Terms : Hide Images
| 5304198107 | absolute | Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time | 0 | |
| 5304198108 | adage | A proverb, wise saying | 1 | |
| 5304198109 | ad hominem argument | An argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue | 2 | |
| 5304198110 | allegory | A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions; something which has hidden meaning | 3 | |
| 5304198111 | alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds | 4 | |
| 5304198112 | allusion | A reference to another work of literature, person, or event | 5 | |
| 5304198113 | analogy | A comparison to a directly parallel case. | 6 | |
| 5304198114 | anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 7 | |
| 5304198115 | anecdote | A short account of an interesting or humorous incident | 8 | |
| 5304198116 | antecedent | A preceding event; a forerunner; a precursor | 9 | |
| 5304198117 | antithesis | Direct opposite | 10 | |
| 5304198118 | aphorism | A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life. | 11 | |
| 5304198119 | apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. | 12 | |
| 5304198120 | archetype | recurrent symbol etc | 13 | |
| 5304198121 | argument | A single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer | 14 | |
| 5304198122 | asyndeton | Commas used (with no conjunction) to separate a series of words, speeds up flow of sentence. X, Y, Z as opposed to X, Y, and Z. | 15 | |
| 5304198123 | balanced sentence | A sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast | 16 | |
| 5304198124 | bathos | Insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity | 17 | |
| 5304198125 | chiasmus | A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed ("Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.") | 18 | |
| 5304198126 | cliché | A worn-out idea or overused expression | 19 | |
| 5304198127 | climax | Most exciting moment of the story; turning point | 20 | |
| 5304198128 | colloquialism | A word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y'all, ain't) | 21 | |
| 5304198129 | complex sentence | A sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause | 22 | |
| 5304198130 | compound sentence | A sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions. | 23 | |
| 5304198131 | conceit | surprising metaphor | 24 | |
| 5304198132 | concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events | 25 | |
| 5304198133 | connotation | Associations a word calls to mind. | 26 | |
| 5304198134 | cumulative sentence | A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases (main clause is at the beginning) | 27 | |
| 5304198135 | declarative sentence | A sentence that makes a statement or declaration | 28 | |
| 5304198136 | deductive reasoning | Descartes, doubt everything and use deductive reasoning. Reasoning based on facts. Combined with empiricism to create scientific method. | 29 | |
| 5304198137 | denotation | Dictionary definition | 30 | |
| 5304198138 | dialect | A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation. | 31 | |
| 5304198139 | dialogue | Communication between two or more people | 32 | |
| 5304198140 | diction | A writer's or speaker's choice of words | 33 | |
| 5304198141 | didactic | A term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. | 34 | |
| 5304198142 | dilemma | (n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem | 35 | |
| 5304198143 | dissonance | a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds | 36 | |
| 5304198144 | elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech | 37 | |
| 5304198145 | ellipsis | Indicated by a series of three periods, the __ indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text. | 38 | |
| 5304198146 | epic | A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, which recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society | 39 | |
| 5304198147 | epigram | A brief witty poem, often satirical. | 40 | |
| 5304198148 | epigraph | a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme. | 41 | |
| 5304198149 | epiphany | A moment of sudden revelation or insight | 42 | |
| 5304198150 | epitaph | (n.) a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone | 43 | |
| 5304198151 | epithet | A word or phrase preceding or following a name which serves to describe the character. Ex: Alexander the Great. **Often it is a negative description though! | 44 | |
| 5304198152 | eulogy | speech in praise of someone | 45 | |
| 5304198153 | euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant | 46 | |
| 5304198154 | exclamatory sentence | A sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark | 47 | |
| 5304198155 | expletive | An exclamation or oath, often obscene | 48 | |
| 5304198156 | fable | A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters | 49 | |
| 5304198157 | fantasy | A story containing unreal, imaginary features | 50 | |
| 5304198158 | figurative language | A word or words that are inaccurate literally but describe by calling to mind sensations or responses that the thing described evokes. Figurative language may be in the form of metaphors or similes, both of which are non-literal comparisons. Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" is an example of non-literal, figurative language (metaphor, specifically). | 51 | |
| 5304198159 | flashback | A method of narration in which present action is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events | 52 | |
| 5304198160 | flat character | A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story | 53 | |
| 5304198161 | foreshadowing | A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader. | 54 | |
| 5304198162 | frame device | a story within a story | 55 | |
| 5304198163 | genre | A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content. | 56 | |
| 5304198164 | homily | A sermon that cites and interprets biblical texts in reference to Jesus. | 57 | |
| 5304198165 | hubris | Excessive pride | 58 | |
| 5304198166 | hyperbole | purposeful exaggeration for effect | 59 | |
| 5304198167 | hypothetical question | a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition | 60 | |
