Term
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Definition
| device of using character and/or elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. Author may intend characters to personify an abstraction. Usu. deals with a moral truth or generalization about human existence |
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Term
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Definition
| repetition of sounds, especially inital consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words |
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Term
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Definition
| direct or indirect reference to something commonly known such as a book, event, myth, place, person or work of art to convey tone, purpose, or effect |
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Term
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Definition
| multiple meanings - intentional or not - of a work, phrase, setntence, or passage |
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Term
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Definition
| Similarity or comparison between two things or the relationship between them. Can explain something by pointing out its similarity or associating it with something more familiar |
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Term
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Definition
| word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
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Term
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Definition
| terse statement that expresses a general truth or moral principle |
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Term
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Definition
| figure of speech that directly addresses an absent person, an object, or an abstraction |
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Term
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Definition
| an assertion based on fact, statistics, or logical reasoning |
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Term
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Definition
| an inference or conclusion |
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Term
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Definition
| 'for' or 'against' stance taken by an author in a persuasive essay |
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Term
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Definition
| grammatical unit containing subject and verb. Independent and dependent |
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Term
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Definition
| clear connection among all parts of an essay. Achieved by organizational format and appropriate connecting devices (transition, parallel structures, bridging). |
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Term
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Definition
| slang or informality in speaking or writing. Includes local dialect |
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Term
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Definition
| fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. Displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison. |
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Term
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Definition
| tension created in a story |
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Term
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Definition
| non-literal, associative meanings of a word. What we think of when we hear a word. |
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Term
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Definition
| strict, literal, dictionary definition |
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Term
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Definition
| word choice - esp. with regard to connotation, correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. Combined with syntax, literary devices, etc. to create style. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sherlock Holmes's way of thinking, using general observations that lead to a specific conclusion |
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Term
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Definition
| error in assuming that because two things are alike in some ways, they are alike in all ways |
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Term
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Definition
| major category into which a literary work fits. |
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Term
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Definition
| literally means sermon, but can include any serious talk involving moral or spiritual advice |
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Term
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Definition
| Imaginative comparisons used for tone, purpose, effect |
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Term
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Definition
| Unsound inductive inference based on insufficient, inadequate, unspecified evidence. |
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Term
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Definition
| influence or result of something using such rhetorical stragtegies as argument, diction, imagery, repetition, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| form of logical thinking used to analyze an author's credibility. Established by appealing to emotion, avoiding a hostile tone, and demonstrating knowledge of subject |
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Term
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Definition
Greek for 'good speech'
More agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept |
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Term
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Definition
used to support writer's thesis
proof |
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Term
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Definition
| Deliberate exaggeration or overstatement |
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Term
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Definition
| sensory details used to describe, arouse emotion, or repeat abstractions |
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Term
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Definition
| Metaphor developed at great length, appearing frequently throughout a piece |
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Term
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Definition
| Aphorism or some other short question at the beginning of a literary work that suggests its theme |
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Term
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Definition
| emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language |
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Term
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Definition
| Draw a reasonable conclusion based on information presented |
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Term
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Definition
| Figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds or words. |
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Term
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Definition
| Contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant |
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Term
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Definition
Greek meaning 'changed label'
Figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it |
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Term
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Definition
| telling of a story or an account of an event |
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Term
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Definition
| type of sentence in which main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units (phrases and clauses). |
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Term
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Definition
Greek for 'pointedly foolish'
Author groups two apparently contraictory terms to suggest a paradox |
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Term
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Definition
statement that appears self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but on closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity
Enigma |
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Term
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Definition
| Grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. Attracts the reader's attention, adds emphasis and organization, rhythm |
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Term
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Definition
| Work that closely imitates the style or content of another for comic effect or ridicule |
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Term
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Definition
adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish
Extreme of didactic |
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Term
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Definition
from greek, literally means "teaching."
Works have primary aim of teaching or instructing, esp. moral or ethical principles |
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Term
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Definition
| figure of speech that endows animal, concept, or inanimate object with human attributes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sentence that presents central meaning in a main clause at the end. Ind. clause preceded by phrase or dependent clause. Adds emphasis and variety. |
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Term
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Definition
| Perspective from which a story is told |
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Term
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Definition
| Noun that follows linking verb and renames subject |
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Term
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Definition
| Explaining and analyzing information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion |
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Term
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Definition
| Noun that follows linking verb and renames subject |
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Term
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Definition
| Any language that is not poetry or drama |
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Term
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Definition
Greek for orator
principles governing art of writing effectively, eloquently, persuasively |
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Term
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Definition
| Duplication of any element of language - sound, word, phrase, clause, pattern... |
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Term
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Definition
| Writing to prove validity of an idea or point of view |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of argumentation having additional aim of urging a particular form of action |
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Term
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Definition
| Writing intended to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, or event |
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Term
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Definition
Greek meaning "to tear flesh"
Bitter, caustic language meant to hurt/ridicule |
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Term
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Definition
| Variety, conventions, and purposes of major kinds of writing. |
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Term
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Definition
| Song or poem of mourning or lamentation |
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Term
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Definition
| Poetic foot consisting of one stressed and two unstressed syllables |
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Term
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Definition
| Two stressed syllables used for emphasis, often at the end of a line |
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Term
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Definition
| Line of poetry with five stresed and five unsterssed syllables |
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Term
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Definition
| Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme |
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Term
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Definition
| Eight lines stanza in iambic pntameter that rhymes abababcc |
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Term
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Definition
| Branch of linguistics that studies meaning and development of words nd their relationship |
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Term
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Definition
| Group of words with subject and verb that cannot stand alone |
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Term
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Definition
| way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, sentences |
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Term
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Definition
| Deductive system of formal logic that presents a major and minor premise which lead to a logical conclusion |
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Term
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Definition
| Rhetorical device in which the speaker suddenly breaks off in the middle of a sentence leaving the sentence unfinished |
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Term
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Definition
| the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction to create an effect |
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Term
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Definition
| figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second |
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Term
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Definition
| an overused or trite expression |
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Term
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Definition
| an adjective or adjectival phrase used to define a characteristic quality or attribute of some person or thing |
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Term
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Definition
the use of pleasnt, harmonious words to create an effect.
Contrast with cacophony |
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Term
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Definition
| A common expression that has acquired a meaning that differs from its ilteral meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite |
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Term
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Definition
| Intentional uderstatement |
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Term
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Definition
| The technique of drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it |
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Term
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Definition
| The attribution of human feeling or motivation to a nonhuman object, esp. an object found in nature |
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Term
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Definition
| an elaborate and roundabout manner of speech that uses more words than necessary. |
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Term
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Definition
| A play on words that exploits the similarity in sound between two words with distinctly different meanings |
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Term
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Definition
| the use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of metonymy in which a part of entity is used to refer to the whole |
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Term
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Definition
| A category of figurative language that extends the literal meanings of words by inviting a comparison to other words, things, or ideas. Metaphor, metonymy, and simile are three common |
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Term
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Definition
| A figure of speech by whihc one word refers to two others in the same sentence. It may be achieved by a verb or preposition with two objects |
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Term
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Definition
| A moment of recognition or discovery, primarily in refernce to Greek tragedy |
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Term
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Definition
Greek for "God from a machine."
The term is used for any improbably or unexpected contrivance by which an author resolves the compications of the plot in a play or novel, and which has not been convincingly prepared for in the preceeding action |
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Term
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Definition
| A sudden, powerful, and often spiritual or life-changing realization that a character reaches in an otherwise ordinary or everyday moment. |
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Term
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Definition
Latin for "In the middle of things."
The term refers to technique of starting a narrative in the middle of the action |
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Term
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Definition
| A record of a character's thoughts unmediated by a narrator. Sometimes takes the form of stream-of-conciousness narration. |
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Term
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Definition
| A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words. |
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Term
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Definition
| A situation that is the opposite of what the reader expects |
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Term
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Definition
| An author's persistent reminding of his or her presence in the work. By drawing attention to the artifice of the work, the author ensures that the reader or audience will maintain critical detachment and not simply accept the writing at face value. |
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Term
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Definition
| A technique in which the author lets the audience or reader in on a character's situation while the character himself remains in the dark. |
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Term
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Definition
| The perception of fate or the universe as malicious or indifferent to human suffering, which creates a painful contrast between our purposeful activity and its ultimate meaninglessness |
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Term
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Definition
| The use of sentimentality, gushing emotion, or sensational action or plot twists to provoke audience or reader response |
