| A | B |
|---|
| allusion | a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical |
| analogy | a comparison between two different things which are similar in some way |
| anaphora | the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences |
| aphorism | a concise statement which expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance |
| apostrophe | the act of speaking directly to an absent or imaginary pewrson, or to some abstraction |
| colloquialism | informal words or epressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
| connotation | the implied or associative meaning of a word |
| denotation | the literal meaning of a word |
| diction | having to do with the word choices made by a writer |
| didactic | something which has as its primary purpose to teach or instruct |
| euphemism | an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant |
| genre | a major category or type of literature |
| hyperbole | intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
| invective | an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack |
| litotes | a type of understatement in which something affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite |
| metonymy | substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it |
| onomatopoeia | a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds |
| oxymoron | an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined |
| paradox | an apparently contradictory statement which actually contains some truth |
| parody | a humorous imitation of a serious work |
| personification | endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
| syntax | the manner in which words are arranged by a writer into sentences |
| symbol | an object which is something in itself yet is used to represent something else |
| tone | the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience |
