sentence structure
pun
a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
symbol
a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process ex- american flag represents us
euphemism
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. ex- no thank you vs. no!
point of view
a particular attitude or way of considering a matter. ex- 3rd person point of view
mood
a prevailing or dominant feeling of a work. ex- subtle
pathos
a quality that evokes pity or sadness. ex- these people starve to death everyday
elegy
a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. ex- depressed and sad, i will always remember the times we had
paradox
a statement that is self contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time. ex- one of us is wrong, neither of us is right
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.ex- the truman show/ the matrix
narrative pacing
a stylistic device, which shows how fast a story unfolds. It is because when readers feel frustration in the length of the story, the writers use different techniques to control the pace of the story ex- exposition climax
synonym
a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. ex- small and tiny
bathos
an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
atmosphere
an emotional feeling mood of a place scene or event. ex- the mood is eerie
apostrophe
an exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person (typically one who is dead or absent) or thing (typically one that is personified).
allusion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. ex- he has the mind of hitler.
parody
an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.
overview
brief summary or description of a work ex- this story is about two star crossed lovers who kill themsleves.
simile
comparisons between two things using words like or as. ex- you sleep like a grizzly bear
connotative
containing a suggested meaning ex- Guys are pigs ( fat and messy)
denotative
containing an exact meaning ex- You are stupid. ( you are literally dumb)
complex sentence
contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate ex- He told me he was lying.
a simple sentence
contains one subject and one verb ex- He went for a walk.
compound sentence
contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate ex- He won the medal, but the crowd did not want him to win.
a compound-complex sentence
contains two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses. ex- The player went up for the shot, but he missed it and the crowd booed.
syllogism
deductive reasoning as distinct from induction. ex- all men are mortal
tension
defined as pleasurable excitement and anticipation regarding an outcome, such as the ending of a mystery novel ex- two star crossed lovers who kill themselves due to family feuding
attitude
description of the feeling of a particular speaker or piece of writing towards a person, subject, or data ex- anger
rhetorical strategy
ex- purpose audience and message
antecedent
ex- the baby came before its mother.
hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally ex- i have a thousand shoes
person
grammatical term that describes the relationship of a writer or speaker to an audience by examining the pronouns that are used. ex- 1st person point of view
cacophonous
harsh sounding ex- Heavy metal music made my ears bleed.
rhetoric
he art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques. ex- how can you?
tone
he general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc. tone- happy
fiction
imaginary ex- 3 little pigs
assonance
in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non rhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence, reticence ). he eats peaches
selection of detail
is the specific words, incidents, images, or events the author uses to create a scene or narrative.
speaker
is the voice behind the poem—the person we imagine to be saying the thing out loud. ex- newsreporter
figurative language
language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation ex- similes or metaphors
colloquial
slang-ex- its lit
repetition
the action of repeating something that has already been said or written. ex- i do not i do not i do not
syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. "the syntax of English" ex- sad depressing
persona
the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.
personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. ex- the shoes were calling my name
theme
the central topic a text treats ex- have confidence in yourself
ethos
the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. ex- source from highly respected newspaper
diction
the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. ex- fright anger scary
texture
the concrete, physical elements of prose or poetry that are separate from the structure or argument of the work
juxtaposition
the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect. ex- lamp for sale, all lamps are gone!
voice
the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. ex- loud voice
onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named ex- woof
apotheosis
the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax. ex- when the wolf couldnt blow the brick house down
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. ex- sam sought to sell snickers sunday
asyndenton
the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.
balanced sentence
the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness or structure meaning and or length ex- i am good at track because i run fast and sarah is good at swimming because she swims fast,
understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. ex- at a funeral someone says i notice some sadness in the room
contrast
the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association. ex- light is different from dark
metonymy
the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing. ex- the king
satire
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
grammar
set of rules that specify how a given language is used effectively ex- subject predicate nouns
loose sentence
A loose sentence (also called a cumulative sentence) is a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases. ex-i went shopping yesterday, bought shoes, clothes, and jewelery.
periodic sentence
A periodic sentence has the main clause or predicate at the end. This is used for emphasis and can be persuasive by putting reasons for something at the beginning before the final point is made. It can also create suspense or interest for the reader. ex- i went shopping and bought shoes, clothes, and jewelry yesterday.
analogy
a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. girls to boys is like apples to oranges
antithesis
a contrast or opposition between two things. ex- black and white
zeugma
a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses or to two others of which it semantically suits only one. ex- im gonna go hit the sack then go to bed
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. ex-he is a bundle of joy
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction ex- i hate that i love you
polysyllabic
more than one syllable in length ex- supercalifragilisticespialidocious
appositive
noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. ex- prince william, queen diana's son, now rules the kingdom.
monosyllabic
one syllable in length ex- yes
euphonius
pleasant sounding ex- The baby put me straight to sleep.
foreshadowing
purposeful hint placed in a work of literature to suggest what might occur later ex- if only he knew he only had a few days left.
ad hominem argument
refers to an argument that attacks opposing speaker or another person rather than addressing the issue at hand
parallelism
the use of successive verbal constructions in poetry or prose that correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc. ex- i have something to say.... i have something to say... i have something to say...
ambiguity, ambiguous
unclear or inexact because a choice between alternatives has not been made. ex- maybe ill do this or that
logos
use of reason as a controlling principle. appeal to logic ex- 80% of the population feels that...
irony
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work. ex- arent u tony hawk ( even though the boy sucked at skateboarding)
imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work. ex-pink, perky, and prickly, the flower stood.