Terms : Hide Images
| 4390380223 | abstract | an abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research, dealing with or tending to deal with a subject apart from a particular or specific instance | 0 | |
| 4390391943 | ad hominem | directed to or appealing to feelings or prejudices instead of to intellect or reason | 1 | |
| 4390399132 | adage | a saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. Example: "There is more than one way to skin a cat" | 2 | |
| 4390419502 | allegory | a story in which a second meaning is to be read beneath the surface | 3 | |
| 4390424013 | alliteration | the repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines in a poem | 4 | |
| 4390429665 | allusion | a reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea | 5 | |
| 4390435719 | ambiguity | a vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations | 6 | |
| 4390442803 | anachronism | a person, scene, event or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era | 7 | |
| 4390454079 | analogy | a comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things | 8 | |
| 4390461207 | anecdote | a brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or to make a point | 9 | |
| 4390464352 | annotation | a brief explanation, summary, or evaluation of a text or a work of literature | 10 | |
| 4390469688 | antagonist | a character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist, produces tension or conflict | 11 | |
| 4390476993 | antecedent | a word to which a pronoun refers | 12 | |
| 4390479124 | antithesis | a rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences, as in the following: "They promised freedom but provided slavery", "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" | 13 | |
| 4390498647 | aphorism | a short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment | 14 | |
| 4390501909 | Apollonian | in contrast of Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior | 15 | |
| 4390508351 | apostrophe | a locution that addresses a person or a personified thing not present. Example: "Oh, you cruel streets of Manhattan, how I detest you!" | 16 | |
| 4390520939 | arch | characterized by clever or sly humor, often saucy, playful, and somewhat irrelevant | 17 | |
| 4390529087 | archetype | an abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form | 18 | |
| 4390535043 | assonance | the repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words in a prose or poetry piece | 19 | |
| 4390540706 | bard | a poet; in older times, a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment | 20 | |
| 4390548120 | bathos | insincere or overdone sentimentality | 21 | |
| 4390552344 | belle-lettres | a french term for the world of books, criticism, and literature in general | 22 | |
| 4390555334 | bibliography | a list of WorksCited or otherwise relevant to a particular subject | 23 | |
| 4390559345 | bombast | inflated, pretentious language | 24 | |
| 4390563090 | burlesque | a work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation | 25 | |
| 4390567809 | cacophony | grating, inharmonious sounds | 26 | |
| 4390571424 | canon | the works considered to be most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied | 27 | |
| 4390579563 | caricature | a grotesque or exaggerated likeness of stroking qualities in persons or things | 28 | |
| 4390587998 | carpe diem | literally "seize the day", a common theme in life and literature | 29 | |
| 4390592874 | circumlocution | Literally "talking around" a subject, ie discourse that avoids direct reference to a subject | 30 | |
| 4390978095 | classic | a highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time | 31 | |
| 4390986336 | classical | deriving from orderly qualities of Ancient Greek and roman culture, implies formality, objectivity, simplicity, and restraint | 32 | |
| 4391207411 | clause | a structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate. | 33 | |
| 4391215391 | Independent clauses | may stand on their own as complete sentences | 34 | |
| 4391222565 | dependent clauses | used as nouns or modifiers, are incomplete sentences and cannot stand alone grammatically | 35 | |
| 4391234540 | climax | the night point or turning point in a story | 36 | |
| 4391241300 | comparison and contrast | a mode of discourse in which two or more things are compared and contrasted | 37 | |
| 4391246221 | conceit | a witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea, often started in figurative language | 38 | |
| 4391258160 | concrete detail | a highly specific, particular, often real, actual, or tangible detail; the opposite of abstract | 39 | |
| 4391266713 | connotation | the suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase | 40 | |
| 4391276031 | consonance | the repetition of two or more constant sounds in a group of words or a unit of speech and writing | 41 | |
| 4391284789 | critique | an analysis or assessment of a thing or situation for the purpose of determining its nature, limitations, and conformity to a set of standards | 42 | |
| 4391293978 | cynic | one who expects and observes nothing but the worst of human conduct | 43 | |
| 4391299701 | deductive reasoning | a method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles. | 44 | |
| 4391312469 | denotation | the dictionary definition of a word | 45 | |
| 4391319526 | dénouement | the resolution occurs at the end of a narrative or drama, real or imagined | 46 | |
| 4391327023 | descriptive detail | graphic, exact, and accurate presentation of the characteristics of a person, place, or thing | 47 | |
