Basic Elements of Style (POV, Plot, Setting, Imagery, Diction, Tone, Syntax, Rhetorical Devices, Theme, Rhetorical Modes)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on narrative theory, rhetoric, and modes of discourse.

First-person point of view

A narrative point of view using I/we; immediate, subjective perspective where the reader sees through the narrator’s perceptions.

Participant narrator

A first-person narrator who is either a major character (t narates the story he/she is chiefly about) or a minor character (narrator in the story but not the central focus).

Major character narrator

The narrator is chiefly about the storyteller; the story is told by this character.

Minor character narrator

The narrator is a character in the story but the focus is on someone else.

Innocent-eye narrator

A special type of first-person narrator who is naïve, often a child or developmentally disabled, whose perception may contrast with what readers understand, producing irony.

Stream of consciousness

A narrative method that presents an unbroken flow of a character’s thoughts and awareness.

Nonparticipant/third-person point of view

A point of view using third-person pronouns (he, she, they); the narrator does not participate in the action.

Omniscient narrator

A third-person narrator who can enter the minds of all characters and know their thoughts and feelings.

Selective (limited) omniscient narrator

A third-person narrator who limits omniscience to the thoughts of a few characters or a single character.

Objective narrator

A third-person narrator who reports events and dialogue without entering any character’s mind; like a camera.

Second-person point of view

A rarely used narrative perspective using you/your; directly involves the reader in the story.

Reliable narrator

A narrator who can be trusted to tell the truth and be objective.

Unreliable narrator

A narrator who cannot be trusted to tell the truth or be objective.

Narrative voice

The distinctive vocal quality through which a narrator presents a story.

Protagonist

The story’s main character or central agent driving the plot.

Antagonist

The character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

Round character

A complex, fully developed character who undergoes change.

Flat character

A one-dimensional character with limited development or change.

Characterization

The process by which an author presents and develops a character (through actions, thoughts, dialogue, narration, and reactions of others).

Static character

A character who does not undergo basic character changes throughout the story.

Dynamic character

A character who undergoes significant changes in personality or outlook.

Antihero

A central sympathetic character who possesses notable flaws.

Symbolic character

A character who represents broader ideas or themes (a symbolic caricature).

Plot

The sequence of events that gives a story its meaning, usually driven by conflict and character choices.

Conflict

The basic tension or problem that propels the plot (external or internal).

Rising action

The series of plot complications that intensify the conflict toward the climax.

Climax

The story’s most dramatic turning point or moment of greatest tension.

Falling action

The events after the climax where the conflict is resolved and consequences unfold.

Chronological order

Telling events in their natural order from beginning to end.

Backward chronology

A plot presented by starting at the end and moving toward the beginning.

Forward chronology

Starting at the beginning and moving toward the end.

Circular plot

A plot that begins, proceeds, and ends by returning to its starting point, forming a loop.

Flashbacks

Scenes that interrupt the present to depict past events.

In media res

Beginning a story in the middle of events, then filling in earlier details later.

Historical

Plot grounded in a real historical time period.

Projections

Looking forward into time within the plot.

Fragmented plot

A plot that moves back and forth in time with multiple chronologies.

Atmosphere

The physical and external descriptions that help establish the setting and mood.

Mood

The overall emotional climate or feeling created by the text.

Setting

The story’s time and place, including atmosphere and social context.

Place

Physical or psychical locations of events, characters, and times.

Time

The progression of events in the story (chronology, era, historical moment).

Ahistorical

Not grounded in a real historical period; imaginary or fantasy setting.

Imagery

Sensory impressions used to create meaning; images can appeal to sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

Visual imagery

Imagery related to sight.

Aural imagery

Imagery related to sound.

Olfactory imagery

Imagery related to smell.

Tactile imagery

Imagery related to touch.

Gustatory imagery

Imagery related to taste.

Symbol

An object or image that represents a deeper or broader meaning beyond its literal level.

Allegory

A narrative in which characters and events symbolize a deeper moral, political, or spiritual meaning.

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, place, thing, or idea from literature, history, or culture.

Diction

Word choice and the range of language used by a writer to achieve effect.

Informal diction

Casual, everyday language (e.g., bug, folks, kid).

Formal diction

Academic or literary language (e.g., germ, relatives, submit).

Colloquial diction

Conversational language; may include regionalisms or dialects.

Slang

Highly informal language characteristic of a particular group.

Jargon

Specialized language of a profession or group.

Monosyllabic words

Words with a single syllable.

Polysyllabic words

Words with more than one syllable; often more complex.

Denotation

The literal dictionary meaning of a word.

Connotation

The emotional or associative meaning a word carries beyond its literal sense.

Cacophonous

Harsh, discordant sounds.

Euphonious

Pleasant-sounding, harmonious words.

Abstract words

Words denoting ideas or concepts (not tangible).

Concrete words

Words that denote tangible things; specific rather than general.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject, expressed through language and style.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere or feeling created for the reader.

Syntax

The arrangement of words into phrases, clauses, and sentences; governs pacing and emphasis.

Telegraphic sentence

Very short sentence, typically under five words.

Short sentence

A concise sentence, about five words long.

Medium sentence

Approximately eighteen words long.

Long sentence

Typically over thirty words long.

Declarative sentence

A sentence that makes a statement.

Imperative sentence

A sentence that gives a command.

Interrogative sentence

A sentence that asks a question.

Exclamatory sentence

A sentence that expresses strong emotion.

Simple sentence

Contains one independent clause.

Compound sentence

Contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction or a semicolon.

Complex sentence

Contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

Compound-complex sentence

Contains two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.

Loose (cumulative) sentence

Main clause at the beginning, followed by subordinate constructions.

Periodic sentence

A sentence where the main idea comes at the end; complex thought completed at the close.

Convoluted sentence

A highly intricate periodic sentence with inner splits around the main clause.

Balanced sentence

Two or more parts with similar form and length; often used for balance or contrast.

Central pause

A deliberate pause used to balance or contrast ideas within a sentence.

Rhetorical devices

Techniques used to persuade or create emphasis through language.

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses.

Parallelism

Two or more elements share a similar grammatical structure for emphasis and rhythm.

Inverted word order (inversion)

Reversing the usual subject-verb-object order for emphasis.

Juxtaposition

Placing unlike or contrasting ideas side by side for effect.

Rhetorical question

A question posed for emphasis, not to solicit an answer.

Repetition

Repeating words, sounds, or ideas for emphasis and rhythm.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.

Symploce

Combination of anaphora and epistrophe; repetition at both ends of phrases or clauses.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next.

Epanalepsis

Repetition of a word at the beginning and end of a clause or sentence.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of multiple conjunctions between items in a series.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between coordinates; a concise, fast-paced effect.