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Cadence
Rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words
Canto
a major division of a long poem
Caricature
drawing, imitation, or description that ridiculously exaggerates peculiarities or defects
Catharsis
an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal
Chorus
in Greek drama, the group of citizens who stand outside the main action on stage and comment on it
Colloquialism
informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
Conceit
a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects
Connotation
the implied or associated meaning of a word
Consonance
repetition of consonant sounds
Couplet
two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Decorum
conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior
Denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
Diction
a writer's or speaker's choice of words
Dirge
a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
Dissonance
harsh or grating sounds that do not go together
Doggerel
badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm
Dramatic irony
(theater) irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
Dramatic monologue
when a single speaker in literature says something to a silent audience
Elegy
a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme
Enjambment
the continuation of a suntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause
Epic
a long narrative poem written in elevated style which present the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
Epitaph
a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone
Euphemism
a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term
Euphony
any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds
Farce
a comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have serious scornful purpose
