Terms : Hide Images
| 2782740667 | Diction | Word choice, especially with regard to connotation, correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. Combines with syntax, literary devices, etc. to create style. | 0 | |
| 2782808436 | Tone | The writer's attitude toward the subject or sometimes the audience; tone is created through the writer's word choices, sentence structures, juxtapositions (comparisons), persuasive techniques, etc. Tone should not be confused with mood. Tone words include the following: angry, hollow, allusive, vexed, bitter, restrained, proud, dramatic, urgent, joking, poignant, detached, confused, mocking, objective, vibrant, shocking, somber, sentimental, sympathetic, horrific, apologetic, etc. | 1 | |
| 2782819197 | Mood | The emotional response that a piece of literature stimulates in the reader; a work may contain a mood of horror, mystery, holiness, childlike simplicity, etc. | 2 | |
| 2782820333 | Style | The manner in which an author uses words, shapes, ideas, forms and sentences and creates a structure to convey ideas or classification of authors to a group. | 3 | |
| 2782821691 | Voice | The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker. | 4 | |
| 2782838918 | Figure of Speech | Imaginative comparisons used for tone, purpose, effect. | 5 | |
| 2782841457 | Apostrophe | Figure of speech that directly addresses an absent person, an object, or an abstraction. Many apostrophes are also personification, using an object as a point of discussion. | 6 | |
| 2782848698 | Euphemism | Greek for "good speech." More agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. | 7 | |
| 2782850356 | Analogy | Similarity or comparison between two things or the relationship between them. Can explain something by pointing out its similarity or associating it with something more familiar. | 8 | |
| 2782855877 | Aphorism | Terse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle. | 9 | |
| 2782865185 | Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. | 10 | |
| 2782866875 | Imagery | Sensory details used to describe, arouse emotions, or repeat abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five sentences: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. | 11 | |
| 2782873918 | Extended metaphor | Metaphor developed at great length, appearing frequently throughout a piece. | 12 | |
| 2782878229 | Metonymy | Greek meaning "changed label." Figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. | 13 | |
| 2782882087 | Onamatopoeia | Figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. | 14 | |
| 2782882769 | Oxymoron | Greek for "pointedly foolish." Author groups two apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. | 15 | |
| 2782886312 | Paradox | Statement that appears self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but on closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. Enigma. | 16 | |
| 2782890667 | Personification | Figure of speech that endows animal, concept, or inanimate object with human attributes. | 17 | |
| 2782910206 | Cliche/idiom | An overused or trite expression | 18 | |
| 2782910633 | Epithet | An adjective or adjectival phrase used to define a characteristic quality or attribute of some person or thing. | 19 | |
| 2782917260 | Idiom | A common expression that has acquired a meaning that differs from its literal meaning. | 20 | |
| 2782919960 | Jargon | Specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession used in writing/speaking. | 21 | |
| 2782920825 | Litotes | A form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite. | 22 | |
| 2782933077 | Pun | A play on words that exploits the similarity in sound between two words with distinctly different meanings. | 23 | |
| 2782966364 | Syllogism | Greek meaning "reckoning together;" deductive form of logic. | 24 | |
| 2782968857 | Synecdoche | A form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole; the difference is that the metonymy uses one thing represented by another thing that is commonly physically associated with it. | 25 | |
| 2782980415 | Adage/Maxim | A saying or proverb embodying a piece of common wisdom based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. | 26 | |
| 2782981079 | Double Entendre | French phrase for double meaning, denotes a pun in which a word or phrase has a second meaning which tends to be sexual. | 27 | |
| 2782986502 | Invective | Emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 28 | |
| 2782996390 | Pedantic | Adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. Extreme of didactic. | 29 | |
| 2783385610 | Didactic | Means "teaching." Works have primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially moral or ethical principles. | 30 | |
| 2783387386 | Sarcasm | Means "to tear flesh." Bitter, caustic language meant to hurt/ridicule. | 31 | |
| 2783388319 | Wit | A form of wordplay that displays cleverness or ingenuity with language. Often, but not always, wit displays humor. | 32 | |
| 2783389142 | Sentiment | Refined and tender emotion in literature; sometimes used derisively to represent insincerity. | 33 | |
| 2783392824 | Verisimilitude | Similar to truth, the quality of realism in a work that persuades the reader that he/she is getting a vision of life as it is. | 34 | |
| 2783393528 | Colloquialism | Slang or informality in speaking or writing. Includes local dialect. | 35 | |
| 2783393852 | Connotation | Non-literal, associative meanings of a word. What we think of when we hear of a word. | 36 | |
| 2783394334 | Denotation | Strict, literal, dictionary definition. | 37 | |
| 2783394786 | Vernacular | Local language or dialect of common speech written in local language or dialect; also sometimes called colloquialism. | 38 | |
| 2783396917 | High diction | A sophisticated or educated speaker who uses abstract nouns or complex figures of speech and demands greater intellectual effort from the audience. | 39 | |
| 2783397907 | Low diction | A simpler, less cultivated speaker who uses literal nouns and less grammatical complexity than high diction. | 40 | |
| 2783398398 | Dialect | Distinct variety of language spoken by members of an identifiable regional group, nation or social class. | 41 | |
| 2783399546 | Bombast | Inflated language; the use of high-sounding language for trivial subject. | 42 | |
| 2783399759 | Semantics | Branch of linguistics that studies meaning and development of words and their relationship. | 43 | |
| 2783400156 | Allegory | Device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literary meaning. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. | 44 | |
| 2783402248 | Alliteration | Repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words; repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 45 | |
| 2783403313 | Assonance | Repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or close words in proximity. | 46 | |
| 2783403884 | Allusion | Direct or indirect reference to something commonly known such as a book, event, myth, place or person to convey tone, purpose, or effect. | 47 | |
| 2783404450 | Conceit | Extended metaphor with complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. | 48 | |
| 2783405062 | Consonance | Repetition of two or more consonants | 49 | |
| 2783405291 | Deus ex machina | Use of an artificial device or contrived solution to solve a difficult situation. | 50 | |
| 2783406229 | Foreshadow | To hint or present actions to come in a story or play. | 51 | |
| 2783406958 | Foil | Person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast. | 52 | |
| 2783407371 | Irony | Contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. | 53 | |
| 2783409463 | Verbal irony | A discrepancy between the trust meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words. | 54 | |
| 2783410143 | Situational irony | A situation that is the opposite of what the reader expects. | 55 | |
| 2783410749 | Dramatic irony | A technique in which the author lets the audience or reader in on a character's situation while the character himself remains in the dark. | 56 | |
| 2783411944 | Motif | A recurring structure, contrast, or other device that develops or informs a work's major themes. | 57 | |
| 2783412338 | Anecdote | The brief narration of a single event or incident. | 58 | |
| 2783412773 | Concrete | As opposed to abstract, concrete refers to something that actually exists and can be seen and known; abstract pertains to ideas, concepts, or qualities, as opposed to physical attributes. | 59 | |
| 2783414679 | Anachronism | The incorporation of an event, scene or person who does not correspond with the time period portrayed in the word. | 60 | |
| 2783418298 | Caricature | A grotesque likeness of striking characteristics in persons or things; verbal description to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or characteristics. | 61 | |
| 2783420822 | Point of View | Perspective from which a story is told; First person: Pronoun "I" and is a character in the story. Second: Tells the story with the use of "you." Third: Relates events with the third person pronouns of "he", "she", "it"; third person omniscient occurs when the narrator has godlike knowledge, presenting knowledge of all characters; third person limited omniscient occurs when the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of the remaining characters. | 62 | |
| 2783595781 | Protagonist/Antagonist | Protagonist may not be the hero, but the character and audience feels the most sympathy for them. The antagonist is the character or force in a literary work that opposes the main character (may be an object). | 63 | |
| 2783597294 | Stream of consciousness | Technique characterized by the continuous unedited flow of experience through the mind recorded on paper; often used as interior monologue, when the reader is privy to a character or narrator's thoughts. | 64 | |
| 2783598569 | Symbol | An object, character, figure, or color that is used to represent an abstract idea or concept. | 65 | |
| 2783599245 | Theme | A fundamental and universal idea explored in a literary work. | 66 | |
| 2783599724 | Atmosphere | The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literature work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Description of weather/nature (pathetic fallacy) contribute greatly to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events, creating a mood. | 67 | |
