Terms : Hide Images
| 4740623060 | accusatory tone | accusing of wrongdoing Ex: The Lawyer used an accusatory tone every time he mentioned the defendant. | 0 | |
| 4740623325 | antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. Ex: The dog barked when it chased the squirrel. | 1 | |
| 4740623326 | anaphora | A sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. Ex: MLK used anaphora in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech (1963). | 2 | |
| 4740623588 | ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. Ex: That was interesting... | 3 | |
| 4740624033 | allegory | A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Ex: Animal Farm by George Orwell | 4 | |
| 4740624457 | antimetabole | The repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast. Ex: Fair is foul and foul is fair. | 5 | |
| 4740624458 | analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. Ex: Dog is to bark as cat is to meow. | 6 | |
| 4740624738 | 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. | 7 | |
| 4740624739 | alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds. Ex: Sammie the snake slithered slowly by. | 8 | |
| 4740625101 | allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers. | 9 | |
| 4740625867 | assonance | Repetition of similar vowel sounds. Ex: The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains. | 10 | |
| 4740625868 | asyndeton | A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions. Ex: They laughed, drank, danced the night away. | 11 | |
| 4740625990 | atmosphere | The emotional nod 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 a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. | 12 | |
| 4740625995 | awe | solemn wonder | 13 | |
| 4740626807 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. Ex: To move an entire mountain one must start by removing small stones. | 14 | |
| 4740626808 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. Ex: Fate, why have you abandoned me? | 15 | |
| 4740627195 | appeal to authority | A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution. Ex: Isaac Newton, inventor of calculus and a father of physics, believed that alchemy was possible. Who are you to argue? | 16 | |
| 4740627196 | appeal to ignorance | A fallacy that uses an opponent's inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the conclusion's correctness. Ex: Since we can't prove that another planet exists, it can be true because of the vastness of the universe. | 17 | |
| 4740627821 | antithesis | the direct opposite, a sharp contrast | 18 | |
| 4740628319 | apathetic tone | Indifferent due to lack of energy or concern | 19 | |
| 4756568794 | circular argument | An argument that commits the logical fallacy of assuming what it is attempting to prove. Ex: You should vote for him because he is the best candidate. | 20 | |
| 4756569368 | choleric tone | hot-tempered, easily angered Ex: WW2 Veteran snapped back in a choleric tone after a teenager expressed his hate for America. | 21 | |
| 4756570417 | chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed. Ex: One should eat to live, not live to eat. Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary. | 22 | |
| 4756577972 | caustic tone | sarcasm; stinging, biting tone Ex: Wow, you got another A on your test? I got a C... so congratulations, you've done it again. | 23 | |
| 4756578431 | bombastic style | grandiloquence; excessive use of words and a pompous language Ex: The feathered specimen opened its canopy of flight and soared. NOT: The bird flew away. | 24 | |
| 4756579584 | bitter tone | exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief Ex: You got ANOTHER A? Wow, congratulations. | 25 | |
| 4756580735 | caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics. Ex: The pupils of her eyes are small; like a pebble of sand floating atop a can of blue paint. | 26 | |
| 4756581909 | callous tone | Unfeeling, insensitive to feelings of others Ex: Your GPA won't get you into any good colleges. NOT: If you try harder, I'm sure you'll be able to get into some colleges near home. | 27 | |
| 4756581910 | cacaphonous | unpleasant or harsh-sounding | 28 | |
| 4756583062 | balanced sentence | the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length. Ex: Every man has a right to speak what he thinks is the truth, and every other man has a right to knock him down for it. | 29 | |
| 4772714970 | conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Ex: For thy eyes, which I may call the sea, do ebb and flow with tears. | 30 | |
| 4772714971 | confirmation | main part of a text in which logical arguments in support of a position are elaborated Ex: The lawyer began with an opening statement, which he followed with a confirmation of his claim. | 31 | |
| 4772714981 | commonplace style | ordinary, common, familiar Ex: The cat ran up the tree. NOT: The swift feline clawed up the bark of the photosynthesized conifer. | 32 | |
| 4772715784 | colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing Ex: LOL, OMG, ttyl, thx | 33 | |
| 4772715785 | concession | An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point. Ex: While that is true that video games increase creativity, they also increase time spent away from academic studies. | 34 | |
| 4772716925 | connotation | All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests Ex: Heart means love, peace | 35 | |
| 4772716926 | condescending tone | The author assumes greater knowledge and wisdom than the reader, and so "talks down" Ex: Usain Bolt spoke of all of his competitors with a condescending tone, as he believed himself to be better than all of them. | 36 | |
| 4772716927 | contemplative tone | studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue | 37 | |
