an extended narrative in prose or verse in which characters, events, and settings represent  

  abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the 

  surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be moral, religious, political, social, or  

  satiric.

the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase,  

  clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be…” “Ask not what your country can do for you,  

  ask what you can do for your country….”

a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth about life: “Early bird gets the  

    worm.” 

usually in poetry but sometimes in prose; the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead,  

  or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction 

writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting 

  reasoned arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation 

harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the  

  opposite of euphony.

descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance or a  

  facet of personality.

a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but  

  that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t) 

quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts contribute to the development of the  

  central idea, theme, or organizing principle

Language that describes specific, observable things, people, or places, rather than  

  ideas or qualities.

repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity, as  

  in boost/best; it can also be seen within several compound words, such as fulfill and ping- 

  pong 

the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color,  

  motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse

word choice, an element of style; Diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as  

  meaning.  Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on   

  meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps  

  more precise than street slang

writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and  

  focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Didactic writing may be fiction or nonfiction that 

  teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking. 

spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified  

  modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion. 

When a writer appeals to readers’ emotions (often through pathos) to excite  

  and involve them in the argument. 

the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway  

  begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is “You are all a lost  

  generation” by Gertrude Stein. 

When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her  

  based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a  

  factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.

a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be  

  inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a common euphemism  

  for “he died.”  Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The  

  military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.

An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by  

  example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as  

  relevant. 

The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves  

  close reading and special attention to figurative language. 

the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information 

  necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of  

    discourse

When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain 

  rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim 

  applies to all instances instead of some. 

a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science 

  fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres 

anything that causes laughter or amusement; up until the end of the Renaissance, humor  

  meant a person’s temperament 

deliberate exaggeration in order to create humor or emphasis (Example: He was so 

  hungry he could have eaten a horse.)

A word or words, either figurative or literal, used to describe a sensory experience or an  

  object perceived by the sense. An image is always a concrete representation. 

words or phrases that use a collection of images to appeal to one or more of the five  

  senses in order to create a mental picture 

reversing the customary (subject first, then verb, then complement) order of elements in a 

sentence or phrase; it is used effectively in many cases, such as posing a question: “Are 

you going to the store?” Usually, the element that appears first is emphasized more than 

the subject.

The special language of a profession or group. The term jargon usually has pejorative 

Associations with the implication that jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to 

outsiders.  The writings of the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.

When a writer tries to persuade the audience based on statistics, facts, and reasons.  

The process of reasoning 

similar to tone, mood is the primary emotional attitude of a work (the feeling of the work; 

the atmosphere). Syntax is also a determiner of mood because sentence strength, length,  

and complexity affect pacing.

the telling of a story in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama; one of the four modes of 

discourse 

an impersonal presentation of events and characters.  It is a writer’s attempt to remove 

himself or herself from any subjective, personal involvement in a story. Hard news 

journalism is frequently prized for its objectivity, although even fictional stories can be 

told without a writer rendering personal judgment. 

a figure of speech composed of contradictory words or phrases, such as “wise fool,” 

bitter-sweet, “pretty ugly,” “jumbo shrimp,” “cold fire” 

a statement that seems to contradict itself but that turns out to have a rational meaning, as 

in this quotation from Henry David Thoreau; “I never found the companion that was so 

companionable as solitude.” 

the technique of arranging words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures by placing them 

side by side and making them similar in form. Parallel structure may be as simple as 

listing two or three modifiers in a row to describe the same noun or verb; it may take the 

form of two or more of the same type of phrases (prepositional, participial, gerund, 

appositive) that modify the same noun or verb; it may also take the form of two or more 

subordinate clauses that modify the same noun or verb. Or, parallel structure may be a 

complex bend of singe-word, phrase, and clause parallelism all in the same sentence. 

Example (from Churchill): “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing 

grounds, we shall fight in the fields.”

a work that ridicules the style of another work by imitating and exaggerating its elements.  

It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and 

distorts the original style and content.

When a writer tries to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions.  The 

aspects of a literary work that elicit sorrow or pity from the audience. An appeal to 

emotion that can be used as a means to persuade. Over-emotionalism can be the result of 

an excess of pathos

a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and 

often overly difficult and distant

a form of argumentation, one of the four modes of discourse; language intended to 

convince through appeals to reason or emotion.

an element in literature that conveys a realistic portrayal of a specific geographical locale, 

using the locale and its influences as a major part of the plot

one that does not expect an explicit answer. It is used to pose an idea to be considered 

by the speaker or audience.

A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of human behavior by 

portraying it in an extreme way. Satire doesn’t simply abuse (as in invective) or get 

personal (as in sarcasm).  Satire targets groups or large concepts rather than individuals.

a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial 

group and who lacks individuality; a conventional patter, expression or idea.

an author’s characteristic manner of expression – his or her diction, syntax, imagery, 

structure, and content all contribute to style 

a personal presentation of evens and characters, influenced by the author’s feelings and 

opinions 

A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.    

Example: 

Major Premise: All tragedies end unhappily. 

Minor Premise: Hamlet is a tragedy. 

Conclusion: Therefore, Hamlet ends unhappily.

Ability to create a variety of sentence structures, appropriately complex and/or simple 

and varied in length.

Sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex and involved. They are often 

difficult for a reader to follow

the grammatical structure of a sentence; the arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax 

includes length of sentence, kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative 

sentences, rhetorical questions, simple, complex, or compound)