| A | B |
|---|
| absolute | a word free from limitations or qualifications (best, all, unique, perfect) |
| adage | a familiar proverb or wise saying |
| ad hominem argument | an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an issue |
| allegory | a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions |
| alliteration | the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words |
| allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize |
| analogy | a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
| anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences |
| anecdote | a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event |
| antecedent | the word, phrase or clause to which a pronoun refers |
| antithesis | a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced |
| aphorism | – a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction |
| archetype | a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response |
| argument | a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work |
| asyndeton | a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions |
| balanced sentence | a sentence in which words, phrases or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast |
| bathos | insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity |
| chiasmus | a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (“Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary.) |
| cliche | an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off |
| climax | the point of highest interest in a literary work |
| colloquialism | informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| complex sentence | a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause |
| compound sentence | a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions |
| conceit | a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor |
| concrete details | details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events |
| connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word |
| cumulative sentence | a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases |
| declarative sentence | a sentence that makes a statement or declaration |
| deductive reasoning | reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.) |
| denotation | the literal meaning of a word |
| dialect | a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region |
| dialogue | conversation between two or more people |
| diction | the word choices made by a writer |
| didactic | having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing |
| dilemma | a situation that requires a person to decide between two equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives |
| dissonance | harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds |
| elegy | a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme |
| ellipsis | the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from context (“Some people prefer cats; others, dogs.” |
| epic | a long narrative poem written in elevated style which presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation |
| epigram | a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying |
| epigraph | a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter or other section of a work |
| epiphany | a moment of sudden revelation or insight |
| epitaph | an inscription on a tombstone or burial place |
| epithet | a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Homeric epithets are often compound adjectives (“rosy-fingered Dawn”) that become an almost formulaic part of a name. Epithets can be abusive or offensive but are not so by definition. For example, athletes may be proud of their given epithets. |
| eulogy | a formal speech praising a person who has died |
| euphemism | an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant (“He passed away last night.”) |
| exclamatory sentence | a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark. |
| expletive | an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes a profanity |
| fable | a brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters |
| fantasy | a story that concerns an unreal world or contains unreal characters; a fantasy may be merely whimsical, or it may present a serious point |
| figurative language | language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.) |
| flashback | the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative |
| flat character | a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of the story |
| foreshadowing | the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work. |
| frame device | a story within a story |
| genre | a major category or type of literature |
| homily | a sermon, or a moralistic lecture |
| hubris | excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy |
| hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
| hypothetical question | a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition |
| idiom | an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect |
| imagery | the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses |
| implication | a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly. (NOTE: the author/sender implies; the reader/audience infers.) |
| inductive reasoning | deriving general principles from particular facts or instances (“Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; therefore, cats are four-legged animals.”) |
| inference | a conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises and evidence |
| invective | an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack |
| irony | the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs |
| jargon | the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession |
| juxtaposition | placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
| legend | a narrative handed down from the past, containing historical elements and usually supernatural elements |
| limerick | light verse consisting of five lines of regular rhythm in which the first, second, and fifth lines (each consisting of three feet) rhyme and the second and third lines (two feet) rhyme |
| limited narrator | a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, though, or felt by that one character |
| literary license | deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect |
| litotes | a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite |
| malapropism | the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar |
| maxim | a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage |
| metaphor | a direct comparison of two things |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it |
| mood | the emotional atmosphere of a work |
| motif | a standard theme, element or dramatic situation that recurs in various works |
| motivation | a character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act |
| myth | a traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events |
| narrative | a story or narrated account |
| narrator | the one who tells a story; may be first- or third-person, limited or omniscient |
| rhetoric | the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective and persuasive manner |
| rhetorical question | a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer |
| rhetorical devices | literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression |
| riddle | a question requiring thought to answer or understand; a puzzle or conundrum |
| Romantic | a term describing a character or literary work that reflects Romanticism (emotion, imagination, individualism) |
| round character | a character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work |
| sarcasm | harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule |
| satire | the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions |
| scapegoat | a person or group that bears the blame for another |
| scene | a real or fictional episode; a division of an act in a play |
| setting | the time, place and environment in which action takes place |
| simile | a comparison of two things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words |
| simple sentence | a sentence consisting or one independent clause and no dependent clause |
| solecism | nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules |
| structure | the arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work |
| style | the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features or a literary work |
| surrealism | an artistic movement emphasizing the imagination and characterized by incongruous juxtapositions and lack of conscious control |
| syllepsis | a construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.") |
| non sequitur | an inference that does not follow logically from the premises |
| omniscient narrator | a narrator who is able to know, see and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters |
| onomatopoeia | a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds |
| oxymoron | an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined |
| parable | a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson |
| paradox | an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth |
| parallelism | the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms |
| paraphrase | the restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for purposes of clarity |
| parody | a humorous imitation of a serious work |
| parenthetical | a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain |
| pathos | the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity |
| pedantic | characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship |
| personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
| phillipic | a strong verbal denunciation |
| plot | the action of a narrative or drama |
| point of view | the vantage point from which a story is told |
| polysyndeton | the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than are necessary or natural |
| pun | a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings |
| resolution | the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax |
