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| Refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images. |
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| The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." |
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| A reference contained in a work. |
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| The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. |
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| Those who carry out the action of the plot in literature. Major, minor, static, and dynamic are types of characters. |
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| The use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. |
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| A clash between opposing forces in a literary work, such as man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. god; man vs. self. |
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| The interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning. |
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| The recreation of regional spoken language, such as Southern dialect. |
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| A more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common euphemism for "he died." Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation. |
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| The body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other then the literal one. It includes metaphor, smile, symbol, motif, and hyperbole. etc. |
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| A device that enables a writer to refer to past thoughts, events, or episodes. |
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| Extreme exaggeration, often humorous, it can also be ironic; the opposite of understatement. |
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| An unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen. |
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| The process of reasoning. |
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| A direct comparison between dissimilar things. "Love is a Battlefield" is an example. |
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| The speaker of a literary work. |
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| Words that sound the like the sound they represent (hiss, gurgle, pop). |
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| An image of contradictory term (bitter-sweet, pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp). |
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| A story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson. |
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| A comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content. |
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| The assigning of human qualities to inanimate objects or convepts ("the wind was gently laughing", "The Wind Cries Mary"). |
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| A sequence of events in a literary work. |
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| A play on words that often has a comic effect. Associated with wit and cleverness. A writer who speaks of the "grave topic of American funerals" may be employing an intentional or unintentional pun. |
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| Refers to the entire process of written communication. Rhetorical strategies and devices are those tools that enable a writer to present ideas to an audience effectively. |
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| One that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered by the speaker of audience. (Ernest Dowson asks, "Where are they now, the says of wine and roses?") |
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| A comic technique that ridicules through caustic language. Tone and attitude may both be described as sarcastic in a given text if the writer employs languages, irony, and wit to mock or scorn. |
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| A mode of writing based on ridicule that criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution. |
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| The time and place of a literary work. |
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| An indirect comparison that uses the words like or as to link the differing items in the comparison. ("Life is like a box of chocolates"). |
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| Something in a literary work that stands for something else. (Plato has the light of the sun symbolize truth in "The Allegory of the Cave.") |
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| The underlying ideas the author illustrates through characterization, motifs, language, plot, etc. |
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| Simply, the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis. |
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| The opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and or humor where one writes or says less than intended. |
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