Terms : Hide Images
| 249906474 | Paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is probably true. Ex. "Fight for Peace" | |
| 249906475 | Parallel Structure | The use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases or thoughts. Ex. "Jane enjoys reading, writing and skiing." This is the parallel recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show equal importance. | |
| 249906476 | Pathos | The element in literature that simulates pity or sorrow. In argument or persuasion, it tends to be the evocation of pity from the reader/listener. It's the "poor starving children in Africa" approach to convincing you. | |
| 249906477 | Periodic Sentence | A long sentence in which the main clause isn't completed until the end. Ex. "The child, who looked as if she were being chased by demons, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, ran." | |
| 249906478 | Personification | Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities. Ex. "Once again the heart of America is heavy. The spirit of America weeps for a tragedy that denies the very meaning of our land." | |
| 249906479 | Point of View | The relation in which the narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse. Determining point of view in nonfiction requires the reader to establish the historical perspective of what's being said. | |
| 249906480 | Prose | The ordinary form of written language without metrical structure, in contrast to verse and poetry. | |
| 249906481 | Realism | Attempting to describe nature and life without idealism and with attention to detail. Mark Twain is an author of this subject. | |
| 249906482 | Rebuttal/Refutation | An argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered. | |
| 249906483 | Rhetoric | The art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking. All types of writing seek to persuade and rhetoricians study writing for its persuasive qualities. | |
| 249906484 | Sarcasm | A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical. Sarcasm can be light and gently poke fun at something or it can be harsh, caustic and mean. | |
| 249906485 | Rhetorical Question | A question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect and is not expected to be answered. | |
| 249906486 | Satire | A literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure. Jonathan Swift and George Orwell are the masters of satire. | |
| 249906487 | Simile | A direct, explicit, comparison of one thing to another usually using the words "like" or "as" to draw connection. Ex. "There was a steamy mist in all the hollows, and it had roared up the hill like an evil spirit." | |
| 249906488 | Style | The manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, shapes, ideas and utilizes syntax and structure. It's the distinctive manner of expression that represents that author's typical writing style. | |
| 249906489 | Symbolism | Use of a person, place, thing, event or pattern that figuratively represents or "stands for" something else. Often the thing or idea represented is more abstract or general then the symbol which is concrete. Ex. Golden Acres for McDonalds. | |
| 249906490 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole such as "50 masts" representing 50 ships. | |
| 249906491 | Syntax | The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses and sentences. Syntax is sentence structure and how it influences the way the reader receives a particular piece of writing. Establishes tone and attitude. | |
| 249906492 | Theme | Central or dominant idea or focus of a work; the statement a passage makes about its subject. | |
| 249906493 | Voice | The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker's or narrator's particular "take" on an idea based on a particular passage and how all the elements of the style of the piece come together to express his or her feelings. | |
| 249906494 | Zeugma | A grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated. Ex. "The thief took my wallet and the Fifth Ave. bus." |
