| A | B |
|---|
| repetition of same consonant sounds in words that are close together | alliteration |
| narrative where the characters, behavior, and even setting demonstrate multiple levels of meaning and significance | allegory |
| literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference | allusion |
| reptition at the beginning of phrases: "to raise a happy, healthful, and hopeful child, it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes... | anaphora |
| an address or invocation to something inanimate | apostrophe |
| the repitition of identical or similar vowel sounds: "she sells seashells by the sea shore" | assonance |
| a syntatical structure in which conjunctions are omitted in a series, usually producing a more rapid prose: "veni, vidi, vici" | asyndeton |
| a term identifying the diction of the common, ordinary folks, especially in a specific region or area: "yall" | colloquial |
| a comparision of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature; a type of this is an extended metaphor | conceit |
| the repetition of two or more consonants with a change in the intervening vowels..."pitter-patter, splish-splash, click-clack | consonance |
| writing or speech that has an instructive purpose or lesson. Associated with a dry presentation, reguardless of its value | didactic |
| a poem or prose work that laments, or mediates on the death of a person | elegy |
| the reptition of a phrase at the end of sentences: "if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work, their families will flourish..." | epistrophe |
| a speech or written passage in praise of a person who died | eulogy |
| an indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information | euphemism |
| the interpretation or analysis of a text | exposition |
| a series of comparisions within a piece of writing. If they are about one concept consistently, it is known as conceit | extended metaphor |
| a sermon, but more contemporary uses included any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiratual life | homily |
| method of reasoning or argument in which general statements and conclusions are drawn from specific principals | inductive reasoning |
| parallel structure where the parallel elements are similar not only in grammatical structure, but also in length. "many are called, but few are chosen" | isocolon |
| the location of one thing adjacent to or juxtaposed with another to create an effect | juxtaposition |
| a long sentence that starts with its main clause, which is followed by several dependent clauses and modifying phrases: "the child ran, frenzied and ignoring all hazards, as if being chased by demons" | loose sentence |
| a statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true: "fight for peace" | paradox |
| a long sentence in which the main clause is not completed until the end: "Looking as if she were being chased by demons, ignoring all the hazards, the child ran" | periodic structure |
| a literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule and censure | satire |
| a figure of speech in which a part signifies a whole | synecdoche |
| a grammatically correct construction in which a word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated: "the thief took my wallet and the fifth avenue bus" | zeugma |
