APLang Literary terms 1

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

Anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

Analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

Antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Antistrophe

repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Aphorism

A brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love

Archaism

The use of deliberately old-fashioned language

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Asyndeton

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Atmosphere

The mood or feeling created in a piece of writing

Balanced Sentence

a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Catachresis

a harsh metaphor involving the use of a word beyond its strict sphere

Chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

colloquial/colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

Coherence

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or organizing principle

Conceit

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning

Consonance

Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity