| A | B |
|---|
| symbol/symbolism | Anything that represents or stands for something else. |
| Natural symbols | Uses objects & occurrences from nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them. i.e., dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning; a rose symbolizing love, a tree symbolizing knowledge. |
| Conventional symbols | Those that have been invested with meaning by a group and are world known.. i.e., religious: Star of David; national symbols such as a flag or eagle. |
| Literary symbols | Conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works & are generally recognized. i.e. symbols found in literature. |
| syntax | The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, & sentences. Similar to diction, but you can differentiate the 2 by thinking of syntax as referring to groups of words, while diction refers to individual words. |
| theme | Central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers to life. Usually unstated in fictional works. In nonfiction it is directly stated, especially in expository or argumentative writing. |
| thesis | Expository writing: the sentence or group of sentences that directly express the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition. |
| tone | Similar to mood, it describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both. Easier to determine in spoken laguage than in written language. |
| transition | A word or phrase that "links different ideas". Used in expository & argumentative writing. Effectively signals a shift from one idea to another. |
| understatement | Ironic minimizing a fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. Opposite of hyperbole. Can be humorous & emphatic. |
| litotes understatement | A Figure of speech by whichan affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite. Uses understatement for emphasis, frequently with a negative assertion. "Not" |
| meiosis | Understatement or belittling; a rhetorical figure by which something is referred to in terms less important than it really deserves. "understatement" |
| wit | amusing language |