| 4772718509 | contemptuous tone | Showing or feeling that something is worthless; lack of respect Ex: The slave owner spoke to the slave with a contemptuous tone. | 38 | |
| 4772718510 | conventional symbols | symbols that have been invested with meaning by a group. Ex. cross and christianity | 39 | |
| 4815308798 | didactic | Intended to teach Ex: Sermon by a preacher is intended to teach the audience about a lesson | 40 | |
| 4815308799 | derisive tone | mocking or ridiculing tone Ex: "Seriously? That's your idea?! Sounds stupid to me." | 41 | |
| 4815308800 | dialect | A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. | 42 | |
| 4815310743 | conventional tone | ordinary Ex: In contrast vs. In contradistinction | 43 | |
| 4815310744 | coordination | Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but. Leads to an equal emphasis/importance on both parts Ex: The teacher talked to my father and called me into her classroom | 44 | |
| 4815311883 | critical tone | finding fault Ex: Only an idiot would spend $300.00 on shoes. | 45 | |
| 4815311884 | cynical | Doubtful or distrustful of the goodness or sincerity of human motives Ex: Immigrants are only here to take our jobs! | 46 | |
| 4815313405 | denotation | Literal meaning of a word Ex: A knife is a sharp object used to cut something, while connotation Is violence or murder | 47 | |
| 4815313406 | deduction | A method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises Ex: Cats are mammals and mammals have kidneys; therefore, cats have kidneys | 48 | |
| 4815318936 | disdainful tone | Showing lack of respect, scornful Ex: The CEO spoke to the janitor with a disdainful tone. | 49 | |
| 4842753561 | eulogy | speech in praise of someone | 50 | |
| 4842753562 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant Ex: Earthly remains instead of corpse | 51 | |
| 4842753563 | euphonious | pleasing to the ear Ex: Butterfly, crisp | 52 | |
| 4842754671 | erudite tone | learned, polished, scholarly Ex: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense..." | 53 | |
| 4842754672 | epiphora | The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses. (Also known as epistrophe.) Ex: "The United States, as the world knows, will not start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war" JFK, 1963 | 54 | |
| 4842755790 | encomium | a formal expression of praise Ex: Her speech during Women's History Month was an encomium praising Eleanor Roosevelt. | 55 | |
| 4842755791 | epitaph | A brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone OR statement/speech commemorating someone who has died Ex: "She was known as a phenomenal friend, mother, and wife..." | 56 | |
| 4842756919 | emphatic | making your meaning very clear because you have strong feelings about a subject Ex: Hitler was emphatic about his decision to invade Russia because the fate of the war was in his hands. | 57 | |
| 4842756920 | earnest tone | intense, a sincere state of mind Ex: When he conveyed his desire to drop out of school to become a playwright, he was so earnest in tone that his parents let him. | 58 | |
| 4842758154 | dramatic irony | In this type of irony, facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or a piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work Ex: When Romeo doesn't know that Juliet is not dead | 59 | |
| 4944358773 | fanciful tone | using the imagination Ex: "Sing in me, muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, as he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy" | 60 | |
| 4944368668 | forthright tone | directly frank without hesitation Ex: That dress looks ridiculous on you. | 61 | |
| 4944373863 | false dilemma | A fallacy of oversimplification that offers a limited number of options (usually two) when in fact more options are available. Ex: Either you're voting for her or you aren't. (What about not voting though?) | 62 | |
| 4944378955 | explicit style | straightforward, open, direct, obvious Ex: Governing documents state explicitly which taxes are to be raised. | 63 | |
| 4944385599 | figurative language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid | 64 | |
| 4944387912 | figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe hyperbole irony metaphor oxymoron paradox personification simile synecdoche understatement Ex: He eats like a pig! | 65 | |
| 4944394120 | flowery style | uses many complicated words that are intended to make the work more attractive Ex: High-quality learning environments and resources greatly enrich the learning process. | 66 | |
| 4944405109 | fragmented sentence | sentence that doesn't contain at least one independent clause Ex: The answer to our prayers. | 67 | |
| 4944405110 | fallacy | error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid Ex: Hitler was a vegetarian, so I don't trust vegetarians. | 68 | |
| 4944417687 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. Ex: For it is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, that is already sick and pale with grief. | 69 | |
| 4944424521 | hasty generalization | A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence. Ex: 4 out of 5 dentists recommend this toothpaste (even though only 5 dentists were asked... too small of a sample to draw such a broad conclusion) | 70 | |
| 4944426202 | haughty tone | proud and vain to the point of arrogance Ex: It was really all my contribution that made this possible. I'm such a powerful figure in this field, and so..." | 71 | |
| 4944426203 | homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. Ex: The narrative is essentially a homily to teach the audience that... | 72 | |
| 4944426204 | hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor Ex: She's as skinny as a toothpick. | 73 | |
| 4944428603 | incisive style | insightful, keen, perceptive, penetrating Ex: You weren't there at the theatre between 9 and 11 like you claimed, so I have reason to believe that your alibi is false and that you actually committed the murder. | 74 | |
| 4944428604 | indignant tone | Marked by anger; aroused by injustice Ex: I should not have to use my hard-earned money to pay for a road that I'll never use! | 75 | |
| 4944430174 | induction | A method of reasoning by which a rhetor collects a number of instances and forms a generalization that is meant to apply to all instances. Ex: I counted 5 people with green eyes on this bus, so everyone on this bus has green eyes. | 76 | |
| 4944430175 | gloomy tone | The author intends to evoke a mood of sadness or melancholy Ex: Everyone is going to die in the end, so why try if our efforts result in the same thing? | 77 | |
| 4944430176 | genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.However, genre is a flexible term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genresthemselves. For example, prose can be divided into fiction (novels and short stories) or nonfiction (essays, biographies,autobiographies, etc.). Poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic, narrative, epic, etc. Drama can be divided into tragedy,comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. There may be fiction or poetry. | 78 | |
| 4944432429 | generic conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, and differentiate an essay they differentiate they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. | 79 | |
| 5243125042 | inference | A logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience. Ex: She was found with blood on her hands twenty minutes after the murder, so she did it. | 80 | |
| 5243130428 | interrupted sentence | one in which the subordinate elements come in the middle, often set off by dashes or commas Ex: These were her teachers - wild and stern ones - and they had made her strong. | 81 | |
| 5243130429 | intimate tone | very familiar | 82 | |
| 5243130430 | invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 83 | |
| 5243131203 | inverted sentence | A sentence in which the subject follows the verb Ex: In California grow oranges. | 84 | |
| 5243131820 | irony | A contrast or discrepancy between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. | 85 | |
| 5243131821 | isocolon | Parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure, but also in length Ex: Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. | 86 | |
| 5243132819 | jargon | Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand | 87 | |
| 5243132820 | jovial tone | Happy | 88 | |
| 5243133432 | judgmental tone | authoritative and having critical opinons | 89 | |
| 5243135218 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts | 90 | |
| 5243135219 | laconic style | brief, terse, concise | 91 | |
| 5243135939 | literary symbols | Are sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized. Symbols that are seen throughout literature. These ideas are written in works and seen to mean something else in literature. Ex: Water symbolizes rebirth | 92 | |
| 5243135940 | litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. Ex: It's not serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain. | 93 | |
| 5243136792 | loose sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses Ex: I stopped at the San Diego Airport after a long and bumpy car ride. | 94 | |
| 5243137901 | lyrical tone | Expressing a poet's inner feelings; emotional;full of images; song-like | 95 | |
| 5243137902 | malicious tone | Purposely hurtful | 96 | |
| 5243137903 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. | 97 | |
| 5243138540 | metonymy | (mĕtŏn′ ĭmē) A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, a news release that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared" is using metonymy; Shakespeare uses it to signify the male and female sexes in As You Like It: "doublet and hose ought to show itself courageous to petticoat." The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 98 | |
| 5243139864 | mocking tone | Treating w/ contempt or ridicule | 99 | |
| 5395054774 | mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader | 100 | |
| 5395054775 | natural order | Is when the verb follows a subject Ex: Oranges grow in California | 101 | |
| 5395055436 | natural symbols | objects and occurrences from nature to symbolize ideas commonly associated with them Ex: roses and love | 102 | |
| 5395055437 | objective tone | A writer's tone that is unbiased and unemotional | 103 | |
| 5395055438 | obsequious tone | Polite and Obedient in order to gain something | 104 | |
| 5395056347 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. Ex: Pop, clang, pow | 105 | |
| 5395057421 | optimistic tone | Hopeful, Cheerful | 106 | |
| 5395057422 | ornate tone | overelaborate, lavish | 107 | |
| 5395057423 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. Ex: cruel kindness | 108 | |
| 5395057986 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. Ex: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times | 109 | |
| 5395058672 | parallelism | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure. It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal (times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm | 110 | |
| 5395058673 | parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression (propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, etc.) Well-written parody offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written parody offers only ineffectual imitation. nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, parodies take on a life of their own and don't require knowledge of the original. | 111 | |
| 5395059624 | patronizing tone | condescending, belittles | 112 | |
| 5395060239 | pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. | 113 | |
| 5395060240 | 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.) | 114 | |
