Literary Devices and Terms: Definitions for Students

Allegory

A narrative that represents abstract ideas symbolically

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

Reference to a well-known person, event, or text

Analogy

Comparison used to explain or clarify

Aphorism

Short statement of truth or principle

Atmosphere

The emotional mood created by a setting

Clause

A group of words with subject + verb

Colloquial

Informal conversational language

Conceit

Extended unusual metaphor

Connotation

Implied or suggested meaning

Denotation

Literal dictionary meaning

Diction

Author's word choice

Euphemism

Softer phrase substituted for a harsh one

Figurative language

Non-literal expression

Figure of speech

Word or phrase not meant literally

Genre

Category of literature

Hyperbole

exaggeration

Imagery

Language appealing to the senses

Irony

Contrast between expectation and reality

Metaphor

Direct comparison without like or as

Metonymy

Substitution using something closely related

Narrative

Storytelling

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sound

Paradox

Self-contradictory but true statement

Parallelism

Grammatical or structural similarity

Parody

Humorous imitation of a serious work

Periodic sentence

Main clause comes at the end of a sentence

Personification

Giving human traits to nonhuman things

Point of view

Perspective from which story is told

Prose

Ordinary written language

Repetition

Reusing words for emphasis

Rhetorical modes

Exposition, narration, description, argument

Sarcasm

Bitter mocking language

Satire

Critique using humor/irony

Syllogism

Logic with major + minor premise → conclusion, deductive reasoning

Symbol

Object representing an abstract idea

Syntax

Sentence structure

Theme

Central message or insight

Thesis

Main argument or claim

Tone

Feeling of a communication

Transition

Words connecting ideas

Understatement

Minimizing seriousness

Concrete language

Specific physical description

Phrase

Group of words without subject or verb

Sentence fragment

Incomplete though; not a sentence

Anaphora

Repetition at the beginnings of clauses

Epistrophe

Repetition at the ends of clauses

Epigram

Short witty saying

Epithet

Descriptive label or phrase

Explicit

Clearly stated

Implicit

Suggested not stated

Imply

Speaker suggests indirectly

Infer

Reader concludes based on evidence

Narration

Mode of telling a story

Classification

Sorting into categories

Process analysis

Explaining how something works

Exemplification

Supporting with examples

Cause and effect

Explaining origins and results

Induction

Generalizing from specifics

Deduction

Conclusion from general principle

Qualify

To limit or adjust a claim

Qualifier

Word that limits claim (often, usually)

Rebuttal

Response to opposing argument

Counter-argument

Opposing viewpoint

False analogy

Weak comparison used as proof

Circular reasoning

Claim used to prove itself

Bandwagon

Appeal to popularity

Cliché

Overused expression

Simile

Comparison using like or as

Subjective

Based on opinion

Objective

Based on fact

Literal

Exact meaning

Figurative

Non-literal meaning

Unreliable testimony

Source lacking credibility

Ambiguity

Multiple possible meanings

Anecdote

Short personal story

Antecedent

A word or thing that logically proceeds another thing

Apostrophe

Address to absent person or to an object

Didactic

Intended to teach or instruct

Extended metaphor

Metaphor developed through entire text

Invective

Verbal abuse or attack

Loose sentence

Main clause first, then details

Mood

Reader's emotional response

Oxymoron

Contradictory words side by side

Pedantic

Overly academic/precise tone

Semantics

Study of meaning of words

Subordinate clause

Dependent clause not complete alone

Circumlocution

Talking around the subject

Dialectic

Logical debate or reasoning

Idiom

Expression with non-literal meaning

Jeremiad

Long complaint or lament

Red herring

Irrelevant distraction to mislead

Reductio ad absurdum

Reducing argument to absurd conclusion

Slippery slope

Claim that one small step leads to disaster or somthing wrong

Solecism

Grammatical mistake

Straw man

Misrepresenting opposing view to weaken it

Tautology

Needless repetition; circular proof

Epistolary

Told through letters

Homily

Sermon or moral lecture

Generic conventions

Traits typical to a genre