Inference
A conclusion made based on the information presented
invective
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.
Inference example
"It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete."
invective example
Calling a person a chicken when they are unwilling to jump off the top of a building.
Irony
the contrast between what is said and what is really meant
Irony example
The directions were as clear as mud.
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
Juxtaposition example
Beauty and ugliness
Litotes
A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite
litotes example
"He was not averse to taking a drink." or "She is no saint."
loose sentence
A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.
loose sentence example
I went to the movies yesterday, bought candy, and shopped at the mall.
Metaphor
a figure of speech comparing two unlike things or the substitution of one for the other revealing similarity
metaphor example
The snow is a white blanket.
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it
metonymy example
"The White House declared" rather than "The President declared"
mood (grammar)
the form a verb takes to indicate the attitude of the person using the verb
mood grammar example
joe eats too quickly
Narrative
The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
narrative example
telling a story in a speech
Onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate sounds
onomatopoeia example
Bang! The plate crashed to the floor
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
oxymoron example
cruel kindness
Paradox
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
paradox example
Winners know how to lose.
Parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
parallelism example
we have petitioned, we have remonstrated, we have supplicated