Lit terms 49-63

English

idiom

an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect.

I.e,- Hit the hay, stabbed in the back, kill two birds with one stone.

Imagery

The use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of senses

Irony

The use of the words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning, or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs.

I.e,- “But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man”

Jargon

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

I.e,- Peripheral oedema, tachycardia, echocardiogram

Litotes

a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite

(describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture.")

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it

("The pen \[writing\] is mightier than the sword \[war/fighting\]")

Onomatopoeia

a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds

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I.e. squish, bang, pop, pow

Parable

a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

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L.e. The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Boy who Cried Wolf

Pedantic

characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship

Polysyndeton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

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I.e. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers.

Solecism

nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules

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Le. I quit school when I were 8 years old.

Symbol

an object that is used to represent something else

Synecdoche

using one part of an object to represent the entire object

(for example referring to a car simply as "wheels")

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Tautology

needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding

("widow woman," "free gift")

Vernacular

the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving

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nonstandard usage