| 2783601962 | Setting | Total environment for the action of a fictional work. Setting includes time period, the place, the historical milieu, as well as the social, political, and perhaps even spiritual realities. Setting is usually established through description, though narration is used as well; some novels include a "flame" to supply an extended description of the setting. | 68 | |
| 2783607301 | Coming-of-age | Novel or story whose theme is the moral or psychological growth of the main character; protagonist in initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. | 69 | |
| 2783612888 | Cause/effect | Pattern of writing/speaking which is characterized by its analysis of why something happens, in contrast to process, which is how. | 70 | |
| 2783614187 | Classification/division | Pattern of writing/speaking which is characterized by division, which is the process of breaking a whole into parts, and classification and then sorts individual items into categories. | 71 | |
| 2784564766 | Genre | Major category into which a literary work fits. Basic deviations are prose, poetry, and drama. These genres can be divided into sub-genres, such as poetry can be divided into lyric, dramatic and epic. | 72 | |
| 2784567169 | Homily | Means sermon, but can include any serious talk involving moral or spiritual advice. | 73 | |
| 2784567547 | In medias res | Opening a story in the middle of the action, requiring filling in past details by exposition or flashback. | 74 | |
| 2784568167 | Narrative | Telling of a story or an account of an event. | 75 | |
| 2784568540 | Parody | Work that closely imitates the style or content of another for comic effect or ridicule. | 76 | |
| 2784570006 | Description | Writing intended to re-create, invent or visually present a person, place or event. | 77 | |
| 2784571460 | Elegy | Song or poem of mourning or lamentation. | 78 | |
| 2784572664 | Burlesque | A humorous imitation of a serious work of literature. | 79 | |
| 2784573070 | Memoir | An autobiographical work. Rather than focusing on the author's life, it pays significant attention to the author's involvement in historical events and the characterization of individuals other than the author. | 80 | |
| 2784574425 | Satire | A work that aims to ridicule the shortcomings of individuals, institutions, or society, often to make a political point. | 81 | |
| 2784575497 | Abstract | A very brief synopsis of longer work of scholarship or research. Also something that does not exist in the real world. | 82 | |
| 2784576279 | Classic | A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time. | 83 | |
| 2784576677 | Expose | A piece of writing, often journalistic, meant to reveal or expose weakness, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings. | 84 | |
| 2784579673 | Lampoon | A violent, satirical attack against a person or institution. | 85 | |
| 2784581510 | Coherence | Clear connection among all parts of an essay. | 86 | |
| 2784582018 | Exposition | Explaining and analyzing information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. | 87 | |
| 2784582462 | Prose | Any language that is not poetry or drama. | 88 | |
| 2784586681 | Rhetoric | Greek for orator, principles governing art of writing effectively, eloquently, persuasively. | 89 | |
| 2784587390 | Rhetorical Modes | Variety, conventions, and purposes of major kinds of writing. | 90 | |
| 2784588003 | Thesis | The central argument that an author makes in a work. | 91 | |
| 2784588548 | Explication | A close reading of a text that identifies and explains the figurative language and forms found within the work. | 92 | |
| 2784589132 | Intertextuality | The various relationships a text may have with other texts, through allusions, borrowing of formal or thematic elements, or simply by reference to traditional literary forms. | 93 | |
| 2784591760 | Poetic license | The liberty that authors sometimes take with ordinary rules of grammar and syntax, employing unusual vocabulary, metrical devices, or figures of speech, or committing factual errors in order to strengthen a passage of writing. | 94 | |
| 2784593976 | Antithesis | The rhetorical opposition or contrast of words, clauses, or sentences. | 95 | |
| 2784597942 | Anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in successive lines, clauses or sentences. | 96 | |
| 2784600012 | Malapropism | A confused, comically inaccurate use of a long word or words. | 97 | |
| 2784601498 | Rhetorical question | A question asked for the sake of persuasive effect rather than a genuine request for information. The writer implies the answer is too obvious to require a reply. | 98 | |
| 2784602671 | Asyndeton | A form of verbal compression which consists of the omission of connecting words between clauses. | 99 | |
| 2784603252 | Cadence | The rising or falling rhythm of speech especially in free verse or prose. | 100 | |
| 2784603851 | Circumlocution | The roundabout manner of referring to something at length rather than naming it briefly and directly. | 101 | |
| 2784605017 | Digression | A temporary departure from one subject to another more or less distantly related topic before the discussion of the first subject is resumed. | 102 | |
| 2784606016 | Ambiguity | Multiple meanings, intentional or not- of a work, phrase, sentence or passage. | 103 | |
| 2784607905 | Repetition | Duplication of any element of language- sound, word, phrase, clause, pattern | 104 | |