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Term
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Definition
From Greek "feeling"
The quality in a work of literature that evokes high emoition, most commonly sorrow, pity or compassion |
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Term
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Definition
| The use of specific types of words, phrases, or literary structures that are not common in contemporary speech or prose |
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Term
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Definition
| The liberty that authors sometimes take with ordinary rules of grammar and syntax, employing unusual vocabulary, metrical devices, or figures of speech or committing factual errors in order to strengthen a passage of writing |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of wordplay that displays cleverness or ingenuity with language. Often, but not always, displays humor. |
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Term
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Definition
| A theme, motif, symbol, or stock character that holds a familiar and fixed place in a culture's consciousness |
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Term
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Definition
| A concrete object that represents something abstract |
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Term
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Definition
| A recurring structure, contrast, or other device that develops or informs a work's major themes |
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Term
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Definition
| An object, character, figure, or color that is used to represent an abstract idea or concept |
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Term
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Definition
| A fundamental and universal idea explored in a literary work |
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Term
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Definition
| The central argument that an author makes in a work. Although the term is primarily associated with nonfiction, it can apply to fiction |
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Term
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Definition
| The writer's attitude toward the subject or sometimes the audience |
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Term
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Definition
| The brief narration of a single event or inicident |
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Term
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Definition
| Local language or dialect of common speech written in local language or dialect |
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Term
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Definition
| A humorous imitation of a serious work of literature. The humor often arises from the incongruity beween the limitation and the work being imitated |
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Term
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Definition
| A short poetic expression of grief. Often embedded within a larger work, meant to be sung |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of plagiarism in which the writer copies the document word for word |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of plagiarism in which words or phrases are taken out of context so that they say something different than what they say in the original text |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of nonfictional discussion or argument, flexible in form, although they usually are short prose works. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short prose or verse narrative that illustrate a moral which is often stated explicitly at the end. Frequently the characters embody different human character traits. |
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Term
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Definition
| An autobiographical work. Rather than focusing on the author's life, it pays significant attention to the author's involvement in historical events and the caracterization of individuals other than the author |
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Term
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Definition
| A humorous and often satirical imitation of the style or particular work of another author |
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Term
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Definition
| A work of didactic literature that aims to influence the reader on a specific social or political issue |
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Term
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Definition
| A work that aims to ridicule the shortcomings of individuals, institutions, or society, often to make a political point |
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Term
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Definition
| A post-structuralist term for the wider social and intellectual context in which communication takes place. The implication is that the meaning of works is as dependent on their surrounding context as it is on the content of the works themselves |
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Term
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Definition
| A close reading of a text that identifies and explains the figurative language and forms found within the work |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of textual interpretation concerned with understanding the meanings of texts |
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Term
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Definition
| The various relationships a text may have with other texts, through allusions, borrowing of formal or thematic elements, or simply by refernce to traditional literary forms. |
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Term
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Definition
| The scientific study of language, encompassing, among other things, the study of syntax, semantics, and the evolution of language |
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Term
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Definition
| A basic unit of meaning - a word, picture, or hang gesture that conveys some meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| The perceptible aspect of a sign |
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Term
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Definition
| The conceptual aspect of a sign |
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Term
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Definition
A brief synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research.
Something that does not exist in the real world. |
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Term
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Definition
| something that actually exists and can be seen and known |
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Term
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Definition
| A saying or proverb embodying a piece of common wisdom based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to a total obectivity of a writer wherein his/her view and judgments are withheld in her/her account of human experience |
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Term
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Definition
| Shortness or conciseness of expression |
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Term
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Definition
| The incorporation of an event, scene, or person who does not correspond with the time period portrayed in the work |
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Term
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Definition
| The rhetorical opposition or contrast of words, clauses, or sentences |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to the noble qualities of human beings and nature (as opposed to the savage and destructive) |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to the sensual, pleasure-seeking qualities of man and nature |
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Term
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Definition
| Inflated language; the use of high-sounding language for a trivial subject |
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Term
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Definition
| A grotesque likeness of striking characteristics in persons or things |
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Term
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Definition
"Seize the day"
A motif in poety, refers to the view that one should enjoy life to the fullest while one is able |
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Term
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Definition
| A cleansing of the spirit of the spectator at a tragedy through experiencing the emotions of pity and terror |
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Term
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Definition
| A highly regarded work of literature or other art form tht has withstood the test of time |
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Term
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Definition
| Three periods (...) indiating the omission of words |
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Term
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Definition
| A feeling of association or identification with an object; experiencing its sensations and responding with similar feelings. |
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Term
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Definition
| An ingenious, witty, thoughtful, provocative statement |
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Term
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Definition
| A piece of writing, often journalistic, meant to reveal or expose weakness, faults, frailties, or other shortcomings. |
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Term
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Definition
| Returning to an earlier time in a story or play for the purpose of clarifying present actions or circumstances |
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Term
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Definition
| Providing hints of things to come in a story or play |
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Term