| 4391337213 | deus ex machina | in literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem | 48 | |
| 4391342392 | diction | the choice of words in an oral and written discourse | 49 | |
| 4391346812 | didactic | having an instructive purpose, intending to convey information or teach a lesson, usually in a dry, pompous manner | 50 | |
| 4391355278 | digression | the portion of discourse that wanders or departs from the main subject or topic | 51 | |
| 4391362576 | Dionysian | as distinguished from Apollonian, the word refers to sensual, pleasure seeking impulses | 52 | |
| 4391370022 | dramatic irony | a circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character | 53 | |
| 4391378317 | elegy | a poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of someone or something of value | 54 | |
| 4423655589 | ellipsis | three periods indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation | 55 | |
| 4423664343 | elliptical construction | a sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. | 56 | |
| 4423668622 | empathy | a feeling of association or identification with an object or a person | 57 | |
| 4423674390 | epic | a narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero | 58 | |
| 4423679467 | epigram | a concise but ingenious, witty, and thoughtful statement | 59 | |
| 4423683863 | epithet | an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or a thing | 60 | |
| 4423690554 | eponymous | a term for the title character of a work of literature | 61 | |
| 4423694470 | ethos | a speaker's or author's authority to express opinions on a subject. | 62 | |
| 4423699653 | euphemism | a mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. | 63 | |
| 4423705253 | euphony | pleasing, harmonious sounds | 64 | |
| 4423709512 | exegesis | a detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of prose or poetry | 65 | |
| 4423715145 | explication | the interpretation or analysis of a text | 66 | |
| 4423717864 | exposé | a factual piece of writing that reveals weaknesses, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings | 67 | |
| 4423726210 | exposition | the background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of an essay or other work; setting forth the meaning or purpose of a piece of writing or discourse | 68 | |
| 4423740349 | extended metaphor | a series of comparisons between two unlike objects | 69 | |
| 4423743781 | fable | a short tale, often with nonhuman characters, from which a useful lesson or moral may be drawn | 70 | |
| 4423750352 | fallacy | an incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, false information, or flawed logic | 71 | |
| 4423760728 | fantasy | a story containing unreal, imaginary figures | 72 | |
| 4423766812 | farce | a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose | 73 | |
| 4423784691 | figurative language | implies meanings | 74 | |
| 4423787454 | frame | a structure that provides a premise or setting for the narrative or other discourse | 75 | |
| 4423792440 | genre | a term used to describe literary forms | 76 | |
| 4423798287 | harangue | a forceful sermon, lecture, or tirade | 77 | |
| 4423803279 | homily | a lecture or sermon on a religious or moral theme meant to guide human behavior | 78 | |
| 4423810097 | hubris | excessive pride that often affects tone | 79 | |
| 4423813538 | humanism | a belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity | 80 | |
| 4423819817 | hyperbole | overstatement | 81 | |
| 4423822549 | idyll | a lyric poem of passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place | 82 | |
| 4423829331 | image | a word or phrase representing what can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt | 83 | |
| 4423836797 | indirect quotation | a rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased | 84 | |
| 4423846659 | inductive reasoning | a method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization | 85 | |
| 4423854690 | inference | a conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data | 86 | |
| 4423863163 | invective | a direct verbal assault | 87 | |
| 4423867097 | irony | a mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm | 88 | |
| 4423875026 | kenning | a device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities | 89 | |
| 4423888886 | lampoon | a mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation | 90 | |
| 4423893440 | litotes | a form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity | 91 | |
| 4423899741 | logos | the logic used by a speaker or writer to support a claim or point of view | 92 | |
| 4423904716 | loose sentence | a sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences (subject verb object) where the main idea of the sentence is presented first and then is followed by one or more subordinate clause | 93 | |
| 4423918950 | lyrical prose | personal, reflective prose that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject | 94 | |
| 4423925146 | malapropism | a confused use of words in which the appropriate word is replaced by one with a similar sound by different meaning | 95 | |
| 4423935292 | maxim | a saying or proverb that expresses wisdom or truth | 96 | |
| 4423940511 | melodrama | a literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response | 97 | |
| 4423948264 | metaphor | a figure of speech that compares unlike objects | 98 | |
| 4423952217 | metaphysical | a term describing poetry that uses elaborate conceits, expresses the complexities of love and life and is highly intellectual. | 99 | |
| 4423961813 | metonymy | a figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated | 100 |
