theriault 74 English terms

choice of details

the decisions that an artist or writer makes in selecting the specific parts of an artistic work

atmosphere

the details (objects, descriptions, weather, etc.) that an author chooses to create an overall mood

mood

the emotional response that the writer aims to evoke in the reader through artistic choices

tone

the author’s attitude towards the subject and the audience

diction

a writer or speaker’s word choice

verisimilitude

what artists do to make something seem real or believable

ethos

an appeal to the authority or credibility of the presenter or a person they are quoting

pathos

an appeal to the audience’s emotions

logos

an appeal made by the use of logic or logical statements, such as syllogisms, or the appearance of loginkai

kairos

one must find the best situation, taking timing into consideration, to act or speak

coercion

the practice of compelling a person to behave in a certain way involuntarily by pressure or force

inference

a conclusion reached on the bases of evidence and reasoning

allusion

a reference to a well-known story, even,t person, or object, creating a comparison in a person’s mind

euphemism

a situation of an inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

syntax

the way words and phrases are arranged to create a sentence

transitions

the manner in which a writer moves from idea to another

figure of speech

a word of phrase that deviates from straightforward language use to produce a rhetorical effect

contrast

when two noticeably different things are compared together

parallel structure

a balance within ,multiple sentences or phrases. or clauses that have the same grammatical structure

repetition

seeing or creating the same exact thing multiple times

periodic sentence

when the most important part of a sentence is at the end of the sentence

ambiguity

something, particularly words and sentences, that are open to more than one interpretation

situational irony

actions have an effect that is opposite to the intentional so that the outcome is contrary to expectations

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something that a character doesn’t. It often elevates tension in the audience

sarcasm

saying one thing, but meaning another- often the opposite

anachronism

a chronological error in time: while flashbacks and flash forwards are not errors, consider them related to thisjux

juxtaposition

the act of placing two opposite things side by side, often to compare or create an interesting effect

surreal

irrational, unbelievable, completely unexpected

paradox

a situation or statement that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible, but isn’t

motif

any recurring element in a story that has symbolic significance or is the reason behind actions

epiphany

an experience of a sudden realization of an important idea, concept, or the nature of one’s reality

catharsis

the purging of emotion through pity or fear

trope

a storytelling convention, device, or motif seen in media like “the hired gun” or “the broken hero”

theme

what the artistic work is really about- it usually tells us a complex truth about the human condition

exigence

an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompt someone to write or speak

denotation

the dictionary definition of a word

colloquial language

casual and conversational, and often employs slang or slang expressions

concrete language

the use of language that appeals to tangible ideas and the readers’ senses (taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound)

abstract language

philosophical and intellectual thoughts, which are more concepts than realities

proper noun

a specific person, place, or thing. almost always capitalized when writing

simile

comparing two unlike things that are often introduced by like or as

symbol

a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship

personification

a figure of speech where human qualities are given to non-living objects

intertextuality

the interconnection between similar or related works of literature that reflect and influence an audience’s interpretation

apostrophe

addressing a non-existent person or idea in such a way as if it were present

cognitive metaphor

a comparison between two dissimilar things that goes beyond the ordinary purpose of a metaphor. the meta metaphor

pragmatic metaphor

comparing one thing to another to help the audience understand a concept or situation

aesthetic metaphor

a comparison between two dissimilar things so that the signified is made more vivid or artistically interesting

rhetorical metaphor

a comparison made between two dissimilar things to help convince an audience of a belief or course of action

parable

a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle

allegory

a story in which the characters are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation

anadiplosis

when the last word of one clause/sentence is repeated as the first word of the follow clause or sentence

epistrophe

the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

epizeuxis

the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for emphasis

anaphora

a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginning of the sentence

ellipsis

a series of dots (typically three, such as “…”) that usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, or more…

loose sentence

when the most important part of the meaning of the sentence is at the beginning of the sentence

asyndeton

a literary scheme in which one or several conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses or phrases

syllogism

a systematic representation of a single logical inferece. it has 3 parts: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. mp: all men are mortal. minor premise: mr theriault is a man. c: therefore, mr. theriault is moral

anachronism

a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of different periods of time

hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration

flashforward

a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story

flashback

an interjected scene or point that takes the narrative back in time from the current point

romantic irony

breaking the 4th wall in a fictional work, when a character or situation directly addresses the audience

socratic irony

when someone pretends to be stupid in order to achieve an effect

protagonist

the main character wants or needs something, but somethings gets in the way

antagonist

a person or situation that gets in the way of what the main character wants or needs

thesis/anthesis/synthesis

a proposition followed by its opposite, and then followed by the mixing of the two, creating a new understanding

rhetoric

the art of persuasion

rhetorical strategies

the strategies of persuasion

paraprosdokian

when the author does something that is against the expectations of the reader/viewer, usually syntactically