| A | B |
|---|
| RHETORIC | refers to the entire process of written communication. |
| RHETORICAL QUESTION | one that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker or audience. |
| SARCASM | a comic technique that ridicules through caustic language. |
| SATIRE | a mode of writing based on ridicule, that criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution. |
| SETTING | the time and place of a literary work. |
| SIMILE | an indirect comparison that uses the words "like" or "as" to link the differing items in the comparison. |
| STRUCTURE | the organization and form of a work. |
| STYLE | the unique way an author presents his ideas. Diction, syntax, imagery, structure, and content all contribute to this. |
| SYLLOGISM | the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. |
| SYMBOL | something in a literary work that stands for something else. |
| SYNECDOCHE | a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. |
| SYNTAX | the grammatical structure of prose and poetry. |
| SYNTHESIS | locating a number of sources and integrating them into the development and support of a writer's thesis/claim. |
| THEME | the underlying ideas the author illustrates through characterization, motifs, language, plot, etc. |
| THESIS | simply, the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis. |
| TONE | the author's attitude toward his subject. |
| TRANSITION | a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph. |
| UNDERSTATEMENT | the opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended. |
| VOICE | can refer to two different areas or writing. On refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb. The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style. |
