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| 5791101481 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words. Although the term is not frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for it in any essay passage. This kind of repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 0 | |
| 5791102919 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. | 1 | |
| 5791105177 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. | 2 | |
| 5791106046 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. This can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with something more familiar, or make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 3 | |
| 5791099920 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction (i.e. hope) in addition to the literal meaning (i.e. moral truth). | 4 | |
| 5791206030 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun (i.e. "But it is the grandeur of all truth which can occupy a very high place in human interests..."). | 5 | |
| 5791212355 | Antithesis | The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite. | 6 | |
| 5791206761 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. It can be a memorable summation of the author's point. | 7 | |
| 5791206958 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love (basically something that cannot answer). The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. | 8 | |
| 5791208262 | 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. Frequently this foreshadows events or creates a mood. | 9 | |
| 5791208418 | 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. | 10 | |
| 5791208620 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. There are dependent and independent ones. You should consider why the author subordinates one element over another. | 11 | |
| 5791208914 | Colloquial/Colloquialism | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. This type of expression in writing include local or regional dialects. | 12 | |
| 5791209076 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. It displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. | 13 | |
| 5791214514 | Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. | 14 | |
| 5791213017 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (Antonym to connotation). | 15 | |
| 5791213607 | Diction | Related to style, this refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness (i.e. formal or informal, ornate or plain). It can complement the author's purpose and combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., creates an author's style. | 16 | |
| 5791214515 | Didactic | These type of words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 17 | |
| 5791217479 | Euphemism | These are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. It may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement (i.e. saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse"). | 18 | |
| 5791218341 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 19 | |
| 5791218453 | Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 20 | |
| 5791117823 | Understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic (antonym to hyperbole). | 21 | |
| 5791118586 | Transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. These effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. | 22 | |
| 5791121086 | Theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually it is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, this may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing. | 23 | |
| 5791203990 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 24 | |
| 5791202756 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. These often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, it produces irony (antonym to "understatement"). | 25 | |
| 5791122963 | Syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. This is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of it as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. | 26 | |
| 5791124153 | Synethesia | Refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image (i.e. Taste the Pain). | 27 | |
| 5791126136 | Literary Symbol | Type of symbol that is sometimes also conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are more generally recognized. | 28 | |
| 5791199235 | Irony/Ironic | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. It is often used to create poignancy or humor. Three major types are verbal, situational, and dramatic. | 29 | |
| 5791200299 | Verbal Irony | When the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning. | 30 | |
| 5791127222 | Conventional Symbol | Type of symbol that has been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a cross or Star of David; national symbols, such as a flag or an eagle; or group symbols, such as a skull and crossbones for pirates). | 31 | |
| 5791128297 | Natural Symbol | Type of symbol where objects and occurrences from nature symbolize ideas commonly associated with them (i.e. dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning). | 32 | |
| 5791197138 | Litotes | A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite (antonym to "hyperbole"). | 33 | |
| 5791205095 | Figure of Speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. These include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. | 34 | |
| 5791204483 | Generic Conventions | These describe traditions for each genre and help define them (i.e. differentiating an essay vs. journalistic writing or an autobiography vs. political writing). | 35 | |
| 5791190262 | Metonymy | A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. (i.e. "the White House declared" vs. "the President declared"). A substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 36 | |
| 5791130854 | Syllogism | A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises ( major and minor) that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion (i.e. All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is a mortal). | 37 | |
| 5791204326 | Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama, which can be divided into subdivisions. | 38 | |
| 5791133171 | Subordinate Clause | This word group contains both a subject and a verb, but unlike the independent clause, this clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought and depends on a main clause to complete its meaning. | 39 | |
| 5791185745 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox and add complexity to a subject (i.e. "cruel kindness"). | 40 | |
