| A | B |
|---|
| Ad Hominem Argument | Attacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand |
| Allegory | Fictional work in which the characters represent ideas or concepts |
| Alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words |
| Allusion | A reference, usually oblique or faint, to another thing, idea, or person |
| Ambiguity | Uncertain or indefinite; subject to more than one interpretation |
| Analogy | The correspondence or resemblance between two things that are essentially different |
| Anecdote | A short story used to illustrate a point the author is making |
| Antecedent | Every pronoun refers back to a previous noun or pronoun |
| Antithesis | An opposition or contrast of ideas that is often expressed in balanced phrases or clauses - Example: Live together or die alone |
| Apostrophe | A figure of speech in which an absent person or personified object is addressed by a speaker |
| Appositive | A word or phrase that follow a noun or pronoun for emphasis or clarity - Example: "Xerox. The Document Company." (slogan of Xerox Corporation) |
| Assonance | A type of internal rhyming in which vowel sounds are repeated - Example: "It beats . . . as it sweeps . . . as it cleans!" (advertising slogan for Hoover vacuum cleaners, 1950s) |
| Asyndeton | When the conjunctions (such as "and" or "but") that would normally connect a string of words, phrases, or clauses are omitted from a sentence - Example: "He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac." (Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957) |
| Attitude | The feelings of a particular speaker or piece of writing toward a subject, person, or idea |
| Contrast | Oppositions |
| Colloquial Language | Slang or common language that is informal |
| Connotative | The interpretive level of a word based on associated images rather than the literal meaning |
| Deductive Argument | The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example |
| Diction | An author's choice of words |
| Didactic | Writing which has the purpose of teaching or instructing |
| Elegy | A work that expresses sorrow |
| Ellipses | Indicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted |
| Ethos | Refers to generally ethics, or values and the writer's credibility |
| Euphemism | A mild or pleasant sounding expression that substitutes for a harsh, indelicate, or simply less pleasant idea Example: wardrobe malfunction |
| Exposition | Writing or speech that is organized to explain |
| Figurative Language | All uses of language that imply an imaginative comparison |
| Hyperbole | A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to achieve emphasis |
| Imagery | A mental picture that is conjured by specific words and associations |
| Inductive Argument | Creating a case by providing specific examples and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence they provide |
| Irony | When a situation produces and outcome that is the opposite of what is expected |
| Juxtaposition | When two contrasting things are placed next to each other for comparison |
| Logos | The use of reason, facts, evidence, etc. as a controlling principle in an argument |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared directly |
| Metonymy | A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it - Example: The suits on Wall Street walked off with most of our savings. |
| Oxymoron | Two contradictory words in one expression |
| Paradox | A seeming contradiction that in fact reveals some truth |
| Parallelism | A literary technique that relies on the use of the same syntactical structures |
| Parody | An effort to ridicule or make fun of a literary work or an author by writing a comic imitation of the work |
| Pathos | Appealing to the audience's emotions |
| Periodic Sentence | Presents the main clause at the end of the sentence, for emphasis |
| Personification | A figure of speech in which ideas or objects are described as having human qualities or personalities |
| Point of View | The particular perspective from which a story is told |
| Pun | A play on words |
| Repetition | The reiteration of a word or phrase for emphasis |
| Rhetoric | The art and logic of a written or spoken argument to persuade, to analyze, or to expose |
| Rhetorical Strategy | The way an author organizes words, sentences, and overall argument in order to achieve a particular purpose |
| Rhetorical Devices | The specific language tools that an author uses to carry out a rhetorical strategy (diction, imagery, or syntax) |
| Rhetorical Question | A question that is asked for the sake of argument |
| Satire | To ridicule or mock ideas, persons, events, or doctrines |
| Simile | A commonly used figure of speech that compares one thing with another using the words "like" or "as" |
| Speaker | The narrator of a story, poem, or drama |
| Syllogism | A form of deductive reasoning in which pieces of evidence are used to create a new conclusion |
| Symbol | Something that stands for something else |
| Synonym | A word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word |
| Syntax | The way words are arranged in a sentence |
| Tone | The author's emotion shown through their writing |
| Understatement | When an author assigns less significance to an event or thing than it deserves |
| Zeugma | When a word is used with two adjacent words in the same construction, but only makes literal sense with one of them - Example:"You held your breath and the door for me." (Alanis Morissette, "Head over Feet") |
| periodic sentence | The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. Example: • After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport. |
| loose sentence/non-periodic sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, or conversational. Generally, loose sentences create loose style. The opposite of a loose sentence is the periodic sentence. Example: • I arrived at the San Diego airport after a long, bumpy ride and multiple delays. (Could stop at: I arrived at the San Diego airport.) |
| complex sentence | A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. |
| compound sentence | A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.) Examples: • I wanted to eat dinner, and my brother wanted to go bowling. • Gordon failed to catch any fish, but Isaac caught two trout. |
| simple sentence | A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. Examples: Patricia and Diego like to go to concerts on weekends. Some people think seaweed is delicious. |
| Verb | the word in the sentence which gives action or being to the subject. Verbs can become adjectives “the running machine” and nouns “running is an exercise” |
| Noun | any name of a person, place, thing, or idea |
| Adverb | modifies, alters, changes a verb |
| Adjective | modifies, alters, changes a noun |
| indirect object | the person or thing that receives the direct object; the indirect object always comes before the direct object. Example: • The controller gave the pilot the instructions. (instructions is the direct object because it tells what was given) (pilot is the indirect object because it tells who received the instructions) |
| direct object | the person or thing that receives the action of an action verb |
| subordinate (or dependent) clause | Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, the subordinate clause depends on a main clause (or independent clause) to complete its meaning. Easily recognized key words and phrases usually begin these clauses. For example: although, because, unless, if, even though, since, as soon as, while, who, when, where, how and that. Example: Yellowstone is a national park in the West that is known for its geysers. |
| independent (or main) Clause | a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence |
| clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. |
| wit | in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker’s verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. Historically, wit originally meant basic understanding. Its meaning evolved to include speed of understanding, and finally, it grew to mean quick perception including creative fancy and a quick tongue to articulate. |
| transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used especially, although not exclusively, in expository and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another. A few commonly used transitional words or phrases are furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly, on the contrary, etc. More sophisticated writers use more subtle means of transition |
| semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another |
| litotes | a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Litote is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: “Not a bad idea,” “Not many,” “It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain” (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye). |
| invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part I, Prince Hal calls the large character of Falstaff “this sanguine coward, this bedpresser, this horseback breaker, this huge hill of flesh.”) |
| homily | This term literally means “sermon,” but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. |
| catharsis | a moral and spiritual cleansing one receives when watching a protagonist overcome great odds to survive. The classic concept of catharsis requires that the audience experience both fear and pity for the protagonist’s plight |
| carpe diem | literally “Seize the day,” a philosophy of living for the day and not thinking of tomorrow |
| caricature | a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics. |
| bias | Prejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue. |
| begging the question | a fallacy in reasoning which omits the minor premise and goes directly to the conclusion. Example: First time drivers are reckless (Major Premise) Steven is a first time driver (Minor Premise) Steven will be reckless (Conclusion) To beg the question you must omit the minor premise, therefore the syllogism breaks down. |
| assertion | an emphatic statement; declaration. An assertion supported by evidence becomes an argument |
| archetype | the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies; a prototype |
| archaic diction | use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language |
| aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author’s point. |
| annotation | explanatory or critical notes added to a text. |
| anaphora | repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses |
| ad hominem argument | This term comes from the Latin phrase meaning “to the man.” It refers to an argument that attacks the opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issues at hand. |
