English Vocab

Antecedent - Word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Antithesis - Opposition or contrast of ideas through parallelism.

Conceit - A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor.

Euphemism - correctional facility = jail between jobs = unemployed

Metonymy - a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.

Anaphora - The exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.

Synecdoche - A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole.

Alliteration - Repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginnings of words

Paradox - A statement or idea that seems contradictory but is in fact true.

Anecdote - A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Jargon - Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group.

Periodic Sentence - A sentence in which the subject and verb come toward the end of the sentence.

Sarcasm - Caustic, bitter language--iterally means "to tear the flesh."

Independent Clause - A complete sentence.

Dependent Clause - Includes a subordinate conjunction, such as because, while, etc.

Allusion - A reference to something (e.g., a book, a movie, an historical event) that is presumed to be well known to the audience.

Satire - A work that pokes fun human vices and follies in order to call attention to a larger problem.

Parody - A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

loose sentence - A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows

Ethos - credibility, experience, ethical appeal

Pathos - Appeal to emotion

Logos - Appeal to logic

loaded words - Words that are emotionally charged--either positively or negatively.

assertion - a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief

Bias - prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

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

Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Pronouns - Replaces a noun. Examples: I, he, she, they, it, his

Repetition - Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

rhetorical question - A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

Analogy - A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Assonance - Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Idiom - A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally.

situational irony - An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

dramatic irony - when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

verbal irony - A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant, also known as SARCASM

Metaphor - A comparison without using like or as

Simile - A comparison using "like" or "as" Onomatopoeia - A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Oxymoron - A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Personification - A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Pun - a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.