| A | B |
|---|
| Aesthetic | a guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste; artistic sensibility |
| Alliteration | The sequential repetition of a similar initial sound, usually applied to consonants, usually in closely proximate stressed syllables |
| Allusion | A literary, historical, religious, or mythological reference in a literary work |
| Apostrophe | An address or invocation to something inanimate |
| Aside | A short speech delivered by an actor in a play, directed to the audience. |
| Assonance | The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in successive or proximate words |
| Cacophony | harsh, discordant sounds |
| Character Rank | Important or aristocratic characters typically speak in blank verse. Minor characters do not speak in verse. |
| Chiasmus | A figure of speech and generally a syntactical structure wherein the order of the terms in the first half of a parallel clause is reversed in the second |
| Conceit | A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out within a piece of literature, in particular an extended metaphor within a poem |
| Connotation | The implied, suggested, or underlying meaning of a word or phrase. |
| Consonance | The repetition of two or more consonants with a change in intervening vowels |
| Denotation | the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary meaning. |
| Dialect | The language and speech idiosyncrasies of a specific area, region, or group |
| Dramatic Foil Character | A character who highlights the traits of another character through contrast. |
| Dramatic Irony | the audience is aware of something the characters are unaware of |
| Ellipsis | the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete |
| Euphemism | An indirect, kinder, or less harsh or hurtful way of expressing unpleasant information |
| Euphony | soothing, pleasant sounds. |
| Flashback | An earlier event is inserted into the normal chronology of the narration |
| Figurative Language | Language with levels of meaning expressed through figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, litote, etc. |
| Hyperbole | Overstatement characterized by exaggerated language, usually to make a point or draw attention |
| Imagery | Any sensory detail or evocation in a work to evoke a feeling, to call to mind an idea, or to describe an object. Involves any or all of the five senses. |
| Inference | A conclusion or proposition arrived at by considering facts, observations, or some other specific data. Looking at the clues, learning the facts. |
| Irony | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The intended meaning is often the opposite of what is stated, often suggesting light sarcasm. |
| Jargon | Specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group |
| Litote | A figure of speech that emphasizes its subject by conscious understatement |
| Metaphor | One thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy. An implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another, without the use of like or as. |
| Metonymy | A figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something |
| Monologue | Speech by one character in a play, story, or poem |
| Onomatopoeia | A word capturing or approximating the sound of what is described. |
| Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements |
| Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but may probably be true |
| Personification | Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by endowing it with human features or qualities |
| Point of View | The relation in which a narrator/author stands to a subject of discourse. Requires the reader to establish the historical perspective of what is being said |
| Portmanteau | he combination or two or more words to make a new word |
| Pun | a humorous play on words |
| Realism | Attempting to describe nature and life without idealization and with attention to detail |
| Sarcasm | A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually critical. Can be light, and gently poke fun at something, or it can be harsh and mean |
| Simile | A direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, using the words like or as |
| Situational Iron | what happens is the opposite of what is expected |
| Soliloquy | A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage. |
| Symbolism | Use of a person, place, thing, event, or pattern that figuratively represents or “stands for” something else |
| Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part signifies a whole |
| Synesthesia | A rhetorical device that mixes elements of the senses |
| Tragic Flaw | A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine. |
| Tragic Hero | A noble character doomed for tragedy |
| Verbal Irony | stating the opposite of what is actually meant |
| Voice | The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of the words of the story; the speaker’s or narrator’s particular “take” on an idea based on a particular passage and how all the elements of the style of the piece come together to express his/her feelings. |
| Wit | a message who ingenuity or verbal skill has the power to evoke laughter |
