Style Terms Personalized :)

Abstract Language

Language describes ideas and qualities, not real things :\

◦ “The American people possess an undying love of

liberty and freedom.”

**It often emphasizes emotions and concepts over tangible items, allowing for a broader interpretation.

*Allegory

A narrative that uses symbolic figures and actions to convey deeper meanings, moral lessons, and some sort of ABSTRACTION (truth).

◦ In “Pilgrim’s Progress,” a 17th century allegory, a

character named Christian has to travel from the

City of Destruction to the Celestial City. On the way

he has to travel through the Slough of Despond.

◦ George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an example of

allegory.

Alliteration

Repeating all the first letters or syllables type shit.

◦ James Joyce: “They lived and laughed and loved and

left.”

◦ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

◦ Sally sells seashells by the sea shore.

Allusion

A reference to a person that is not further explained because the author assumes the reader knows what bluds yappin about :)

◦ “His smile is like kryptonite to me.” (Superman’s weakness)

◦ “She felt like she had a golden ticket.” (Charlie and the Chocolate

Factory)

◦ “That guy is young, scrappy, and hungry.” (Hamilton)

◦ “I wish I could just click my heels.” (The Wizard of Oz)

◦ “If I’m not home by midnight, my car might turn into a pumpkin.”

(Cinderella)

◦ “The force is strong in that one.” (Star Wars)

Anecdote

A short and interesting story.

◦ The story Adrienne Rich tells of an interaction she

had with a seamstress tailoring her dress in “Split at

the Root” is an example of an effective anecdote.

Antecedent

A noun referred to by a pronoun.

◦ Dante just ran back home because he forgot his glove.

Antithesis

Contrasts opposing ideas in a balanced structure, often to highlight a particular point.

◦ “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” —Barry Goldwater

Circumlocution

Using way too many words.

◦ Examples that yap lol

*Conceit

An unusual metaphor that connects two “unconnectable” things…so you basically might not be able to identify this hoorah!

◦ “Let us go then, you and I,/When the evening is

spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherized

upon a table;”—The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,

by T.S. Eliot

da fudgesicles?

Concrete Language

Describes specific things that can be perceived through the five senses, yk it’s got that empirical mindset.

◦ To excel in college, you’ll need to do go

to every class; do all your reading before you go;

write several drafts of each paper; and review your

notes for each class weekly.

Controlling Metaphor

A metaphor that runs through an entire piece, so this I assume is generally titles or like the main idea yk.

◦ The title of Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose refers

to a technical mining term that serves as a

controlling metaphor throughout the novel.

Diction

The choice or use of words in speech/writing.

◦ Root of dictionary keke

Ellipsis

Getting rid of 1+ words that are needed to make the sentence complete.

◦ He is taller than I (am).

Exemplification

Using examples like facts, opinions, anecdotes, etc. to support a point/idea.

◦ Cars burn (x) gallons of gas a year. As such, we should reduce their use to help the Earth flourish yuhhh

Figurative Language

Using words to suggest something instead of actually saying it, ◦ ◦ Ex. hyperbole, personification, metonymy, synecdoche…

Hyperbole

Exaggeratinggg bros being a drama queen lol

◦ I’m dying of laughter hahahhaa

◦ This box weighs as much as ur mom muhhahahahaha

Idiom

A word that is used often and has a certain meaning to it.

◦ Make up your mind

Imagery

Words the author uses to create a certain visual in our minds.

◦ The leaves flew as the sun set over the high-rise buildings in NYC. The vibrant sky filled with blue, orange, and pink, barely peeked through the lined stalks of trees in Madison Square Garden. It was surreal. 🙂 damn i’m a good yapper lol

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the character does not.

◦ Oedipus is a great example because we knew that Oedipus was the killer, but he, as the character, did not

Situational Irony

When an event in the story happens completely opposite of what was expected.

◦ A man carefully avoids a puddle on the sidewalk only to slip and fall on a patch of dry ground right next to it. (BRO THIS IS MY LUCK FR THO…)

Verbal Irony

Using words to express the opposite of their meaning.

◦ “Vintage…so adorable.” — Mean Girls cue major side eye rn

Juxtaposition

Placing two or more things side by side, usually contrasting ideas.

◦ "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Metaphor

Comparing two things without the use of like or as.

◦ His eyes were diamonds. ok so bros majestic?! help

Metonymy

Substituting on word for another based on their association/proximity.

◦ “Fate forbid that he would ever sit upon the throne." (aka be king)

Onomatopoeia

Describing something with the sound it makes.

◦ Bam, Pow, Ka-ching, Pow Pow Pow 😎

Oxymoron

A moron(you)…hahaha jk it’s putting two contradictory terms together.

◦ “Wise fool”

◦ “Awfully good”

Paradox

A contradictory statement that is true, often written this way to attract attention.

◦ “We had to destroy the village to save it.” beginning of some random 4yr olds villain arc fr

Parallelism

Placing 2+ equal grammatical constructions(word, clause, phrase, etc.) to describe the same noun or verb.

◦ “I came(did u now…), I saw, I conquered. — Julius Ceasar

Personification

Giving inanimate objects human traits.

◦ “The stars winked in the night sky.” so buddy is insane and def hella single, but like arent we all… :(

Rhetorical Purpose

The goal behind why the writer chose certain diction so that they can create their desired affect.

◦ MLK “I have a dream” speech was used to persuade and inform

Satire

Exaggerating things to the point that they are obviously ridiculous to expose/ridicule those institutions.

◦ Projective vomit naurrrr

Simile

Comparing two things with like or as.

◦ “It was as long as a ruler.” AYOOOOO thats what she said 😏

Synecdoche

The substitution of a part for the whole, vice versa.

◦ “All hands on deck.”