| 2784608278 | Aposiopesis | Rhetorical device in which the speaker suddenly breaks off in the middle of a sentence leaving the sentence unfinished. | 105 | |
| 2784611096 | Periphrasis | An elaborate and roundabout manner of speech that uses more words than necessary. | 106 | |
| 2784612118 | Ellipsis | Three periods (...) indicating the omission of words. | 107 | |
| 2784613121 | Argument | An assertion based on fact, statistics, or logical reasoning. | 108 | |
| 2784614012 | Antithesis (Argumentation) | The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. | 109 | |
| 2784614267 | Assumption | An inference or conclusion | 110 | |
| 2784614573 | Assertion | "For" or "against" stance taken by an author in a persuasive essay. | 111 | |
| 2784615295 | Deductive reasoning | Sherlock Holme's way of thinking, using general observations that lead to a specific conclusion. | 112 | |
| 2784616568 | Evidence | Used to support writer's thesis- proof. | 113 | |
| 2784617214 | Infer | Draw a reasonable conclusion based on information presented. | 114 | |
| 2784618343 | Persuasion | Type of argumentation having additional aim of urging a particular form of action/call to action. | 115 | |
| 2784619388 | Ethos | Form of logical thinking used to analyze an author's credibility. Established by appealing to emotions, not using a hostile tone, and demonstrating knowledge of subject; the speaker claims to be an expert or relies on information provided by experts (appeal to authority). | 116 | |
| 2784621619 | Pathos | Greek for "feeling." The quality in a work of literature that evokes high emotion. | 117 | |
| 2784622229 | Logos | Greek for "logic." Attempts to persuade the listener through the use of deductive reasoning. | 118 | |
| 2784622832 | Propaganda | A work of didactic literature that aims to influence the reader on a specific social or political issue. | 119 | |
| 2784637486 | False analogy | Error in assuming that because two things are alike in some ways, they are alike in all ways. | 120 | |
| 2784637734 | Hasty generalization | Unsound inductive inference based on insufficient, inadequate, unspecified evidence. | 121 | |
| 2784638346 | Nonsequitur | A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before. | 122 | |
| 2784638759 | Post hoc | Because one thing follows another, it is held to cause the other. | 123 | |
| 2784639511 | Ad hominem | Instead of attacking an assertion, the argument attacks the person who made the assertion. | 124 | |
| 2784639920 | Syntax | Way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, sentences | 125 | |
| 2784640436 | Inverted syntax | Sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject for effect. | 126 | |
| 2784640937 | Antecedent | Word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. | 127 | |
| 2784641477 | Clause | Grammatical unit containing subject and verb. Independent and dependent. | 128 | |
| 2784642325 | Loose sentence | Type of sentence in which main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units (phrases and clauses). | 129 | |
| 2784645295 | Parallelism | Grammatical and rhetorical framing of words, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. Attracts the reader's attention, adds emphasis, and organization, or rhythm. | 130 | |
| 2784646667 | Periodic sentence | Sentence that presents central meaning in a main clause at the end. Independent clause preceded by phrase or dependent clause. Adds emphasis and variety. | 131 | |
| 2784653976 | Predicate adjective | Adjective that follows linking verb and compliments subject. | 132 | |
| 2784654434 | Predicate nominative | Noun that follows linking verb and renames subject | 133 | |
| 2784655432 | Subordinate clause | Group of words with subject and verb that cannot stand alone. | 134 | |
| 2784656607 | Sentence structure | The manner in which grammatical elements are arranged in a sentence. Simple, compound, complex and compound-complex. | 135 | |
| 2784657618 | Simple sentence | Contains a subject and a verb along with modifiers and perhaps an object. | 136 | |
| 2784658719 | Compound sentence | Consists of two or more simple sentences liked by a coordinating conjunction such as and or but. | 137 | |
| 2784659889 | Complex sentence | It is made up of an independent, or main, clause and any number of dependent or subordinate clauses. | 138 | |
| 2784661928 | Compound-complex sentence | It is made up of two independent, or main, clauses, a conjunction, and one or more dependent or subordinate clauses. | 139 | |
| 2784662969 | Active verb | The subject of the sentence is doing something. | 140 | |
| 2784663545 | Passive verb | Something is being done to the subject of the sentence. | 141 | |
| 2784663900 | Subject compliment | The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clauses that follow a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either remaining it or describing it. The former is called a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. | 142 | |
| 2784665473 | Homonym | Word that is identical in form with another word either in sound or spelling but differs from it in meaning. | 143 | |
| 2784665949 | Homophone | A word that is pronounced in the same way as another word but differs in meaning and or spelling. Thus, a kind of homonym. | 144 |
