Terms : Hide Images
| 8044392825 | alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). | 0 | |
| 8044396433 | independent clause | A grammatical unit that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence. | 1 | |
| 8044408794 | dependent clause | A grammatical unit that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence. | 2 | |
| 8044415884 | colloquial | The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing. Includes local or regional dialects. | 3 | |
| 8044437501 | connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. | 4 | |
| 8044444061 | denotation | The literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | 5 | |
| 8044460317 | diction | Related to style, it refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. These word choices can help make a point or show the author's style. | 6 | |
| 8044480065 | didactic | From the Greek, the word literally means "teaching." This type of word has the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 7 | |
| 8044487564 | figurative language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 8 | |
| 8044510833 | hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") It often produces irony and can have a comedic effect. | 9 | |
| 8044524552 | imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, evoke emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, it uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. | 10 | |
| 8044535569 | metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. | 11 | |
| 8044544625 | mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect it. Similar to tone and atmosphere. | 12 | |
| 8044558395 | 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. (Think of the beginning of Dickens' Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....") | 13 | |
| 8044563860 | pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words). | 14 | |
| 8044571954 | repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. | 15 | |
| 8044581936 | symbol/symbolism | Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually it is something concrete -- such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract. | 16 | |
| 8044591914 | theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. | 17 | |
| 8044602642 | tone | Describes the author's attitude toward his/her material, the audience, or both. | 18 | |
| 8044611300 | transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used to effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. Examples: furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, on the contrary, etc. | 19 | |
| 8525284156 | personification | A figure of speech in which an author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by giving them human characteristics or emotions. | 20 |
