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| 6697256416 | 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 lie hope or freedom. Ex. "Animal Farm," by George Orwell | 0 | |
| 6697256417 | Alliteration - | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in two 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 | |
| 6697256418 | Allusion - | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Ex. "We'll have Halloween on Christmas/ We can live like Jack and Sally if you want" - Nightmare Before Christmas | 2 | |
| 6697256419 | Ambiguity (am-bi-gyoo-i-tee) - | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 6697256420 | Anadiplosis - | It refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause. Ex. "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear from you." - Yoda, Star Wars | 4 | |
| 6697256421 | 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. | 5 | |
| 6697256422 | Anaphora (uh-naf-er-uh) - | 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. Ex. "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." - Dickens | 6 | |
| 6697256423 | 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. | 7 | |
| 6697256424 | Antecedent (an-tuh-seed-nt) - | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 8 | |
| 6697256425 | Antistrophe - | A derivative of a Greek word that means "turning back". It is defined as a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of the same words at the end of consecutive phrases, clauses, sentences and paragraphs. Ex. "Spain invaded, China invaded, France invaded, everyone invaded." | 9 | |
| 6697256426 | Antithesis (an-tih-theh-sis) - | 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. "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" - Neil Armstrong | 10 | |
| 6697256427 | Aphorism - | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. Ex. A watched pot never boils. | 11 | |
| 6697256428 | 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. | 12 | |
| 6697256429 | Archaism - | A figure of speech in which a used phrase or word is considered very old fashioned and outdated. It can be a word, a phrase, a group of letters, spellings and syntax. Ex. "Pipit sate upright in her chair some distance from where I was sitting." - T.S. Eliot | 13 | |
| 6697256430 | Assonance- | The repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible. | 14 | |
| 6697256431 | Asyndeton (uh-sin-di-tuhn)- | 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. Ex. "I came. I saw. I conquered." | 15 | |
| 6697256432 | 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. Even such elements as description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. | 16 | |
| 6697256433 | Balanced Sentence - | A sentence consisting of two or more clauses that are parallel in structure. Ex. "Control it before it controls you." | 17 | |
| 6697256434 | Cacophony - | The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious sounds primarily those of consonants to achieve desired results. Ex. "We will have no truce or parley with you and your grisly gang who work your wicked will." - Winston Churchill | 18 | |
| 6697256435 | Catachresis - | A harsh metaphor involving the use of a word beyond its strict sphere. Ex. "I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear." - MacArthur | 19 | |
| 6697256436 | Chiasmus (kahy-az-muhs) - | A figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words. Ex. "The land was ours before we were the land's" - Robert Frost (N, V, Pro: Pro, V, N) | 20 | |
| 6697256437 | Clause - | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb and can sand alone as a sentence. A dependent or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. | 21 | |
| 6697256438 | Colloquial/colloquialism (kuj-loh-kwee-uhl) - | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, as they give a work a conversational, familiar tone. In writing they include local or regional dialects. Ex. A dime, a dozen" | 22 | |
| 6697256439 | 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. | 23 | |
| 6697256440 | Conceit - | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. | 24 | |
| 6697256441 | Connotation - | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. Ex. "Wall Street" literally means a street situated in Lower Manhattan but connotatively it refers to "wealth" and "power". | 25 | |
| 6697256442 | Consonance - | Refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes place in quick succession. Ex. "A quietness distilled/ As Twilight long begun/ Or Nature spending with herself/ Sequestered afternoon." - Emily Dickenson | 26 | |
| 6697256443 | Denotation - | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion attitude, or color. Ex. Rose - n. , a flower with a strong scent. | 27 | |
| 6697256444 | Diacope - | repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase: word/phrase X. . . word/phrase X. Ex. We will do it, I tell you; we will do it. We give thanks to Thee, O God, we give thanks (Psalm 75:1) | 28 | |
| 6697256445 | Diction - | Related to style, it refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. | 29 | |
| 6697256446 | Didactic (dahy-dak-tik) - | From the Greek, it literally means "teaching." These works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 30 | |
| 6697256447 | Ellipsis - | The deliberate omission of a word from prose done for effect by author. | 31 | |
| 6697256448 | Enumeration - | 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. Ex. I love her eyes, her hair, her nose, her cheeks, her lips. | 32 | |
| 6697256449 | Expletive (ek-spli-tiv) - | 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 of this. Ex. In fact, of course, to be sure, indeed, I suppose, I hope, you know, you see, clearly, in any event, in effect, certainly, remarkably. | 33 | |
| 6697256450 | Euphemism (yoo-fuh-miz-uhm) - | From the Greek for "good speech," these are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. Ex. Saying "passed away" instead of "died" . | 34 | |
| 6697256451 | Exposition - | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of this is to explain something. | 35 | |
| 6697256452 | Extended metaphor - | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout the work. | 36 | |
| 6697256453 | Figurative language - | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 37 | |
| 6697256454 | Figure of speech - | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Some examples include: hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, etc. | 38 | |
| 6697256455 | Generic conventions - | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. | 39 | |
| 6697256456 | Genre - | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. | 40 | |
| 6697256457 | Hyperbole (hahy-pur-buh-lee) - | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. | 41 | |
| 6697256458 | 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). A common usage is to ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use the paragraph to answer it. | 42 | |
| 6697256459 | Imagery - | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, this uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory. | 43 | |
| 6697256460 | Inference/infer - | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | 44 | |
| 6697256461 | Invective - | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation using strong, abusive language. | 45 | |
| 6697256462 | 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. In general, there are three major types used in language. | 46 | |
