Examples and definitons

The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one.

"But Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried 34 rounds when he was shot and killed outside Than Khe, and he went down under an exceptional burden, more than 20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet and rations and water and toilet paper and tranquilizers and all the rest, plus an unweighed fea." -Tom O'Brien.

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage--dwelling on a point.

"I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I will not eat them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them ANYWHERE."

An individual (usually a person) in a narrative (usually a work of fiction or creative nonfiction).

Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, Shrek, Cinderella.

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary.

"We're safe Huck, we're safe! Jump up and crack yo heels. Dat's de good ole Cairo at las, I jus knows it.

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses. (Also known as epistrophe.)

"government of the people, for the people, by the people...."

A succession of phrases of approximately equal length and corresponding structure.

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

"I graduated from the University of Life. All right? I received a degree from the School of Hard Knocks. And our colors were black and blue, baby. I had office hours with the Dean of Bloody Noses. All right? I borrowed my class notes from Professor Knuckle Sandwich.... That's the kind of school I went to for real, okay?"

An argumentative strategy by which a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponent's point.

"I know you think that you're making the right decision, but I just think you should reconsider one more time!"

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was of foolishness..."

Sentence style that appears to follow the mind as it worries a problem through, mimicking the "rambling, associative syntax of conversation"--the opposite of periodic sentence style.

"It's like making a prison break, you know. And I'm heading for the wall, and I trip and I twist my ankle, and they throw the light on you, you know. So, somehow I get through the crying and I keep running. then the cursing started. She's firing at me from the guard tower: 'son of a bang! Son of a boom!' I get to the top of the wall, the front door. I opened it up, I'm one foot away. I took one last look around the penitentiary, and I jumped!" -seinfeld

A formal expression of praise for someone who has recently died.

"My name is Hazel. Augustus Waters was the great star-crossed love of my life. Ours was an epic love story, and I won't be able to get more than a sentence into it without disappearing into a puddle of tears. Gus knew. Gus knows. I will not tell you our love story, because like all real love stories, it will die with us. As it should..."

A rhetorical term for breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing

"O holy night! The stars are brightly shining."

The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage.

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best fried. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack

Generalizing views of a political party as and insulting argument to an individual who is a member of a different party e.g, "Well, it's pretty obvious that your political party doesn't know how to be fiscally responsible, so I wouldn't expect you to either.

An arguable statement, which may be a claim of fact, value, or policy.

I support of my thesis on corporate sponsorship, I could make the following statement: Without corporate sponsorship, many sports teams/ extracuriculars would have to restructure their organization's financial support plan.

An argument that commits the logical fallacy of assuming what it is attempting to prove.

I'm right because I say I'm right.

(1) A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion. (2) A brief statement of a principle.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (opposite of polysyndeton).

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimo, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.

"That's one small step for man, that is one giant leap for mankind"

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses

"The biggest heart in the world is inside the blue whale. It weighs more than 7 tons. It's as big as a room. It is a room, with four chambers. A child could walk around it, head high, bending only to step through the valves. The valves are as big as swinging doors in a saloon. This house of a heart drives a creature a hundred feet long. When this creature is born it is 20 feet long and weighs four tons. It is waaaay bigger than your car."

A method of reasoning by which a rhetor collects a number of instances and forms a generalization that is meant to apply to all instances.

"There are 15 clips in the bag; in a random draw 12 are pink. Therefore, all clips in the bag are pink."

A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.

"They don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care."

The similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

A text or performance that uses irony, derision, or wit to expose or attack human vice, foolishness, or stupidity.

"Weekend update" from saturday night live, the music of weird al yankovic, the scary movie series.

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or the whole for a part.

"White House" for the people working inside, "plastic" for credit cards.

A persuasive appeal based on the projected character of the speaker or narrator.

"You know me- I've taught sunday school at your church for years, babysat your children, and served as a playground director for many summer. What I'm about to say is important."

A tribute or eulogy in prose or verse glorifying people, objects, ideas, or events

"allow me to sing of tater tots. These are nuggets of bliss, small prayers answered by the flinty russet fields of Idaho. Potatoes fresh as an autumn dawn, fried deep, oh so deep, right down to their very souls...."

A long and frequently involved sentence, marked by suspended syntax, in which the sense is not completed until the final word--usually with an emphatic climax.

