Literary Terms

213998155	ad hominem	an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue
213998156	allegory	a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions
213998157	alliteration	the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
213998158	allusion	a reference to sth literary, mythological, or historical
213998159	analogy	a comparison between two different things which are similar in some way
213998160	anaphora	the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
213998161	anecdote	a brief personal narrative which focuses on a particular incident or event
213998162	antithesis	a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
213998163	aphorism	a concise statement which expressed succintly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme and balance
213998164	apostrophe	the act of speaking directly to an absent or imaginary person, or to some abstraction
213998165	chiasmus	a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed
213998166	colloquialism	informal words or expression not usually acceptable in writing form
213998167	conceit	a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor
213998168	connotation	the implied or associative meaning of a word
213998169	denotation	the literal meaning of a word
213998170	diction	having to do with the word choices made by a writer
213998171	didactic	sth which has its primary purpose to teach or instruct
213998172	ellipsis	the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context
213998173	epiphany	a moment of sudden revelation or insight
213998174	euphemism	an indirect, less offensive way of saying sth that is considered unpleasant
213998175	genre	a major category or type of literature
213998176	hyperbole	intentional exaggeration to create an effect
213998177	imagery	concrete sensory details which contribute to the themes or ideas of a work
213998178	invective	an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack
213998179	irony	a situation or statement where the truth is the opposite of the appearances
213998180	litotes	a type of understatement in which sth affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite
213998181	metaphor	a direct comparison of two different things which suggests they are somehow the same
213998182	metonymy	substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it
213998183	motif	a standard theme or dramtic situation which recurs in various works
213998184	non sequitur	an inference that does not logically follow from the premise (s)
213998185	onomatopoeia	a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds
213998186	oxymoron	an expression in which two words that contradict each other are jointed
213998187	paradox	an apparently contradicting statement which actually contains some truth
213998188	parody	a humorous imitation of a serious work
213998189	pathos	the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity or sorrow
213998190	pedantic	describing an excessive display of learning
213998191	personification	endowing non human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics
213998192	sarcasm	harsh, cutting language/ tone designed to ridicule
213998193	satire	the use of humor to emphasize human weakness or imperfections in social institutions
213998194	syllepsis	the linking of one word with two other words in two strikingly differently ways
213998195	syllogism	a logical argument in which the conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise
213998196	symbol	an object which is sth in itself yet is used to represent sth else
213998197	synecdoche	using one part of an object to represent the entire object
213998198	syntax	the manner in which words are arranged by a writer into sentences
213998199	tautology	needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding
213998200	tone	the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience
213998201	understatement	the deliberate representation of sth as less in magnitude than it really is
213998202	style	the overall manner in which an individual writer expresses ideas