| 6697256463 | Juxtaposition (juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn) - | When two words, phrases, images, ideas are placed close together or side by side for comparison or contrast. Ex. Summer and Winter | 47 | |
| 6697256464 | Litotes (lahy-toh-teez) - | From the Greek word "simple" or "plain." It is a figure of thought in which a point is affirmed by negating its opposite. It is a special form of understatement, where the surface denial serves, through ironic contrast, to reinforce the underlying assertion. | 48 | |
| 6697256465 | Loose sentence - | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. | 49 | |
| 6697256466 | Metaphor - | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. Ex. Her smile was brighter than the sun. | 50 | |
| 6697256467 | Metonymy (mi-ton-uh-mee) - | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name." It is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. | 51 | |
| 6697256468 | Mood - | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect this. In this usage, it is similar to tone and atmosphere. | 52 | |
| 6697256469 | Narrative - | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 53 | |
| 6697256470 | Onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh) - | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. | 54 | |
| 6697256471 | Oxymoron - | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," it is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Ex. I must be cruel only to be kind. | 55 | |
| 6697256472 | 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. Ex. What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young. | 56 | |
| 6697256473 | Parallelism - | This term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. IE "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . ." | 57 | |
| 6697256474 | Parody - | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. | 58 | |
| 6697256475 | Pedantic (puh-dan-tik) - | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. Ex. An English teacher who corrects every grammar mistake. | 59 | |
| 6697256476 | Periodic sentence - | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. For example: "Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout!" | 60 | |
| 6697256477 | Personification - | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. | 61 | |
| 6697256478 | Polysyndeton (paulee-sin-dih-tawn) - | Figure of addition and emphasis which intentionally employs a series of conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) not normally found in successive words, phrases or clauses; the deliberate and excessive use of conjunctions in successive words or clauses. | 62 | |
| 6697256479 | Point of view - | In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. | 63 | |
| 6697256480 | Praeterito/Paraleipsis - | The device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject. Ex. "Not to mention their unpaid debts of several million." | 64 | |
| 6697256481 | Predicate adjective - | One type of subject complement is an adjective, group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject. Ex. My dog is fat, slow, and shaggy. | 65 | |
| 6697256482 | 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. Ex. My dog is a mutt with character. | 66 | |
| 6697256483 | Prose - | One of the major divisions of genre, it refers to fiction and non-fiction, including all its forms. | 67 | |
| 6697256484 | Repetition - | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. More specifically it includes alliteration, anadiplosis, anaphora, antistrophe, consonance, assonance, diacope, parallelism. | 68 | |
| 6697256485 | Rhetoric - | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 69 | |
| 6697256486 | Rhetorical modes - | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common are exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. | 70 | |
| 6697256487 | Rhetorical Question [erotesis] - | Differs from hypophora in that it is not answered by the writer because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a yes or no answer would suffice. It is used for effect, emphasis, or provocation, or for drawing a concluding statement from the fact at hand. | 71 | |
| 6697256488 | Sarcasm - | From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," this involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. | 72 | |
| 6697256489 | Satire - | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. | 73 | |
| 6697256490 | Simile - | A figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, it draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as". Ex. "Her smile was like the sun." | 74 | |
| 6697256491 | Semantics - | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 75 | |
| 6697256492 | Style - | The choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices combine to create this. | 76 | |
| 6697256493 | Subject complement - | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or a clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it or (2) describing it. The former is the technically a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. | 77 | |
| 6697256494 | Subordinate clause - | Like all clauses, this word group contains a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause, sometimes called an independent clause, to complete its meaning. Easily recognized keywords and phrases usually begin these clauses 0 for example: although, because, unless, if even though, since, as soon as, while who, when, where, how and that. | 78 | |
| 6697256495 | Syllogism (sil- uh-jiz-uhm)- | From the Greek for "reckoning together, " it is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second, "minor") that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows; Major premise: All men are mortal Minor premise: Socrates is a man. Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal. | 79 | |
| 6697256496 | Symbol/symbolism - | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. | 80 | |
| 6697256497 | Synecdoche (si-nek-duh-kee) - | is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion, section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa). Ex. Give us this day our daily bread. | 81 | |
| 6697256498 | Syntax - | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple-choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax produces effects. | 82 | |
| 6697256499 | Theme - | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually theme is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing. | 83 | |
| 6697256500 | Thesis - | In expository writing, the sentence or a group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. | 84 | |
| 6697256501 | Tone - | Similar to mood, this describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. | 85 | |
| 6697256502 | Transition - | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, these effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. | 86 | |
| 6697256503 | Understatement - | The ironic minimizing of fact, it presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. It is the opposite of hyperbole. | 87 | |
| 6697256504 | Undertone - | An attitude that may lie under the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a work may have threatening undertones. | 88 | |
| 6697256505 | Wit - | In modern usage, intellectually amazing language that surprises and delights. It is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. | 89 | |
| 6697256506 | Homily (hom-uh-lee)- | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 90 | |
| 9716600242 | zeugma | a figure of speech and a form of parallelism in which a word applies to two others in different senses | 91 |
