absolute
a word free from limitations or qualifications (eg. “best”, “all”, “unique”, “perfect”)
adage
a familiar proverb or wise saying
ad hominem argument
an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an isssue
allegory
a literary work where characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions
alliteration
repetition of initial sounds
allusion
a reference to something historical, literart, or mythological that the author assumes the reader will recognize
analogy
comparison of 2 different things that are similar in some way
anaphora
the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
anecdote
a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
antithesis
a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanaced
aphorism
a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea
apostrophe
a figure of speech when one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction
archetype
a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
argument
a statement of the meaning or main point of a literary work
asyndeton
a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
balanced sentence
a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast
bathos
insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity
chiasmus
a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second is reversed (eg. “Susan walked in, and out rushed Mary”)
cliché
an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off
climax
the point of highest interest in a literary work
colloquialism
informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing
complex sentence
a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
compound sentence
two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions
conceit
fanciful, clever extended metaphor
concrete details
details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events
connotation
the implied or associative meaning of a word
cumulative sentence
the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases
declarative sentence
makes a statement or declaration
deductive reasoning
a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case. (eg. “the sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise tuesday morning
denotation
the literal meaning of a word
dialect
variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region
dialogue
conversation between two or more people
diction
word choices made by a writer
