drake literary terms

style

An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending literary devices. We can analyze and describe an author's it and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author's. we can see how an author's reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or romantic, transcendental, or realist movement

didactic

- From the Greek, it literally means "teaching." it has the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.

euphemism

From the Greek for "good speech," it is more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. May be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse"

rhetoric

From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

oxymoron

From the Greek for "pointedly foolish," it is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness."

syllogism

From the Greek for "reckoning together," it is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. major premise: All men are mortal. minor premise: Socrates is a man. conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is a mortal.

sarcasm

From the Greek meaning "to tear flesh," it involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic When well done, it can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it is simply cruel.

symbol/symbolism

Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. Usually a it is something such as an object, action, character, or scene - that represents something more abstract.

Zeugma

A construction in which one word (usually verb) modifies or governs- often indifferent sometimes incongruent ways - two or more words in a sentence

figure of speech

A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. it includes apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.

allusion

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. it can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.

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.

onomatopoeia

A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you note examples of onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect

personification

A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. It is used to make these abstractions, animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader.

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. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Thou still unravished bride of quietness."

hyperbole

A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. (The literal Greek meaning is "overshoot.") it often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, it produces irony. The opposite of it is understatement.

metaphor

A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity. it makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause.

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

periodic sentence

A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. It adds emphasis and structural variety, much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. (Example: After a long, bumpy flight and multiple delays, I arrived at the San Diego airport.)

analogy

A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. it can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. it can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging.

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. ex)"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

anaphora

A sub-type of parallelism, when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. MLK used anaphora in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech (1963).

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. Ex) news that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the President declared" ; The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact.

aphorism

A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) it can be a memorable summation of the author's point.

loose sentence/non-periodic sentence

A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. A work containing many it often seems informal, relaxed, or conversational. Generally, it create loose style.

transition

A word or phrase that links different ideas.

parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. It exploits peculiarities of an author's expression.

satire

A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule. it , often humorous, is thought provoking and insightful about the human condition.

thesis

In expository writing, it is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or position. Expository writing is usually judged by analyzing how accurately, effectively, and thoroughly a writer has proven it.

point of view

In literature, the perspective from which a story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view, and many subdivisions within those.

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).

subordinate clause

It contains both a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, it depends on a main clause to complete its meaning.

diction

Related to style, it refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

tone

Similar to mood, it describes the author's attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. it is easier to determine in spoken language than in written language. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help to identify.

semantics

The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another.

theme

The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Usually it is unstated in fictional works, but in nonfiction, the theme may be directly state, especially in expository or argumentative writing.

irony/ironic

The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true. it is often used to create poignancy or humor.

allegory

The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.The it usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. EXAMPLE: Animal Farm; Dante's Inferno; Lord of the Flies

repetition

The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.

atmosphere

The emotional nod 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. description of the weather can contribute to it . Frequently it foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood.

genre

The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. There may be fiction or poetry.

ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

connotation

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. it may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.

mood

The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect it . it is similar to tone and atmosphere.

alliteration

The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells").

imagery

The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, it uses terms related to the five senses: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP language exam, pay attention to how an author creates imagery and to the effect of it

denotation

The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. (Example: the denotation of a knife would be a utensil used to cut; the connotation of a knife might be fear, violence, anger, foreboding, etc.)

narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

colloquial/colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, it gives a work a conversational, familiar tone. it expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.

syntax

The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. it is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of it as groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words.

subject complement

The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

rhetorical modes

This flexible term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing

generic conventions

This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing.

homily

This term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.

inference/infer

To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. When a multiple choice question asks for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. If an inference is implausible, it's unlikely to be the correct answer. Note that if the answer choice is directly stated, it is not inferred and it is wrong.

figurative language

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

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. Examples: To refer to a boat as a "sail"; to refer to a car as "wheels"; to refer to the violins, violas, etc. in an orchestra as "the strings."

litotes

a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. it is the opposite of hyperbole. Examples: "Not a bad idea," "Not many," "It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain" (Salinger, Catcher in the Rye).

predicate nominative

a noun, group of nouns, or noun clause that renames the subject. It, like the predicate adjective, follows a linking verb and is located in the predicate of the sentence. Example: Julia Roberts is a movie star. movie star = it , as it renames the subject, Julia Roberts

caricature

a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person's distinctive physical features or other characteristics.

the predicate adjective

an adjective, a group of adjectives, or adjective clause that follows a linking verb. It is in the predicate of the sentence, and modifies, or describes, the subject. Example: Warren remained optimistic. optimistic = it , as it modifies the subject, Warren

invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. (For example, in Henry IV, Part I, Prince Hal calls the large character of Falstaff "this sanguine coward, this bedpresser, this horseback breaker, this huge hill of flesh.")

parallelism

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. they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.

wit

in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. It is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks.

prose

one of the major divisions of genre, it refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms. printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, the poet determines the length of the line.

understatement

the ironic minimalizing of fact, it presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. It is the opposite of hyperbole.

antithesis

the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.

antimetabole

the repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen a contrast parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.

inverted sentence

verb before subject ex)In the woods, is perpetual youth. Ex) Everywhere was a shadow of death.

situational irony

when events turn out the opposite of what was expected; when what the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen

dramatic irony

when facts or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work.

synesthesia

when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another. Ex: The sight of red ants makes you itchy. It refers to the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image. Ex) Red Hot Chili Peppers' song title,"Taste the Pain,"

verbal irony

when the words literally state the opposite of the writer's (or speaker's) meaning