"due to the bad weather, subpar accommodations, and constant familial conflict, the vacation was a flop." instead of "The vacation was a flop due to bad weather, subpar accommodations, and constant familial conflicts."

A sentence structure in which a main clause is followed by subordinate phrases and clauses. Contrast with periodic sentence.

"the vacation was a flop due to bad weather, subpar accommodations, and constant familial conflict." instead of "due to bad weather subpar accommodations, and constant familial conflict, the vacation was a flop.

The repetition of an initial consonant sound.

Sally sells seashells by the seashore.

The direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.

Salty: Nope, I don't think I can eat anymore of that pasta. It's way to salty.

A fallacy in which a speaker or writer seeks to persuade not by giving evidence but by appealing to the respect people have for a famous person or institution.

A commercial for a product that never explains what the product actually does; rather, it shows four different celebrities using/holding the product.

A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.

Why? Why me? What have I done to deserve this?

The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to

clink, coo, mumble, slam, boom, fizzle

A word (a part of speech or word class) that takes the place of a noun.

he, she, they, I, we, us, them.

The various uses of language that depart from customary construction, order, or significance.

similes, metaphors, personification, etc.

The study and practice of effective communication.

the study and practice of effective communication

The part of speech (or word class) that modifies a noun or a pronoun.

vivacious, bouncy, green, zesty.

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.

weird al yankovic's music or the scary movie series is an example of this.

(1) The choice and use of words in speech or writing. (2) A way of speaking, usually assessed in terms of prevailing standards of pronunciation and elocution.

when you are writing, you want to pay attention to both your syntax and this

A writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

A writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

Mounting by degrees through words or sentences of increasing weight and in parallel construction with an emphasis on the high point or culmination of a series of events.

After an assortment of passive-aggressive comments and bickering throughout the story, this is where the tension between the mother and daughter in a story really comes to blows.

The main part of a text in which logical arguments in support of a position are elaborated.

After previously referring to "benefits of sponsorship" in your thesis, this is where you specifically identify what those benefits are and how they help students and business people.

The noun or noun phrase referred to by a pronoun.

Catherine couldn't wait to get her new puppy. In this sentence, "Catherine" is the ________ of her.

A mocking, often ironic or satirical remark.

Chandler: "Oh dear God. Hold on, there's something different." Ross: "I went to that tanning place your wife suggested." Chandler: "Was that place THE SUN"

The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.

Go mow the lawn down below

A statement that appears to contradict itself.

I know one thing; that I know nothing -socrates

A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event--real or fictional.

I was surprised his nose wasn't growing like Pinocchio's

A word or word group that completes the predicate in a sentence.

I will run for president eventually (for president eventually in italics)

A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate

I will run for president eventually (will run in italics)

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty").

I would be so grateful if you would do me the honor of allowing me to have your daughter's hand in marriage.

A statement or type of composition intended to give information about (or an explanation of) an issue, subject, method, or idea.

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the disctrict attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories. Dun Dun.

(1) A short inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone or monument. (2) A statement or speech commemorating someone who has died: a funeral oration

On Dorothy Parker's gravestone: "Excuse my dust."

The part of a sentence or clause that indicates what it is about.

Santa sometimes gets tire of taking a worldwide trip

A person, place, action, or thing that (by association, resemblance, or convention) represents something other than itself.

The color black often goes with death, red goes with anger, white goes with purity, yellow goes with happiness.

Salty: Rebecca's feeling salty because of what her friend said about her behind her back

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry.

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

The plumber spends all day working on leaky faucet and comes home to find a pipe has burst in his home.

The specialized language of a professional, occupational, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders.

The specialized language of a professional, occupational, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders.

The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.

Vertically challenged instead of short, adult beverage instead of liquor, chronologically challenged of late.

A figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

When one spends the morning vomiting but comes to school so that he can play in his game later that night, he says, " I'm just feeling a little under the weather."

Words, phrases, and clauses that make one element of a sentence dependent on (or subordinate to) another. Contrast with coordination.

When the pizza arrived, the little kids jumped up and down. (when the pizza arrived in bold/italics)

A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood.

While some people may find corporate sponsorship to be distracting to education, the benefits of sponsorship for both the students and the supporting company far out weigh the problems.

the main idea of an essay or report, often written as a single declarative sentence.

While some people may find corporate sponsorship to be distracting to education, the benefits of sponsorship for both the students and the supporting company far outweigh the problems.

