1. alliteration The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or
more neighboring words. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a
musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage.
allusion A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably
commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. They can be
historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. there are many more possibilities,
and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of them.
antecedent The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
antithesis The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.
aphorism A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general
truth or a moral principle.
apostrophe A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary
person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to
someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or
emotional intensity. Many imply a personification of the object addressed.
conceit A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or
surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. It displays intellectual
cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made.
connotation The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied,
suggested meaning. They may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.
denotation The strict, literal dictionary definition of a word, devoid or any
emotion, attitude or color.
diction Related to style, it refers to the writer's word choices, especially with
regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. It helps to create an author's
style.
didactic Literally means "teaching" in Greek. These words have the primary aim
of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.
euphemism From the Greek for "good speech", they are a more agreeable or less
offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. It may be used to
adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic
understatement.
hyperbole A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement;
they often have a comic effect, however, a serious effect is also possible; it often
produces irony, and it's opposite is understatement
2. invective An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong,
abusive language.
litotes A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by
denying its opposite.
metonymy A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name";
it is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of
another closely associated with it; the substitute term generally carries a more
potent emotional impact.
paradox A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to
common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
parallelism This term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another"; it
refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or
paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to,
repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase; it acts as
an organizing force to attract that reader's attention, add emphasis and
organization, or simply provides a musical rhythm
pedantic An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is
overly scholarly, academic, or bookish (language that might be described as "show-
offy"; using big words for the sake of using big words)
periodic sentence The opposite of loose sentence, a sentence that presents its
central meaning in a main clause at the end. The independent clause is preceded by
a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. The effect is to add emphasis and
structural variety.
point of view the perspective from which a story is told
first person narrator the point of view that tells the story with the first person
pronoun, "I," and is a character in the story. This narrator can be a protagonist, a
secondary character, or an observing character.
third person narrator the point of view that relates the events with the third
person pronouns, "he," "she," and "it."
third person omniscient the third person narrator point of view in which the
narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all
characters
third person limited omniscient the third person narrator point of view in which
the narrator presents the feelings and thoughts of only one character, presenting
only the actions of all the remaining characters
rhetoric From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing
the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
3. synecdoche a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent
the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part.
syntax The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and
sentences.
understatement the ironic minimalizing of fact, it presents something as less
significant than it is. The effect can be humorous and emphatic.
adage a familiar proverb or wise saying.
anaphora Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more
sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's
point more coherent.
antimetabole Repetition of words in successive clauses in reverse grammatical
order
asyndeton Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus
emphasizing the parts equally
blank verse Name for unrhymed iambic pentameter.
chiasmus a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically
balanced against the first, by with the parts reversed
consonance the repetition of consonant sounds in a phrase of line of poetry. The
consonant sound may be at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.
couplet two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry
deus ex machina Term that refers to a character or force that appears at the end
of a story or play to help resolve conflict. The phrase has come to mean any turn of
events that solve the characters' problems through an unexpected and unlikely
intervention
denouement The final resolution or clarification or narrative plot
dialect a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the
inhabitants of a certain geographical area
dissonance Harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds.
elegy a poem of mourning, usually about someone who has died
enjambment the continuation of reading one line of a poem to the next with no
pause, a run-on line.
epigraph a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive
of the theme.
epiphany sudden enlightenment or realization, a profound new outlook or
understanding about the world usually attained while doing everyday mundane
activities.
epistolary used to describe a novel that tells its story through letters written from
one character to another.
4. epistrophe Device of repetition in which the same expression is repeated at the
end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences
epithet a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Can be abusive or
offensive but are not so by definition.
foil a character who acts as contrast to another character
free verse poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme
juxtaposition poetic or rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas,
words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and
wit. It is also a form of contrast by which writers call attention to dissimilar ideas or
images or metaphors
malapropism the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that
sounds similar
motif a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used
throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones,
or new ideas to the theme.
polysendeton sentence which uses a conjunction with no commas to separate
the items in a series
poetic justice the rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice in the
resolution of a plot. The character gets what he/she deserves
soliloquy a long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters
are on stage
sonnet a poem with fourteen lines
volta a sudden change of thought which is common in sonnets
tautology a needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding
tricolons sentence of three parts of equal importance and length, usually three
independent clauses
vernacular the language spoken by the people who live in a particular locality
epigram a rhetorical device that is a memorable, brief, interesting, and surprising
satirical statement; communicates a thought in a witty, paradoxical, or funny way
monologue a speech given by a single character in a story; the vocalization of a
character's thoughts
Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet a sonnet that is split into two parts: an octave (eight
lines) and a sestet (six lines)
English/Shakespearean Sonnet a sonnet that contains three quatrains (four
lines) and one couplet (two lines) at the end
