Terms : Hide Images
| 228089069 | allegory | a narrative in which the characters, behavior, and even the setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance. often this is a universal symbol or personified abstraction | 0 | |
| 228089070 | alliteration | the sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables. | 1 | |
| 228089071 | allusion | a literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference. for example, one might contrast the life and tribulations of frederick douglass to the trials of job | 2 | |
| 228089072 | anaphora | the regular repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of successive phrases of clauses. the following is an example: to raise a happy, healthful, and hopeful child, it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes businesspeople; it takes community leaders; it takes those who protect our health and safety; it takes all of us. | 3 | |
| 228089073 | antithesis | the juxtaposition of sharply contrasting ideas in balanced or parallel words, phrases, grammatical structure, or ideas. for example, alexander pope reminds us that "to err is human, to forgive divine" | 4 | |
| 228089074 | aphorism | a concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held belief. for example, "spare the rod and spoil the child" | 5 | |
| 228089075 | apostrophe | the act of addressing some inanimate abstraction or person that is not physically present: it often helps the speaker to be able to express his or her thoughts aloud. for instance, king lear intones, "ingratitude! thou, marble-hearted fiend, more hideous when thou show'st thee in a child than the sea-monster." in this example, ingratitude is a personified concept; by addressing the abstract, lear commands a significant rhetorical power | 6 | |
| 228089076 | appeals to...authority,emotion,or logic | rhetorical arguments in which the speaker claims to be an authority or expert in a field,attempts to play upon the emotions,or appeals to the use of reason. classically trained rhetoricians identify these appeals with their greek names:ethos is authority,pathos is emotion,and logos is logic | 7 | |
| 228089077 | assonance | the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words. the alliteration example also demonstrates assonance: she sells sea shells by the sea shore | 8 | |
| 228089078 | asyndeton | a syntactical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producting more rapid prose. for example:veni,vidi,vici(i came, i saw, i conquered) | 9 | |
| 228089079 | attitude | the sense expressed by the tone of voice or the mood of a piece of writing; the author's feelings toward his or her subject, characters, events, or theme. it might even be his or her feelings for the reader. | 10 | |
| 228089080 | begging the question | an argumentative ploy where the arguer sidesteps the question or the conflict, evading or ignoring the real question | 11 | |
| 228089081 | canon | that which has been accepted as authentic, such as in canon law, or the canon according to the theories of einstein | 12 | |
| 228089082 | chiasmus | a figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second. for example "he thinks i am but a fool. a fool, perhaps i am" | 13 | |
| 228089083 | colloquial | a term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area. for instance, most people expect southerners to use the colloquial expression y'all to engage the attention of a group of people. in some parts of the united states, a coke is a product of the coca-cola company, while in other parts of the country, coke means any type of carbonated beverage. other people refer to such beverages as pop or soda pop. | 14 | |
| 228434381 | comparison and contrast | a mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared, contrasted, or both. on one english language exam, students were asked to contrast two marriage proposals taken from literature, analyzing them for the use the narrators made of rhetorical devices and their argumentative success | 15 | |
| 228434382 | conceit | a comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature in particular an extended metaphor within a poem. however, conceits can also be used in nonfiction and prose. for instance, richard selzer's passage "the knife" compares the preparation and actions of surgery to preparing for and conducting a religious service or a sacred ritual. | 16 | |
| 228434383 | connotation | the implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase. it is the oppositite of denotation, which is the dictionary definition of the word | 17 | |
| 228434384 | consonance | the repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels, such as in pitter-platter, splish-splash, and click-clack | 18 | |
| 228434385 | convention | an accepted manner, model, or tradition; for instance, aristotle's conventions of tragedy | 19 | |
| 228434386 | critique | an assessment or analysis of something, such as passage of writing, for the prupose of determining what it is, what its limitations are, and how it conforms to the standard of the genre | 20 | |
| 228434387 | deductive reasoning (deduction) | the method of argument in which specific statements and conclusions are drawn from general principles; movement from the general to the specific, in contrast to inductive reasoning | 21 | |
