5356895898 | Allegory | abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. | | 0 |
5356895899 | Alliteration | number of words, having the same first consonant | | 1 |
5356897788 | Allusion | a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. | | 2 |
5356897789 | Amplification | a rhetorical device writers use to embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information. | | 3 |
5356899907 | anachronism | error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece | | 4 |
5356901577 | anacoluthon (COMPARE HYPERBATON) | interruption within a sentence from one construction to another against the expected logical order of the sentence. Ex. "I will have such revenges on you both,
That all the world shall-I will do such things,
What they are, yet I know not....." | | 5 |
5356904544 | anadiplosis | It refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause.
Ex. "The mountains look on Marathon - And Marathon looks on the sea..." | | 6 |
5356904545 | analogy
(COMPARE CONCEIT) | a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. | | 7 |
5356904546 | anaphora | the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect | | 8 |
5356906243 | antimetabole
(COMPARE CHIASMUS) | a literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order.
Ex. "In America, you can always find a party. In Soviet Russia, Party always finds you!" - Yakov Smirnoff | | 9 |
5356919059 | antithesis | two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. | | 10 |
5356919060 | aporia | speaker purports or expresses to be in doubt or in perplexity regarding a question (often feigned) and asks the audience how he/she ought to proceed | | 11 |
5356921419 | Aposiopesis | speaker or writer breaks off abruptly and leaves the statement incomplete, as if the speaker is not willing to state what is present in his mind due to being overcome by passion, excitement or fear. | | 12 |
5356921420 | Apostrophe | whenever their characters address a character that isn't present in the scene. Often used by characters who are addressing a personification or an idea. | | 13 |
5356924522 | appositive | When a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it | | 14 |
5356925928 | assonance | when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. | | 15 |
5356925929 | asyndeton | intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases and in the sentence | | 16 |
5356927961 | autobiography | book about a person written by that person themselves | | 17 |
5356927962 | cacophony | mix of harsh/inharmonious sounds | | 18 |
5356929582 | Catachresis | mixed metaphors in an inappropriate way to create rhetorical effect
Ex. A man that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green.... | | 19 |
5356932938 | Chiasmus
(COMPARE ANTIMETABOLE) | two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. Words are not repeated in successive clause | | 20 |
5356932939 | Chronicle | a factual written account of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence. | | 21 |
5356934052 | cliche | an expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty. | | 22 |
5356934053 | climax | phrases and clauses are arranged in an order to increase their importance within the sentence | | 23 |
5356934054 | colloquial | casual | | 24 |
5356936377 | conceit
(COMPARE ANALOGY) | a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors | | 25 |
5356936501 | concrete details | specific details that are not as descriptive as imagery | | 26 |
5356937747 | connotation | a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly | | 27 |
5356939266 | conundrum | A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun. | | 28 |
5356939267 | denotation | The dictionary definition | | 29 |
5356941352 | diary | An informal record of a person's private life and day-to-day thoughts and concerns. | | 30 |
5356946460 | diction | the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. | | 31 |
5356946461 | distinctio | Figure of explication in which an introductory reference to a word's meaning is made (e.g., "by x I mean", "which is to say that", "that is") followed by a further elaboration of that word's meaning; explicit definition of or elaboration upon the meaning or meanings of a particular word or set of words. | | 32 |
5356951643 | epithet | an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. | | 33 |
5356953921 | Euphemism | a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. | | 34 |
5356953922 | Euphony | the quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words. | | 35 |
5356955092 | expletive | A word or phrase that does not contribute any meaning but is added only to fill out a sentence or a metrical line. | | 36 |
5356955093 | fiction | Writing about events that aren't real | | 37 |
5356956715 | Figurative language | language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. | | 38 |
5356958646 | flashback | a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story.
framed story | | 39 |
5356958647 | hyperbaton | a literary device wherein the author plays with the regular positioning of words and phrases and creates a differently structured sentence to convey the same meaning. Emphasizes the beginning.
Ex. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.... | | 40 |
5356958648 | hyperbole | An intentional exaggeration | | 41 |
5356961182 | hysteron proteron | a figure of speech in which what should come last is put first, i.e., an inversion of the natural order, for example " I die! I faint! I fail! " | | 42 |
5356961183 | imagery | visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work. | | 43 |
5356961184 | invective | insulting, abusive, or highly critical language. | | 44 |
5356963476 | irony | the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. | | 45 |
5356966934 | litotes | Understatement with a negative | | 46 |
5356966935 | Malapropism | the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect, as in, for example, "dance a flamingo " (instead of flamenco). | | 47 |
5356966936 | Meiosis | satirical understatement | | 48 |
5356969278 | metaphor | a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. | | 49 |
5356970312 | meter | stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse or within the lines of a poem. | | 50 |
5356970313 | Metonymy
(COMPARE SYNECDOCHE) | replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. | | 51 |
5356972271 | monosyllabic | one syllable | | 52 |
5356972272 | narration | telling the story | | 53 |
5356972273 | nonfiction | not fictional writing... | | 54 |
5356974268 | omniscent | type of point of view; knows everything about everyone | | 55 |
5356974269 | oxymoron
(COMPARE PARADOX) | two word paradox.
Ex. Jumbo shrimp | | 56 |
5357054680 | parody
(COMPARE SATIRE) | imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect. | | 57 |
5356974270 | paradox
(COMPARE OXYMORON) | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. | | 58 |
5356976747 | personification | a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. | | 59 |
5356976748 | pleonasm | use of a second or more words (phrase) to express an idea.
Ex. Burning fire, black darkness | | 60 |
5356980816 | point of view | angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. | | 61 |
5356980817 | polysyllabic | multiple syllables | | 62 |
5356983121 | polysyndeton | several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect. | | 63 |
5356984401 | prolepsis | the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished. | | 64 |
5356984402 | prose | form of language that has no formal metrical structure | | 65 |
5356984403 | pun | a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings. | | 66 |
5356985678 | rhetorical question | asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected. | | 67 |
5356985679 | rhyme | a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs. | | 68 |
5356989338 | sarcasm | meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously. | | 69 |
5356989339 | satire
(COMPARE PARODY) | to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. | | 70 |
5356990666 | sermon | oration, lecture, or talk by a member of a religious institution or clergy. | | 71 |
5356990667 | simile | direct comparison between two different things using "like" or "as"
stream of consciousness: | | 72 |
5357023378 | stream of conciousness | describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters. | | 73 |
5356990668 | style | the way a writer writes and it is the technique which an individual author uses in his writing. | | 74 |
5356993537 | syllepsis
(COMPARE ZEUGMA) | one word (usually a verb) is understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs.
Ex. "When I address Fred I never have to raise either my voice or my hopes."
(E.B. White, "Dog Training." One Man's Meat, 1942) | | 75 |
5356995033 | syllogism | starts an argument with a reference to something general and from this it draws conclusion about something more specific | | 76 |
5356995034 | synaesthesia | a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time. | | 77 |
5356998272 | synecdoche
(COMPARE METONYMY) | a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. | | 78 |
5356998273 | syntax | dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought. | | 79 |
5357004085 | tellegraphic | a concise sentence typically containing five words or less. | | 80 |
5357004086 | tone | an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. | | 81 |
5357006967 | understatement | intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is. | | 82 |
5357004518 | zeugma
(COMPARE SYLLEPSIS) | a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas. | | 83 |