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| A method of humorous or sarcastic expression in which the intended meaning of the words is the opposite of the their usual meaning; e.g. saying that a cold, windy, rainy day is "lovely." |
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| In Rhetoric, a figure of speech in which an affirmative is expressed by a negotiation of the contrary. A "citizen of no mean city" is, therefore, "a citizen of an important or famous city." |
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| A figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another by being spoken of an though it were that thing; e.g. "...a sea of troubles." -William Bradford, The History of Plymouth Plantation |
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| A statement that does not follow logically from what preceded it |
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| A method of organizing a paper according to the relative significance of the subtopics |
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| A figure of speech in which contradictory terms or ideas are combined; e.g. "a thunderous silence." |
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| A short story from which a lesson may be drawn; Christ used the parable to teach his followers moral truths. The parable of the Sower and the Good Samaritan are examples of his parables. |
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| Parallel syntactic structures |
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| Using the same part of speech or syntactic structure in (1) each element of a series, (2) before and after coordinating conjunctions (and, but, yet, or, for, not) and (3) after each of a pair of correlative conjunctions (not only...but also, neither..nor, both...and, etc). Examples for definitions (1) and (3): 1. Over the hill, through the woods, and to grandmother's house we go. 3. That vegetable is both rich in vitamins and low in calories. |
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A statement which seems self-contradictory, but which may be true in fact.
"Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed..." -Emily Dickinson |
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| A literary composition which imitates the characteristic style of a serious work or writer and used its features to treat trivial, nonsensical material in an attempt at humor or satire |
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| A display of narrow-minded and trivial scholarship or arbitrary adherence to rules and forms |
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| A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstract concept is endowed with human attributes; e.g. that hand of fate |
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| Period sentence structure |
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| A sentence written so that the full meaning cannot be understood until the end; e.g. Across the stream, beyond the clearing, from behind a fallen tree, the lion emerged. |
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| Taking a single position for the purpose of getting others to accept that position; may appeal to emotion or reason. |
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| The way in which something is viewed or considered by a writer or speaker; in fiction, it is the relationship assumed between the teller of a story and the characters in it, usually demonstrated by the author's use of either first or third person. |
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| (from the Latin: post hoc, ergo proper hoc meaning "after this, therefore because of this.") This fallacy of logic occurs when the writer assumes that an incident that precedes another is the cause of the second incident; For example: "Gov. X began his first term in January. Three months later, the state suffered severe economic depression. Therefore, Gov. X caused the state's depression." The chronological order of events does not establish a cause-effect relationship. |
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| The art of using words effectively in writing or speaking as to influence or persuade. |
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| A question asked for the rhetorical effect to emphasize a point, no answer being expected; e.g. "Robert, is this any way to speak to your mother?" |
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| A literary work in which vices, abuses, absurdities, etc. are help up to ridicule and contempt; use of ridicule, sarcasm, irony, etc. to expose vices, abuses, etc. |
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| A figure of speech involving a comparison using like or as; e.g. "O my luv is like a red, red rose." - Robert Burns |
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| Organization of information using spatial cues such as top to bottom, left to right, etc. |
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A form of reasoning in which two statements or premises are made and a logical conclusion is drawn from them; a form of deductive reasoning. Example:
Major Premise: J and G Construction builds unsafe buildings
Minor Premise: J and G Construction built the Tower Hotel
Conclusion: The Tower Hotel is an unsafe building. |
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| Something that stands for another thing; frequently an object used to represent an abstraction; e.g. the dove is a symbol of peace. |
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| In grammar, the arrangement of words as elements in a sentence to show their relationship. |
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| A way of working or expressing things that expresses an attitude; the tone may be angry, matter of fact, pedantic, ironic, etc. |
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| Deliberately representing something as much less than it really is. Johnathan Swift wrote, "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her appearance." |
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