| 5791185192 | 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 (i.e. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...."). It is used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas or make a reader think over an idea in innovative way. | 41 | |
| 5791177554 | Parallelism | This refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. The effects frequently act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. | 42 | |
| 5791134237 | Predicate Adjective | An adjective, a group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject (i.e. Warren remained optimistic. optimistic = ? as it modifies the subject, Warren). | 43 | |
| 5791176654 | 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 (i.e. repetition). Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being ridicules in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. | 44 | |
| 5791175801 | Pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or a general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish ("show-offy"). | 45 | |
| 5791138002 | Predicate Nominative | A noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. It follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence (i.e. Julia Roberts is a movie star. movie star = ? as it renames the subject, Julia Roberts). | 46 | |
| 5791201486 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. An author may use this while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. | 47 | |
| 5791139275 | Subject Complement | The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it (the predicate nominative) or describing it (the predicate adjective). | 48 | |
| 5791172525 | First Person Narration | When the author tells the story with the first person pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. | 49 | |
| 5791172079 | Third Person Narration | When the author relates the events with the third person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it." There are two. | 50 | |
| 5791201064 | Inference/Infer | To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. | 51 | |
| 5791140298 | Style | The consideration of this has the purpose of evaluating how appropriate an author's personal rhetorical choices are to their purpose, or classifying and comparing an author to a genre. | 52 | |
| 5791200883 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 53 | |
| 5791149186 | Semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. | 54 | |
| 5791166214 | Rhetoric | From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. | 55 | |
| 5791150987 | Sarcasm | Involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, and successful usage can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel. | 56 | |
| 5791198196 | Situational Irony | When events turn out the opposite of what was expected by the characters and readers. | 57 | |
| 5791152203 | The Purpose of Narration | To tell a story or narrate an event or series of events. This writing mode frequently uses the tools of descriptive writing. | 58 | |
| 5791196593 | Dramatic Irony | When facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work. | 59 | |
| 5791153753 | The Purpose of Argumentation | To prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action. | 60 | |
| 5791153290 | The Purpose of Description | To recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event or action so that the reader can picture that being described. Sometimes an author engages all five senses in this; descriptive writing may be straightforward and objective or highly emotional an subjective. | 61 | |
| 5791149949 | Satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. The effects of this are varied, depending on the writer's goal, but successful usage is often humorous, thought provoking and insightful about the human condition. | 62 | |
| 5791192169 | Loose Sentence/Non-periodic Sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. A work containing many of these often seems informal, relaxed, or conversational and create a loose style. | 63 | |
| 5791159380 | The Purpose of Exposition | To explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion (AKA expository writing). | 64 | |
| 5791191041 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. This type of language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful. | 65 | |
| 5791164950 | Rhetorical Modes | This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. | 66 | |
| 5791186633 | Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the this. It is similar to tone and atmosphere. | 67 | |
| 5791188797 | Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events. | 68 | |
| 5791167000 | Prose | This genre refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. | 69 | |
| 5791129525 | Symbol/Symbollism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually this is something concrete-such as an object, action, character, or scene-that represents something more abstract. | 70 | |
| 5791166858 | Repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 71 | |
| 5791186265 | Onomatopoeia | 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 and make writing more expressive and interesting. | 72 | |
| 5791169247 | Third Person Objective | Point of view in which the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting only the actions of all the remaining characters. | 73 | |
| 5791125206 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part. For example, to refer to a car as "wheels" (antonym to metonymy). | 74 | |
| 5791169921 | Third Person Omnicient | Point of View in which the narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters. third person limited omniscient, | 75 | |
| 5791177234 | Anaphora | A sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. | 76 | |
| 5791172851 | Point of View | The attitude and perspective from which a story is told. The two general divisions are first person and third person narration. | 77 | |
| 5791120146 | Thesis | The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. It is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proven it. | 78 | |
| 5791119023 | Tone | Similar to mood, this describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. This intonation of speech determines what message the author desires to convey. | 79 | |
| 5791173693 | 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. This is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader. | 80 | |
| 5791174627 | Periodic Sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. The effect of this is to add emphasis and structural variety and is much stronger than a loose sentence. | 81 | |
| 5791117470 | Wit | Intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. This kind of statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. | 82 |
