Language and Composition: Vocabulary List #1

Alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

connotation

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning

Denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

Diction

Related to style, refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

Exposition

A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea of theory

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

Figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and
vivid

Figure of Speech

A device used to produce figurative language

Genre

The major category into which a literary work fits

Homily

This term literally means “sermon,” but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

Hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

Imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions

Inference

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

Irony

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true

Metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity

Mood

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events

Onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words

Personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions

Prose

one of the major divisions of genre, refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms

Repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern

Rhetorical question

A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer

Sarcasm

bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something

Symbol/Symbolism

anything that represents itself and stands for something else

Thesis

the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position

Transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas

Understatement

the ironic minimalizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is