | litotes | a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (it was not a pretty picture) | 54 | |
| 11284463443 | logos | an appeal to logic | 55 | |
| 11284479261 | malapropism | the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar (the doctor wrote a subscription/ instead of a prescription) | 56 | |
| 11284535258 | metaphor | A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as | 57 | |
| 11284537985 | mood | the atmosphere or predominant emotion in a literary work (this is what the reader feels) | 58 | |
| 11284547771 | metnoymy | from the greek meaning "substitute name". A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it (the white house declared rather than the president declared) | 59 | |
| 11284573111 | non sequitur | an illogical inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally "does not follow") | 60 | |
| 11540891558 | Onomatopoeia | the use of words to mimic sounds they describe (buzz, moan) | 61 | |
| 11540897899 | paradox | occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other | 62 | |
| 11540903343 | parallelism | the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity (it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness) | 63 | |
| 11540931936 | parody | a work that closely imitates the style of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule | 64 | |
| 11540945089 | pathos | an appeal to emotions or interests of the audience | 65 | |
| 11540960426 | periodic sentence | a sentence that presents its central meaning in the main clause at the end. the independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone (ecstatic with my AP score, running into the room, I let out a loud shout) | 66 | |
| 11540981578 | personification | give inanimate objects or abstract ideas or human characteristics | 67 | |
| 11541028451 | Polysyndeton | the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural (we laughed and loved and left) | 68 | |
| 11541042876 | predicate adjective | one type of subject complement- an adjective, or group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb | 69 | |
| 11541064999 | predicate nominative | A second type of subject complement - a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that follows a linking verb and names the subject. | 70 | |
| 11541090225 | Procatalepsis | a figure of speech in which the speaker raises an objection to his argument and then immediately answers it. by doing so, he hopes to strengthen his argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments before his audience can raise them | 71 | |
| 11541113913 | pun | a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings | 72 | |
| 11541117046 | qualifiers | words/phrases that limit the force of an authors claim | 73 | |
| 11541137254 | rhetorical question | a question posed by the speaker or writer not to seek an answer but instead to affirm or deny a point simply by asking a question about it | 74 | |
| 11541160399 | oxymoron | a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms in a single unusual expression (sweet sorrow/thunderous silence) | 75 | |
| 11605165675 | Repitition | the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or gramatical patter | 76 | |
| 11605176269 | sarcasm | the use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it | 77 | |
| 11605184471 | satire | a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform and ridicule | 78 | |
| 11605218420 | sententia | a figure of argument in which a wise, witty, or pithy maxim or aphorism is used to sum up the preceding material (so, im happy tonight. im not worried about anything. im not fearing any man. mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord" | 79 | |
| 11605274625 | simile | a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of like or as | 80 | |
| 11605345461 | solecism | nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules | 81 | |
| 11605354092 | style | the writer's characteristic manner of employing language | 82 | |
| 11605356988 | subject complement | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it | 83 | |
| 11605387249 | subordinate clause | this word group contains both a subject and a verb, but unlike the independent clause, cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought | 84 | |
| 11605440440 | syllepsis | a construction in which one word is used in two different senses (after he threw the ball, he threw a fit) | 85 | |
| 11605449718 | syllogism | a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion (all men are mortal. socrates is a man. therefore, socrates is mortal) | 86 | |
| 11605462734 | symbolism | any object, person, place, or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself | 87 | |
| 11605473789 | symploce | combining anaphora and epistrophe, so that one word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences (to think clearly and rationally should be a major goal for man; but to think clearly and rationally is always the greatest difficulty faced by man) | 88 | |
| 11605514513 | syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. | 89 | |
| 11605532940 | Synecdoche | using one part of an object to represent the entire object (for example, referring to a car simply as "wheels") | 90 | |
| 11605536529 | thesis | the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position | 91 | |
| 11605540605 | tone | the writers or speakers attitude towards a subject, character, or audience, and it is conveys through the authors choice of words and detail | 92 | |
| 11605563596 | trope | an artful variation from expected modes of expression of thoughts and ideas. a figure of speech involving a "turn" or change of sense- a use of the word in a sense other than its proper or literal one | 93 | |
| 11605604038 | tautology | needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding (widow woman, free gift) | 94 | |
| 11605611945 | undertone | An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. | 95 | |
| 11605619731 | Understatement | the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is. (i could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars per year) | 96 | |
| 11605695725 | unreliable narrator | an untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story | 97 | |
| 11605700196 | Vernacular | the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage | 98 | |
| 11605726826 | volta | a turn in the piece, or a shift in tone/voice/narrative/topic that indicates the author's idea | 99 | |
| 11605730090 | zeugma | a trope, one word (usually a noun or main verb) governs two other words not related in meaning. (He maintained a business and his innocence) | 100 |
