Term
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Definition
| Word choice, which is viewed on scales of formality/informality, concreteness/abstraction, Latinate derivation/Anglo-saxxon derivation, and denotative value/ connotative value. |
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Term
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Definition
| The art of analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make it in a situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful, and effective; the specific features of texts, written of spoken, that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful, and effective for readers of listeners in a situation. |
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Term
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Definition
| the order of words in a sentence |
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Term
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Definition
| The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the speaker, writer, of narrator. (Appeal to ethics.) |
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Definition
| The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument of central ideas. (Appeal to logic.) |
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Definition
| The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience. |
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Term
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Definition
| informal words whose meanings vary form locale to locale. |
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Term
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Definition
| the specialized language of a particular group. |
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Term
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Definition
| the describable patterns of language - grammar and vocabulary - used by a particular culture of ethic population. |
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Term
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Definition
| the literal meaning of a word |
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Term
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Definition
| the associations, meanings, or feelings a word suggests beyond its literal meaning. |
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Term
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Definition
| and expression that has been used so frequently it has lost it's expressive power. |
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Term
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Definition
| an informal expression or slang, especially in the context of formal writing. |
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Term
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Definition
| and elaborate parallel between two seemingly dissimilar objects, or ideas. It is similar to an extended metaphor. |
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Term
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Definition
| the repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, at the beginning of words. |
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Term
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Definition
| a breaking off of speech, usually because of rising emotion. |
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Term
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Definition
| a direct address to an absent or dead person, or to an object, idea, or quality. |
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Term
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Definition
| the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words. |
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Term
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Definition
| the clash of discordant of harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase. Cacophony is a familiar feature of TONGUE TWISTERS but can also be used in poetic effect. |
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Term
Chiasmus
"I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."
(Winston Churchill) |
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Definition
| two phrases in which the syntax is the same but the placement of words is reversed. |
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Term
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Definition
| a narrative in which literal meaning corresponds clearly and directly to symbolic meaning: a method of expressing ideas by using a parallel story of images. |
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Term
Anaphora
Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
— William Shakespeare, King John, II, i |
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Definition
| the repetition of a group of words at the beginning of successive clauses |
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Term
Syllogism
All humans are mortal.
Socrates is a human.
Socrates is mortal.
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Definition
| a chain of reasoning moving from general, universal principles to specific instances: it consists of a major premise, followed by a minor premise, and finally a conclusion. |
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Term
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Definition
| a shortened syllogism that serves the purpose of a more practical and expedient way to argue. |
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Term
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Definition
| a very long sentence that is not grammatically complete until the end of the sentence: delays closure until the end, therefore, it carries high tension. |
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Term
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Definition
| the association of two contradictory terms |
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Term
Metonymy
'The White House supports the bill.' |
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Definition
| the substitution of one term for another that generally is associated with it. |
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Term
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Definition
| an implicit reference within a literary work to a historical or literary person, place, or event. |
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Term
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Definition
| the comparison of one thing to another without the use of 'like' or 'as'. |
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Term
Antithesis
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
(Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964) |
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Definition
| the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas, often in parallel structure. |
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Term
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Definition
| a comparison of two things through the use of 'like' or 'as'. |
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Term
Parallelism
Mary likes hikING, swimmING, and bicyclING. |
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Definition
| the use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two sentences or phrases to suggest a comparison or contrast between them. |
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Term
Paradox
"War is peace."
"Freedom is slavery."
"Ignorance is strength."
(George Orwell, 1984) |
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Definition
| a statement that seems absurd or even contradictory on its face but often expresses a deeper truth. |
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Term
Euphemism
"Wardrobe malfunction" |
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Definition
| the use of decorous language to express vulgar or unpleasant ideas, events, or action. |
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Term
Synecdoche
"His parents bought him a new set of wheels [car]." |
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Definition
| a form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole or the whole is used to refer to a part. |
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Term
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Definition
| a comparison of two different things |
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Term
Pun
'The Importance of Being Earnest' |
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Definition
| a play on words that exploits the similarity between two words with distinctly different meanings. |
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Term
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Definition
| an excessive overstatement or conscious exaggeration of fact |
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Term
Epithet
'Richard the Lionheart' |
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Definition
| an adjective or phrase that describes a prominent feature of a person or thing. |
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Term
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Definition
| a question that is asked not to elicit a response but to make an impact or call attention to something. |
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Term
Anadiplosis
"I am Sam, Sam I am."
(Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham) |
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Definition
| the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of successive clauses. |
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Term
Asyndeton
"They dove, splashed, floated, splashed, swam, snorted."
(James T. Farrell, Young Lonigan) |
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Definition
| the omission of conjunctions between related causes. |
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Term
Idiom
'It's raining cats and dogs' |
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Definition
| a common expression that has acquired meaning that differs from its literal meaning. |
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Term
Litotes
'We are not amused' |
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Definition
| a form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite. |
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Term
Meiosis
'It is only a scratch'
-Romeo and Juliet |
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Definition
| intentional understatement; meiosis is a form of hyperbole and often implies litotes to an ironic effect. |
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