Studied by 30 people
absolute
absolute phrases modify sentences. Commonly, they are set apart by a comma. They're not essential to a sentence, but they provide additional detail.
adage
a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Alliteration
the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
Juxtaposition
placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
Allusion
a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize
Analogy
a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
Anaphora
the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
Anecdote
a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
Antecedant
the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Assonance
The repetition of identical or similar vowels—especially in stressed syllables—in a sequence of nearby words
Euphony
A term applied to language that strikes the ear as smooth, pleasant, and musical
Rhythm
A recognizable though varying pattern in the beat of stresses or accents, in the stream of speech sounds
cacaphony
Language which is perceived as harsh, rough, and unmusical. Note: the discordancy/harshness is the effect of not only the sound of the words, but also of their significance
Repetition
Recurring/repeated language which deliberately used in order to achieve a specific emphasis or certain effect
Personification
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
Aphorism
a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance
Apostrophe
a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction
Archetype
a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
Argument
a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
Asyndeton
a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
Connotation
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word
Didactic
having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing
Cliche
a worn-out idea or overused expression
Elegy
a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme
Eulogy
speech in praise of someone
Ellipsis
the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context ("Some people prefer cats; others, dogs")
Epic
a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
Epigram
a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying
Epigraph
a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work
Colloquialism
informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
Conceit
a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor
Epitaph
an inscription on a tombstone or burial place
Epithet
a term used to point out a characteristic of a person
Prose
is the most typical form of language. Both non-fiction writing as well as fictional writing is considered prose.
Verse
refers to writing that is not prose. Verse=poetry.
flat character
A character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story
frame device
a story within a story. An example is Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, in which the primary tales are told within the "frame story" of the pilgrimage to Canterbury
Genre
A category or type of literature (or of art, music, etc.) characterized by a particular form, style, or content.
Hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence
Inference
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
implication
a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly.
Hyperbole
intentional exaggeration to create an effect
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
anachronism
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time
Rhetoric
the art of using language effectively and persuasively
Logos
Appeal to logic
Ethos
Ethical appeal
Pathos
Appeal to emotion
Invective
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.
Jargon
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
legend
a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements
Limited Narrator (3rd person)
a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character
Literary License
deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect
Maxim
a general truth or rule of conduct; a short saying
Mood
Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
malapropism
the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar
Motif
A recurring theme, subject or idea
Narrative
The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
Non Sequitur
something that does not logically follow
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase
Parable
A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson
Paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
Ad Hominem (argument against the person)
When an argument relies on an attack against the person taking a position (rather than going against the position itself)
Parody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
pedantic
tending to show off one's learning
philippic
a strong verbal denunciation
Polysyndeton
the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
Dramatic Irony
Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.
verbal irony
A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant
situational irony
irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.
Deus ex machina (god from the machine)
The resolution of a plot by use of a highly improbable chance or coincidence (so named from the practice of some Greek dramatists of having a god descend from heaven at the last possible minute—in the theater by means of a stage machine—to rescue the protagonist from an impossible situation).
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
