Term | Definition |
allegory | a story with two (or more) levels of meaning--one literal and the other(s) symbolic |
allusion | a brief reference to literature, geographical locations, historical events, legends, traditions and elements of popular culture |
amplification | dramatic ordering of words to show a sort of expansion or progression: conceptual, valuative, poetic Ex: Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that's been our unifying cry: “More light. Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon. Incandescent.” Chris Stevens |
analogy | a comparison of two things, which are alike in several aspects, for clarification and explanation; sometimes analogies establish a pattern of reasoning by using a less abstract and more familiar argument |
anecdote | a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point |
aphorism | a brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words |
apology | work written to defend a writer’s opinions or to elaborate and clarify a problem |
apostrophe | a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or thing or a personified abstraction, such as love or liberty; the effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity |
colloquial | (also colloquialism) the use of slang or dialect in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. Huckleberry Finn is written in a colloquial style |
concession | to grant to be true in an argument; to yield a point |
connotation | the implied or suggested meaning of a word; association |
deduction | the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example |
denotation | the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word; impartial, no emotion |
diction | word choice; An author’s choice of diction contributes to the tone and mood of the piece. |
didactic | writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. |
dysphemism | a degenerative or less agreeable substitute for words or concepts. Making something sound worse. Ex: terrorist |
ethos | Appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author. |
euphemism | a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word or concept. Making something sound better. Ex: freedom fighter |
form | the shape or structure of a literary work. |
homily | a sermon or serious talk, speech or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice Consider MLK’s—“I Have a Dream” speech or parental and religious homilies. |
hyperbole | exaggeration for emphasis or humor |
induction | the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization |
inference | a conclusion one can draw from the presented details. |
invective | a verbally abusive attack |
logos | Appeal based on logic or reason. Documents distributed by companies or corporations are logos-driven. Scholarly documents are also often logos-driven. |
motif | the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or characters. |
oxymoron | a combination of contradictory words and meanings |
pacing | the movement of a literary piece from one point or one section to another. |
pathos | the aspects of a literary work that elicits pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade. |
pedantic | a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant. |
rhetoric | The art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively. Rhetoric, simply stated, is the art of persuasion -- using language to convince or sway an audience -- or the study of that art. |
syllogism | a method of presenting a logical argument. In its most basic form, the syllogism consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. |
syntax | sentence construction. Some authors heavily use prepositional phrases, for example. Perhaps some sentences are written with a short and choppy cadence to parallel an intense action in the text. |
thesis | (also thesis statement) the sentence or group of sentences that directly express a writer’s opinion, purpose, idea or meaning |
tone | the author’s attitude toward his or her subject and toward the audience; the way the author’s personality is reflected in the work |
understatement | the minimization of fact or presentation of something as less significant than it is; the opposite of hyperbole |
voice | can refer to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence’s subject and verb (active voice and passive voice). The second refers to the total “sound” of a writer’s style. |
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