Terms : Hide Images
| 6772797316 | syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. | 0 | |
| 6772799420 | didactic | Intended to instruct (could describe style or tone) | 1 | |
| 6772801368 | archaic | ancient; old-fashioned (could describe diction) | 2 | |
| 6772802787 | allusion | A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. | 3 | |
| 6772805077 | paradox | A seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless expresses a truth | 4 | |
| 6772807062 | catalog | to make an itemized list of | 5 | |
| 6772809543 | apology | defense of an idea (could describe author's purpose) | 6 | |
| 6772809544 | allegory | A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstract ideas | 7 | |
| 6772816984 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it (Ex: the White House, Uncle Sam) | 8 | |
| 6772816985 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life (Ex: "A penny saved is a penny earned.") | 9 | |
| 6772819977 | equivocate | to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead | 10 | |
| 6772825721 | ambiguous | Open to more than one interpretation | 11 | |
| 6772830906 | superfluous | Exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess (Ex: Mrs. Bjork do too much. Having us annotate the passage and take notes is superfluous.) | 12 | |
| 6772833187 | dogmatic | Stubbornly opinionated | 13 | |
| 6772836688 | loaded language | wording that attempts to persuade the reader by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes | 14 | |
| 6772845683 | anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in-and usually at the beginning of-successive lines, clauses, or sentences. (Ex: It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the age of..."). This is just a more specific way to describe repetition/parallel structure. It's a type of repetition. | 15 | |
| 6772848378 | chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (Ex: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.) | 16 | |
| 6772851989 | polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. Hemingway and the Bible both use extensively. Ex. "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy" | 17 | |
| 6772854073 | asyndeton | A series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), e.g. "I came, I saw, I conquered." The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. | 18 | |
| 6772860232 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). | 19 | |
| 6772864366 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant | 20 | |
| 6772872534 | parallelism | The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns. | 21 | |
| 6772872535 | syntax | The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. | 22 | |
| 6772875492 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 23 | |
| 6772888669 | colloquial | Characteristic of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech or writing (could describe diction) | 24 | |
| 6772892430 | euphonious | pleasing to the ear | 25 | |
| 6772896901 | loose sentence | sentence is clear in the beginning, begins with main clause, followed by subordinates and modifiers (Ex: I arrived at the airport after a bumpy flight and multiple delays.) | 26 | |
| 6772898562 | periodic sentence | The opposite of loose 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. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.) | 27 | |
| 6773016136 | acerbic | (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.) | 28 | |
| 6773020521 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them; can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar; can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. This is a broad term. Some example of this include personification, metaphors, similes. | 29 | |
| 6773028000 | antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 30 | |
| 6773033349 | antithesis | A statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced | 31 | |
| 6773038679 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 32 | |
| 6773042125 | assiduous | Persistent, attentive, diligent | 33 | |
| 6780389208 | telegraphic sentence | A sentence shorter than five words in length. | 34 | |
| 6780390795 | declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement or declaration | 35 | |
| 6780394575 | imperative sentence | A sentence that requests or commands. | 36 | |
| 6780396709 | exclamatory sentence | a sentence that conveys excitement or force | 37 | |
| 6780399979 | clause | (grammar) an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a complete sentence | 38 | |
| 6780407240 | circuitous | Indirect | 39 | |
| 6780411872 | contiguous | side by side, touching; near; adjacent in time | 40 | |
| 6780417084 | dichotomy | a division into two parts | 41 | |
| 6780418561 | diffident | Lacking self-confidence; shy | 42 | |
| 6780422151 | homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 43 | |
| 6780423672 | invective | abusive language | 44 | |
| 6780427073 | mellifluous | having a rich, smoothly flowing sound | 45 | |
| 6780430124 | laudatory | expressing praise (could describe tone) | 46 | |
| 6780435998 | satire | A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. | 47 | |
| 6780438599 | ubiquitous | Existing everywhere at the same time | 48 | |
| 6780439898 | semantics | The analysis of the meaning of language, especially of individual words. | 49 | |
| 6780448334 | appeal to authority | using trusted or expert figures to sell a product or to create ethos; this could also be a fallacy | 50 | |
| 6780460531 | ad hominem | An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack. | 51 | |
| 6780463268 | circular reasoning | a fallacy in which the writer repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence | 52 | |
| 6780467329 | deductive reasoning | A form of cognition that starts with general information and narrows down that information to create a conclusion. | 53 | |
| 6780469352 | inductive reasoning | A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations. | 54 | |
| 6780472625 | fallacy | a false notion or belief; an error in thinking or reasoning | 55 | |
| 6780482569 | jargon | Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand | 56 | |
| 6780483862 | qualify | To modify, limit, or restrict, as by giving exceptions | 57 | |
| 6780506627 | hasty generalization | a fallacy in which a speaker jumps to a general conclusion on the basis of insufficient evidence | 58 | |
| 6780514019 | benevolent | kindly, charitable | 59 |