| 228434388 | dialect | the language and speech idiosyncracies of a specific area, region, or group. for example, minnesotans say "you betcha" when they agree with you. southerners refer to the gathering of folks as "y'all" Although dialect is most often found in fiction, sometimes it is evident in speeches from a different era or from a different culture | 22 | |
| 228434389 | diction | the specific word choice an author uses to persuade or convey tone, purpose, or effect. a past english language exam included adlai stevenson's famous "cat bill" veto addressed to the illinois state senate. cats roaming without leashes constituted "feline delinquency," and irritated citizen reactions were referred to as "small game hunts by zealous citizens". | 23 | |
| 228434390 | didactic | writing or speech is didactic when it has an instructive purpose or a lesson. it is often associated with a dry, pompus presentaion, regardless of its innate value to the reader. some of aesop's fables are didactic in that they contain an underlying moral or social message | 24 | |
| 228434391 | elegy | a poem or prose work that laments, or meditates upon the death of a person or persons. sometimes an elegy will end with words of consolation. many public elegies were presented in the aftermath of hurricane katrina | 25 | |
| 228434392 | epistrophe | in rhetoric, the repetition of a phrase at the end of successive sentences. for example: if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. if women are free from violence, their families will flourish. if women have a chance to work... their families will flourish | 26 | |
| 228434393 | epitaph | writing in praise of a dead person, most often inscribed upon a headstone | 27 | |
| 228434394 | ethos | in rhetoric, the appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, or narrator | 28 | |
| 228434395 | eulogy | a speech or written passage in praise of a person; an oration in honor of a deceased person. elegy laments; eulogy praises. these are spoken in honor of the brave firefighters who heroically pos their livees while saving the lives of others | 29 | |
| 228434396 | euphemism | an indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information. for instance, it is much nicer for a person who has just veen given a pink slip to hear that she has been made redundant rather than she has hereby been terminated | 30 | |
| 228434397 | exposition | writing that explains its own meaning or purpose | 31 | |
| 228434398 | extended metapho | a series of comparisons within a piece of writing. if they consistently involve one concept, this is also known as a conceit | 32 | |
| 228434399 | figurative language/ figure of speech | figurative (in contrast to literal) language has levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, litotes, and others | 33 | |
| 228434400 | flashback | an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration | 34 | |
| 228434401 | genre | a type or class of literature, such as epic, narrative, poetry, biography, history | 35 | |
| 228434402 | homily | a sermon, but more contemporary uses include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual life | 36 | |
| 228434403 | hyperbole | overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention | 37 | |
| 228434404 | imagery | broadly defined, any sensory detail or evocation in a work; more narrowly, the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. basically it involves any or all five senses. a writer generally uses it in conjunction with other figures of speech, such as simile and metaphor. "her cheeks were rosy and so was my love-bursting with fragrance and softness | 38 | |
| 228434405 | inductive reasoning | the method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principles; movement from the specific to general. in other words, a general supposition is made after investigating specific instances, a common logic used in scientific studey | 39 | |
| 228434406 | inference | a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data. it is through inference- looking at the clues, learning the facts- that sherlock holmes was able to solve the crimes | 40 | |
| 228434407 | irony | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. the intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated, often suggesting light sarcasm. the most famous classical ironist is jonathan swift, who wrote a modest proposal. irony is used for many, often to create poignancy or humor. there are three major types of irony | 41 | |
| 228434408 | verbal irony | what the author says is actually the opposite of what is meant | 42 | |
| 228434409 | situational irony | when events end up the opposite of what is expected | 43 | |
| 228434410 | dramatic irony | in drama and fiction, fact or situations are known to the reader or audience but not to the characters | 44 | |
| 228434411 | isocolon | parallel structure in which the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure but also in length. for example, the biblical admonition "many are called, but few are chosen | 45 | |
| 228434412 | jargon | specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group. the computer industry for examle has introduced much of this into our vocabulary, such as geek, crash, down, interface, delete, virus, and bug | 46 | |
