| A | B |
|---|
| ALLITERATION | REPITITION OF INITIAL CONSONANT SOUND |
| ALLUSION | A REFERENCE WITHIN A LITERARY WORK TO A HISTORICAL, LITERARY, BIBLICAL PLACE OR EVENT |
| ASSONANCE | REPITION OF VOWEL SOUNDS IN A SEQUENCE OF NEARBY WORDS |
| CARICATURE | A CHARACTERIZATION THAT EXAGGERATES A CHARACTER'S PROMINENT FEATURES, USUALLY FOR MOCKERY |
| CLICHE | AN OVERUSED OR TRITE EXPRESSION |
| EPIPHANY | A SUDDEN, POWERFUL AND OFTEN SPIRITUAL REALIZATION THAT A CHARACTER EXPERIENCES IN AN ORDINARY MOMENT |
| FORESHADOWING | AN AUTHOR'S USE OF HINTS OR SUGGESTIONS TO PREVIEW THE FUTURE |
| HYPERBOLE | AN EXCESSIVE OVERSTATEMENT OR EXAGGERATION OF FACT |
| IDIOM | A COMMON EXPRESSION THAT HAS ACQUIRED A MEANING THE DIFFERS FROM ITS LITERAL MEANING--IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS |
| IMAGERY | LANGUAGE THAT BRINGS TO MIND A SENSORY IMPRESSION |
| IRONY | A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WAY THINGS ARE WITH WHAT IS EXPECTED OR THE WAY THEY ACTUALLY ARE |
| METAPHOR | A COMPARISON NOT USING LIKE OR AS |
| MOTIF | A RECURRING STRUCTURE, CONTRAST, IDEA OR OTHER DEVICE THAT DEVELOPS A LITERARY WORK'S MAJOR IDEAS |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | THE SPOKEN WORD RESEMBLES THE ACTUAL SOUND OF THE WORD |
| OXYMORON | TWO TERMS PUT TOGETHER THAT CONTRADICT EACH OTHER |
| PARADOX | A STATEMENT THAT SEEMS CONTRADICTORY ON THE SURFACE BUT OFTEN CONTAINS A DEEPER TRUTH |
| PERSONIFICATION | THE USE OF HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS TO DESCRIBE AN INANIMATE OBJECT |
| PUN | A PLAY ON WORDS |
| RHETORICAL QUESTION | A QUESTION ASKED NOT TO ELICIT A RESPONSE BUT TO MAKE AN IMPACT |
| SARCASM | A VERBAL TONE IN WHICH IT IS OBVIOUS FROM CONTEXT THAT THE SPEAKER MEANS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE OR SHE SAYS |
| SIMILE | A COMPARISON OF TWO THINGS USING "LIKE" OR "AS" |
| SYMBOL | AN OBJECT, CHARACTER, FIGURE, PLACE, OR COLOR USED TO REPRESENT AN ABSTRACT IDEA OR CONCEPT |
| THEME | A FUNDAMENTAL AND UNIVERSAL IDEA EXPLORED IN A LITERARY WORK |
| THESIS | THE CENTRAL ARGUMENT THAT AN AUTHOR TRIES TO MAKE IN A LITERARY WORK |
| TONE | THE AUTHOR'S OR NARRATOR'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE STORY OR SUBJECT |
