literary terms

antithesis

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else:

asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence. 

"syntactically unmarked but semantically connected asyndeta"

chiasmus

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form; e.g. ‘Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.’.

conceit

a fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor. 

"the idea of the wind's singing is a prime romantic conceit"

epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. "old men are often unfairly awarded the epithet “dirty.”"

equivocation

the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication. "I say this without equivocation"

litotes

understatement-- The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.

metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true ).

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. Macbeth. 

parallelism

Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. A famous example of parallelism begins Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . . ." The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm. 

 

polyptoton

a stylistic device that consists of the repetition of a root word in different inflections or different cases for rhetorical effect. Placing different forms of the same word in close proximity can create irony, emphasize an argument, or build a rhythm.

polysyndeton

the repeated use of coordinating conjunctions to connect different items in a sentence. The repetition of conjunctions—and, but, or, nor—in close succession is a deliberate style choice to place emphasis on each listed word or phrase. The effect is often an excited or serious mood.

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which, most often, a part of something is used to refer to its whole. For example, "The captain commands one hundred sails" is a synecdoche that uses "sails" to refer to ships—ships being the thing of which a sail is a part.

synestesia

refers to an author's blending of human senses to describe an object. Phrases like a “loud dress” or a “chilly gaze” blend our sensory modalities.

pathetic fallacy

the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature.

periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. For example:  

"Ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout.!" The effect of a periodic sentence is to  

add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. 

anaphora

A rhetorical device that repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines to create emphasis and rhythm. A famous example is Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, which uses anaphora to powerfully connect and underscore his central message.