| 228434413 | juxtaposition | the location of one thing adjacent to or juxtaposed with another to creaste an effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose | 47 | |
| 228434414 | litote | a figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement; for instance the understated "not bad" as a comment about something especially well odne. george orwell wrote, "last week i saw a woman flayed and you would hardly believe how much it altered person for the worse" | 48 | |
| 228434415 | loose sentence | a long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases; for evzv ample, "the child ran, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, as if being chased by demons" | 49 | |
| 228434416 | metaphor | one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy. it is an implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another, without the use of a verbal signal such as like or as. "it is the east and Juliet is the sun | 50 | |
| 228434417 | metonymy | a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something, as in "Buckingham palace announced today..." | 51 | |
| 228434418 | mode of discourse | the way in which information is presented in written or spoken form. the Greeks believed there were only four modes of discourse:narration, description, exposition, and argumentation. contemporary thought often includes other modes, such as personal observation and narrative reflection | 52 | |
| 228434419 | mood | a feeling or ambiance resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer attitude and point of view. it is a feeling that establishes the atmosphere in a work of literature or other discourse | 53 | |
| 228434420 | narrative | a mode of discourse that tells a story of some sort. it is based on sequences of connected events, usually presented in a straightforward, chronological framework | 54 | |
| 228434421 | onomatopoeia | a word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes; buzz is a good example | 55 | |
| 228434422 | oxymoron | a figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in wise fool, baggy tights, or deafening silence | 56 | |
| 228434423 | paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is probably true. a popular paradox from the 1960s was that war protesters would fight for peace | 57 | |
| 228434424 | parallel structure | the use of similar forms in writing for nouns, verbs, phrases, or thoughts'"Jane enjoys reading, writing, and skiing | 58 | |
| 228434425 | pathos | that element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow. in argument or persuasion it tends to be the evocation of pity from the reader. | 59 | |
| 228434426 | periodic sentence | a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end; "looking as if she were being chased by demons, ignoring all hazards, the child ran. | 60 | |
| 228434427 | personification | treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities | 61 | |
| 228434428 | point of view | the relation in which a narrator stands to a subject of discourse | 62 | |
| 228434429 | prose | the ordinary form of written language without metrical structure, in contrast to verse and poetry | 63 | |
| 228434430 | realism | attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail | 64 | |
| 228434431 | rebuttal/refutation | an argument technique wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and countered | 65 | |
| 228434432 | rhetoric | the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking. all types of writing may seek to persuade, and rhetoricians study writing for its persuasive qualities | 66 | |
| 228434433 | rhetorical question | a question that is asked simply for the sake of stylistic effect | 67 | |
| 228434434 | 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 | 68 | |
| 228434435 | satire | a literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure. | 69 | |
| 228434436 | simile | a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually using the words like or as to draw the connection | 70 | |
| 228434437 | style | the manner in which a writer combines and arranges words, shapes ideas, and utilizes syntax and structure. | 71 | |
| 228434438 | symbolism | use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or stands for something else. | 72 | |
| 228434439 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole, such as 50 masts representing 50 ships | 73 | |
| 228434440 | syntax | the way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. it is sentence structure and how it influences the way the reader recieves a particular piece of writing. | 74 | |
| 228434441 | theme | the central or dominant idea or focus of a work; the statement a passage makes about its subject | 75 | |
| 228434442 | tone | the attitude the narrator takes toward a subject and theme; the tenor of a piece of writing based on particular stylistic devices employed by the writer. it reflects the narrator's attitude | 76 | |
| 228434443 | voice | the acknowledged or unacknowledged sourced 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 | 77 | |
| 228434444 | zeugma | a grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective,is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated. often used to comic effect "the thief took my wallet and the fifth avenue bus" | 78 |