The grammatical connection of two or more ideas to give them equal emphasis and importance. Contrast with subordination.

Wilbur didn't know what to do or which way to run.

A fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence.

X is true for A; Xis true for B; X is true for C; X is true for D; then X must be true for E, F, and G.

Extending a metaphor so that objects, persons, and actions in a text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text.

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Suess is a story about a turtle who yearns for too much power and shares a message about Adolf Hitler and the evils of totalitarianism.

The part of an argument wherein a speaker or writer anticipates and counters opposing points of view.

You may think there are benefits to a life lived without tests and quizzes, and to some extent you might be right. There may be less stress in the world, less anxiety towards performance. But what would sports be without games, where the players prove, their strengths? What would theater be without a show? It may be hard and stressful, but in the end, struggle is often worth it.

A fallacy that uses an opponent's inability to disprove a conclusion as proof of the conclusion's correctness.

You're babysitting for a child you've only met once before. You're pretty sure it's bedtime, but Little Johnny thinks bedtime is in another hour. Since you told him that no one told you his bedtime, Little Johnny is insistent that his bed time is at least another hour later.

Intended or inclined to teach or instruct, often excessively

a cookbook or an assembly manual would be an example of this.

An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.

an argument that has some kind of flaw in it: I'm right because I say so.

The part of speech (or word class) that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.

and, but , or, for, nor, yet, so.

The means of persuasion that appeals to the audience's emotions.

animal shelters showing photos/videos of abused animals to make the watcher feel empathy for the animals and make them want to donate money.

The part of speech (or word class) that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action.

balloon, beluga whale, broomstick, bagel bites.

Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English.

calling your friend "bro" or your significant other "bae" is an example of this.

The part of speech (or word class) that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being.

crush, bellow, am, destroy, inspire, were

A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.

eloquent silence, dull roar, humane slaughter, jumbo shrimp.

The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information.

first person, second person, third person, third person omniscient.

The connection between two parts of a piece of writing, contributing to coherence.

furthermore, on the other hand, also, for example..

A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by "like" or "as."

her eyes were as blue as the deepest oceans.

A category of artistic composition, as in film or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content.

hip hop, r&b, country, classical, pop, metal

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement.

it was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets. It was so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Reasoning or arguing from parallel cases.

life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

A fallacy of oversimplification that offers a limited number of options (usually two) when in fact more options are available.

love it or leave it

One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.

my silly sister screamed at the mailman "screamed at the mailman" in the previous sentence is an example of the ________________ of the sentence

The way in which information is presented in a text. The four traditional modes are narration, description, exposition, and argument.

narration, description, exposition, and argumentation are these

The part of speech (or word class) that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb.

pugnaciously, enthusiastically, very, quite, obviously

Denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something.

referring to an old, physically disabled man as a bungling fool when he is not able to quickly get his subway token into the machine is an example of this

A method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises.

since all humans are mortal, and I am a human, then I must be mortal.

A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

some televisions are black and white and all penguins are black and white. Therefore, some televisions are penguins.

A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.

the casserole wasn't too bad; the trip was not a total loss; i cannot disagree with your point.

A rhetorical strategy that recounts a sequence of events, usually in chronological order.

the common structure of a piece of writing; usually builds from the rising action to the resolution

Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing.

the features of the author's writing that makes it unique

(1) The quality of a verb that conveys the writer's attitude toward a subject. (2) The emotion evoked by a text

the feeling the reader gets from reading an author's words

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.

the house sighed; the wind howled; the city never sleeps

A rhetorical strategy in which a writer examines similarities and/or differences between two people, places, ideas, or objects.

the similarities and differences of the North and South in the Civil War would be an example of this

Ordinary writing (both fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse.

writing is catagorized into two types: poetry and this

(1) The quality of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice). (2) The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator.

writing that feels like you can hear the person who was speaking.

(1) The study of the rules that govern the way words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. (2) The arrangement of words in a sentence.

yesterday in class when we discussed shortening sentences to make them more punchy---- I was asking you to consider editing this.

A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common.

you are my sunshine, the apple of my eye, my everything.

A shift in a narrative to an earlier event that interrupts the normal chronological development of a story.

you're watching a movie. Everything's going great, but Jimmy just referred to his childhood, and a look of great sorrow has come over his face. The screen turns hazy, and suddenly, there is a young boy on the screen .A gentlemen of about 45 is yelling to a young boy in the field "Jimmy, get in here!"