allegory
On its surface, Animal Farm is a story about farm animals that rebel against their farmer. The underlying story, however, concerns Orwell’s disillusionment with the Bolshevik Revolution and is an indictment of the Russian government.
alliteration
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
allusion
Chocolate cake is my Achilles heel.
ambiguity
The fisherman went to the bank. (what kind of bank?)
anaphora
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
antecedent
My sister is at the top of her class
antithesis
Fair is foul, foul is fair.
aphorism
He who hesitates is lost.
apostrophe
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
ethos
As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results.
logos
Here's an example of ______ in action from our man Aristotle himself: All men are mortal. Socrates is a man.
pathos
A teenager tries to convince his parents to buy him a new car by saying if they cared about their child's safety they'd upgrade him.
cacophony
He grunted and in a gruff voice said, “Give me that trash and I'll throw it out!”
caricature
Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of having a good deal of train oil in his system.
catharsis
Feeling an emotional release while listening to your favorite song.
clause
The dog ran.
colloquial/colloquialism
Y’all sure gonna know that he gotta step up to the plate.
connotation
blue is a color, but it is also a word used to describe a feeling of sadness
diction
formal _____ might sound like, “I will address that issue right away.” Alternatively, using informal _______, the response would be more casual like, “You got it.”
digression
A professor is supposed to be lecturing about the processes of cellular respiration, but he ends up talking about his long-dead goldfish.
euphemism
“Passed away” instead of “died” “Let go” instead of “fired” “Put down” instead of “euthanized”
foil
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are _____s.
foreshadowing
A man mentions he might die in car crash, and then dies in a car crash one week later. This is an example of ___________.
genre
Stephen King is often the main writer of his ______.
hyperbole
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse
imagery
The grass was green, and the flowers were red. They smelled of summer and the grass was soft."
invective
you dirty rotten scoundrel
irony
For example, if it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!” Or, alternatively, if you were suffering from a bad bout of food poisoning, you might say, “Wow, I feel great today.”
metaphor
Life is a highway
metonymy
The White House released a statement yesterday.
mood
funny, sad, creepy, cheerful, nostalgic, curious
motif
For example, “death” could be a ______ in a literary work. An author would not necessarily have to use the word “death” to express the _____. He might write “funeral,” “grave,” “dead,” and so on.
narrative
“What I did on my summer vacation. First, I drove to Florida and swam in the ocean. Then, I saw my grandparents at the beach. Next, I bought ice cream……….
onomatopoeia
tick-tock, moo, bark, ruff, ribbit, rawr (sexily)
oxymoron
Jumbo shrimp
parable
the story of the prodigal son
paradox
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
parody
Someone creates alternate lyrics to a song, like Weird Al.
pastoral
A charming, hilly, farmland.
personification
The sun smiled down on us
point of view
I have a dog. He has a dog. You have a dog.
rhetoric
Politicians deliver rallying cries to inspire people to act.
rhetorical question
Your parents are yelling at you, and say “What were you thinking?” in the middle of the tirade.
satire
Basically all of South Park, makes fun of the world.
setting
Our story takes place in New York…..
simile
The river roared like a lion
symbol
Red octagon means stop
theme
love, war, revenge, betrayal, patriotism, grace, isolation, motherhood, forgiveness, wartime loss, treachery, rich versus poor, appearance versus reality,
thesis
The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending class, and socializing with peers. (intro sentence).
tone
joyful, serious, humorous, sad, threatening, formal, informal, pessimistic, or optimistic (given by author)