| 5304198168 | idiom | A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words | 61 | |
| 5304198169 | imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) | 62 | |
| 5304198170 | implication | An idea that is communicated indirectly, through a suggestion or hint | 63 | |
| 5304198171 | inductive reasoning | Baconian empiricism. Based speculations on other situations. | 64 | |
| 5304198172 | inference | A logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience. | 65 | |
| 5304198173 | invective | abusive language | 66 | |
| 5304198174 | irony | A contrast between expectation and reality | 67 | |
| 5304198175 | jargon | Nonsensical talk, specialized language | 68 | |
| 5304198176 | juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts | 69 | |
| 5304198177 | legend | 1. key to map; 2. myth or story | 70 | |
| 5304198178 | limerick | A five line poem in which lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme. | 71 | |
| 5304198179 | limited narrator | a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character | 72 | |
| 5304198180 | literary license | deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect | 73 | |
| 5304198181 | litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. | 74 | |
| 5304198182 | malapropism | the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar | 75 | |
| 5304198183 | maxim | A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage | 76 | |
| 5304198184 | metaphor | A comparison that establishes a figurative identity between objects being compared. | 77 | |
| 5304198185 | metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it | 78 | |
| 5304198186 | mood | How the reader feels about the text while reading. | 79 | |
| 5304198187 | motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 80 | |
| 5304198188 | motivation | A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior | 81 | |
| 5304198189 | myth | A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society. | 82 | |
| 5304198190 | narrative | A poem that tells a story. | 83 | |
| 5304198191 | narrator | Person telling the story | 84 | |
| 5304198192 | non sequitur | (logic) a conclusion that does not follow from the premises | 85 | |
| 5304198193 | omniscient narrator | A narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters | 86 | |
| 5304198194 | onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. | 87 | |
| 5304198195 | oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. | 88 | |
| 5304198196 | parable | A short tale that teaches a moral; similar to but shorter than an allegory | 89 | |
| 5304198197 | paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. | 90 | |
| 5304198198 | parallelism | A literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures | 91 | |
| 5304198199 | paraphrase | (v.) to restate in other words (n.) a statement that presents a given idea in new language | 92 | |
| 5304198200 | parody | A humorous imitation of a piece of literature or music | 93 | |
| 5304198201 | parenthetical | Explaining the main idea or topic | 94 | |
| 5304198202 | pathos | Appeal to emotion | 95 | |
| 5304198203 | pedantic | Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules | 96 | |
| 5304198204 | personification | 1. attributing human qualities to something non-human, 2. acting as an example of | 97 | |
| 5304198205 | philippic | A strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century. | 98 | |
| 5304198206 | plot | Sequence of events in a story | 99 | |
| 5304198207 | point of view | the perspective from which a story is told | 100 | |
| 5304198208 | polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions | 101 | |
| 5304198209 | pun | sharp and irritating to the senses | 102 | |
| 5304198210 | resolution | End of the story where loose ends are tied up | 103 | |
| 5304198211 | rhetoric | effective writing or speaking | 104 | |
| 5304198212 | rhetorical question | A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer | 105 | |
| 5304198213 | rhetorical devices | Literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression | 106 | |
| 5304198214 | riddle | A question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum | 107 | |
| 5304198215 | romantic | 19th century artistic movement that appealed to emotion rather than reason. | 108 | |
| 5304198216 | round character | A character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work | 109 | |
| 5304198217 | simple sentence | A sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause | 110 | |
| 5304198218 | solecism | grammatical mistake; blunder in speech | 111 | |
| 5304198219 | structure | a thing constructed | 112 | |
| 5304198220 | style | A set of formatting options that have been named and saved. | 113 | |
| 5304198221 | surrealism | A movement in art emphasizing the expression of the imagination as realized in dreams and presented without conscious control. | 114 | |
| 5304198222 | syllepsis | A construction in which one word is used in two different senses; caught a train and a cold | 115 | |
| 5304198223 | syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. | 116 | |
| 5304198224 | symbol | A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract. | 117 | |
| 5304198225 | synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole | 118 | |
| 5304198226 | synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") | 119 | |
| 5304198227 | syntax | Arrangement of words in phrases and sentences | 120 | |
| 5304198228 | tautology | UNNECESSARY REPETITION | 121 | |
| 5304198229 | tone | A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels. | 122 | |
| 5304198230 | tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character | 123 | |
| 5304198231 | trilogy | A group of three literary or musical works that have a related theme | 124 | |
| 5304198232 | trite | (adj.) commonplace; overused, stale | 125 | |
| 5304198233 | turning point | Climax | 126 | |
| 5304198234 | understatement | A statement that says less than what is meant | 127 | |
| 5304198235 | usage | The customary way language or its elements are used | 128 | |
| 5304198236 | vernacular | Everyday language | 129 |