| 5395060835 | 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. Personification is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader. | 115 | |
| 5395061547 | pessimistic tone | seeing the worst side of things, hopeless | 116 | |
| 5395062485 | picturesque | unusual and interesting, pleasant | 117 | |
| 5395062486 | pithy | brief and full of meaning and substance; concise | 118 | |
| 5395063103 | polemical | causing debate or argument supported by strong arguments | 119 | |
| 5421947835 | 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" | 120 | |
| 5421947836 | ponderous | serious and boring | 121 | |
| 5421948638 | portentous | done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress trying to seem serious or important to impress people | 122 | |
| 5421948639 | prolix | Excessively long and wordy (of a person, piece of writing, etc.) | 123 | |
| 5421948640 | propaganda | A negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information. | 124 | |
| 5421948667 | prose | one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line. | 125 | |
| 5421949369 | quizzical tone | Odd, eccentric, amusing | 126 | |
| 5421949370 | rambling style | long and possibly confusing | 127 | |
| 5421950100 | reflective tone | Illustrating innermost thoughts and emotions | 128 | |
| 5421950101 | refutation | The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view. | 129 | |
| 5633026421 | repetition | A technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity | 130 | |
| 5633035671 | reverent tone | Treating a subject w/ honor or respect | 131 | |
| 5633035672 | rhetorical modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing | 132 | |
| 5633035673 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer | 133 | |
| 5633037889 | ribald tone | Offensive in speech, gesture | 134 | |
| 5633037890 | ridiculing tone | Slightly contemptuous banter; making fun of | 135 | |
| 5633037891 | running style | Sentence style that appears to follow the mind as it worries a problem through, mimicking the "rambling, associative syntax of conversation"--the opposite of periodic sentence style. | 136 | |
| 5633040867 | run-on sentence | two or more independent clauses connected without proper conjunction or punctuation | 137 | |
| 5633040868 | sanguineous tone | optimistic, cheerful | 138 | |
| 5633040869 | sarcastic tone | ironic, mocking, cynical, sneering, caustic | 139 | |
| 5633045450 | sardonic tone | grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic | 140 | |
| 5633048801 | satire | A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity. A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. Regardless of whether or not the work aims to reform human behavior, satire is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the satirist: irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. The effects of satire are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but good satire, often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition. Some modern satirists include Joseph Heller (Catch 22) and Kurt Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Player Piano). | 141 | |
| 5633048802 | satiric tone | Ridiculing to show weakness in order to make a point | 142 | |
| 5633048803 | semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 143 | |
| 5633051775 | sententious style | expressing opinions about right and wrong in a way that is intended to impress people | 144 | |
| 5633121685 | sincere tone | without deceit, genuine | 145 | |
| 5633051776 | situational irony | when events turn out the opposite of what was expected | 146 | |
| 5633051777 | solemn tone | deeply earnest, tending toward sad reflection | 147 | |
| 5633051778 | somber tone | subdued, gloomy, dismal | 148 | |
| 5633054419 | split order | Divides the predicate into two parts with the subject coming in the middle Ex: In California oranges grow | 149 | |
| 5633054420 | staccato | an abrupt sentence that is only one to two words long | 150 | |
| 5633054421 | succinct style | to the point, brief, concise, but clear | 151 | |
| 5633054422 | syllogism | From the Greek for "reckoning together," a syllogism (or syllogistic reasoning or syllogistic logic) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called "major" and the second called "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 a mortal. A syllogism's conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid. Syllogisms may also present the specific idea first ("Socrates") and the general second ("all men"). Adapted from V. Stevenson, Patrick Henry High School, and Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms | 152 | |
| 5633059180 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is to represent the whole Ex: Car as a set of wheels | 153 | |
| 5633059181 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 154 | |
| 5633063085 | telegraphic | a sentence that is shorter than 5 words long | 155 | |
| 5633063086 | turgid style | using language in a way that is complicated a difficult to understand | 156 | |
| 5633063087 | understatement | the ironic minimalizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. Example: Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub: "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse." | 157 | |
| 5633063088 | verbal irony | the words literally state the opposite of the writer's true meaning | 158 | |
| 5633065411 | wit | in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally, it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate an answer that demanded the same quick perception. | 159 | |
| 5633065412 | zeugma | a figure of speech in which a word governs (applies to) two or more other words without being repeated, usually applying to each word in a different sense Ex: John and his license expired last week | 160 |