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Definition
| Aristotle's term for the protagonist's tragic flaw or tragic error of judgment |
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Term
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Definition
| Aristotle's term for the pride of the tragic hero that leads him to ignore or overlook warnings of impending disaster or to break moral laws |
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Term
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Definition
| A violent, satirical attack against a person or institution |
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Term
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Definition
| A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth |
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Term
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Definition
| a quick succession of images or pictures to express an idea, used primarily in films |
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Term
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Definition
| The emotional response that a piece of literature stimulates in the reader |
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Term
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Definition
| The lesson a reader infers from a story, poem, or other piece of literature. |
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Term
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Definition
| A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before |
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Term
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Definition
| A work of literature dealing with rural life |
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Term
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Definition
| The role or façade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader |
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Term
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Definition
| The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described |
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Term
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Definition
| The manner in which grammatical elements are arranged in a sentence. |
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Term
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Definition
| Contains a subject and a verb along with modifiers and perhaps an object |
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Term
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Definition
| consists of two or more simple sentences linked by a coordinating conjunction such as and or but |
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Term
|
Definition
| made up of an independent clause and any number of dependent or subordinate clauses |
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Term
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Definition
| Refined and tender emotion in literature; sometimes used derisively to represent insincerity or mawkishness |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to an attempt on the part of an author to reproduce the unebellished flow of thoughts in the human mind with its feelings, judgments, associations and memories |
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Term
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Definition
| the manner in which an author uses words, shapes, ideas, forms, and sentences to create a structure and convey ideas |
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Term
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Definition
| The image suggests the idea; related to metonymy in that the expression of the particular suggests the universal. The knowledge gained from analyzing both the abstract and the concrete materials in the text |
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Term
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Definition
| Similar to truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades the reader the he/she is getting a vision of life as it is |
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Term
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Definition
| The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker |
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Term
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Definition
| Literary movement that paid attention to density of language or intensity of imagery as a way of rendering the complexities and stresses of external reality |
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Term
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Definition
| Literary movement which eliminaes traditional distinctions between high and low culture and undermines the most basic assumptions about language. Form is often devoid of voice or theme and instead focuses on themes of alienation |
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Term
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Definition
| because one thing follows another, it is held to cause the other |
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Term
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Definition
| Instead of attacking an assertion, the argument attacks the person who made the assertion |
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Term
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Definition
| The subject of the sentence is doing something |
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Term
|
Definition
| Something is being done to the subject of the sentence |
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Term
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Definition
| A sophisticated or educated speaker who uses abstract nouns or complex figures of speech and demands greater intellectual effort from the audience |
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Term
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Definition
| A simpler, less cultivated speaker who uses literal nouns and less grammatical complexity than high diction |
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Term
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Definition
| A mode of non-fiction writing that develops an idea or makes a point by telling a story or anecdote |
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Term
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Definition
| The words or clauses that follow a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it. The former is technically called a predicate nominative, the latter a predicate adjective. |
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Term
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Definition
| A word or phrase that links different ideas. Used esp., although not exclusively, in expostory and argumentative writing, transitions effectively signal a shift from one idea to another |
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Term
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Definition
| The ironic minimalizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usu. at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses or sentences. |
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Term
|
Definition
| form of verbal compression which consists of the omission of connecting words (usu. conjunctions) between clauses |
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Term
|
Definition
| The rising and falling rhythm of speech esp. in free verse or prose |
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Term
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Definition
| The roundabout manner of referring to something at length rather than naming it briefly and directly |
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Term
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Definition
| Distinct variety of language spoken by members of an identifiable regional group, nation or social class |
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Term
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Definition
| Spoken exchanges between or among characters in a dramatic or narrative work |
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Term
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Definition
| A temporary departure from one subject to another more or less distantly related topic before the discussion of the first subject is resumed |
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Term
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Definition
| harshness of sound and or rhythm either inadvertent or deliberate |
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Term
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Definition
| French phrase for double meaning, denotes a pun in which a word or phrase has a second meaning which tens to be sexual |
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Term
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Definition
| An imagined form of ideal or superior, usu. communist, human society |
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Term
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Definition
| An inverted or undesirable of the utopia, often used to describe a "bad place" |
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Term
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Definition
| Rhetorical figure by which the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses, sentences, or lines |
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Term
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Definition
| Characters whose qualitites or actions serve to emphasize those of another character by providing a strong contrast with them |
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Term
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Definition
| Word that is identical in form with another word either in sound or spelling but differs from it in meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| A word that is pronounced in the same way as another word but differs in meaning and or spelling |
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Term
|
Definition
| A confused, comically inaccurate use of a long word or words |
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Term
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Definition
| A question asked for the sake of persuasive effect rather than a genuine request for information. |
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Term
|
Definition
| the method of seeking truth by the process of question and answer |
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