Term: Analogy

Etymology: Latin-- "Logos" speech, recognition

Pronunciation Guide: əˈnaləjē

Term: Hyperbole

Etymology: Greek--"hyer" over

Punctuation Guide: h -pûr b -l

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Definition:

Example:

“It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets”

Term: Litotes

Etymology: Greek-- "litos" smooth, plain, small

Pronunciation Guide: lītəˌtēz

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 Ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary

Example:

"You won't be sorry..."

Term: Rhetorical Question

Etymology: Latin-- "rhetoricus" pertaining to rhetoric

Pronunciation Guide: re-tour-ecal qu-est-in

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 A statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered

Example: Am i talking to walls?

Term: Irony

Etymology: Latin-- "ironia" dissimulation, assumed ignorance

Pronunciation Guide: ˈīrənē

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Definition:

Example: 

The procrastinator's meeting has been postponed.

Term: metonymy

Etymology: Greek-- "meta" change

Pronunciation Guide: məˈtänəmē

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The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. 

Example:

Suit for business executive

Term: personification

Etymology: Greek--"personify" embodiment of a quality in a person

Pronunciation Guide: pərˌsänəfiˈkāSHən

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 A figure intended to represent an abstract quality.

Example:

The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

Term: Periphrasis

Etymology: Latin--"periphrazein" speak in a roundabout way

Pronunciation Guide: pəˈrifrəsis

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Definition:

 The use of indirect and circumlocutory speech or writing.

Example:

The big man upstairs hears your prayers.

Term: Pun

Etymology: Latin-- "Punctum" point

Pronunciation Guide: pən

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Definition: 

Example:

He learned a new Tantric at the sun clinic

Term: Oxymoron

Etymology: Greek--"Oxymoros" pointedly foolish 

Pronunciation Guide: äksəˈmôrˌän

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 A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Example:

A fine mess

Term: Apostrophe

Etymology: Greek--"apostrophos" the action of turning away

Pronunciation Guide: əˈpästrəfē

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 '

Definition:

 A punctuation mark (') used to indicate either possession

Example:

Dog's food

Term: Paradox

Etymology: Greek--"Paradoxos" incredible

Pronunciation Guide: 'parəˌdäks

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 A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Example:

I'm nobody.

Term: Parallelism

Etymology: Greek--"parallelizein" parallel

Pronunciation Guide: ˈparəlelˌizəm

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 The use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form

Example:

New roads; new ruts

Term: Zeugma

Etymology: Greek--"zeugnynai" to yoke

Pronunciation Guide: zo͞ogmə

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 A single word made to refer to two or more words in a sentence.

Example:

You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit.

Term: Antithesis

Etymology: Greek--"antithesis" resistance

Pronunciation Guide: anˈtiTHəsis

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 The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance

Example:

Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.

Term: Antimetabole

Etymology: Greek--"Anti" opposite 

Pronunciation Guide: an-ti-mə-tab-ə-lee

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 Repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order

Example:

Eat to live, not live to eat.

Term: Inversion

Etymology: Latin--"inversionem" to invert

Pronunciation Guide: inˈvərZHən

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Definition:

A reversal of normal word order, especially the placement of a verb ahead of the subject.

Example:

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.

Term: Anaphora

Etymology: Greek--"anaphora" carrying back

Pronunciation Guide: əˈnafərə

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Definition:

 Repetition of a word or phrase as the beginning of successive clauses.

Example:

I needed a drink, I needed alot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I got was a coat, a hat, and a gun.

Term: Parenthesis

Etymology: Greek--"Parenthesis" a putting in beside

Pronunciation Guide: pəˈrenTHəsis

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 ()

Definition:

 One or both of a pair of marks used to include such a word, clause, or sentence.

Example:

(I like writing things in this)

Term: Appositive

Etymology: Latin--"Apponere" to put to

Pronunciation Guide: uh-poz-i-tiv

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 To be against

Example:

Mr. Kimball, the principal, kicked me out of school.

Term: Ellipsis

Etymology: Greek--"Elleipsis" defect

Pronunciation Guide: iˈlipsis

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Definition:

 A set of dots indicating such an omission.

Example:

The streets are deserted, the doors are bolted.

Term: Asyndeton

Etymology: Greek--"Asyndetos" unconnected

Pronunciation Guide: əˈsindəˌtän

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Omnission of conjunctions 

Example:

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Term: Alliteration

Etymology: Latin--"littera" letter, script

Pronunciation Guide: əˌlitəˈrāSHən

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 To begin with the same letter

Example:

Sally sold seashells by the seashore.

Term: Assonance

Etymology: Latin--"Assonare" to resound, respond to

Pronunciation Guide: ˈasənəns

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Definition:

 Resembelance of sounds between words.

Example:

Try to light the fire

Term: Epistrophe

Etymology: Greek--"Epi" Upon

Pronunciation Guide: əˈpistrəfē

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A repetition of a word. 

Example:

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us.

Term: Climax

Etymology: Greek--"klimax" propositions rising in effectiveness

Pronunciation Guide: ˈklīˌmaks

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 The most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.

Example:

The death of Caesar in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Term: Allegory

Etymology: Greek--"allos" another, different

Pronunciation Guide: ˈaləˌgôrē

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Definition:

 The genre to which such works belong.

Example:

In Avatar, Pandora woods is like the Amazon forest.

Term: Allusion

Etymology: Latin--"mology" to play with

Pronunciation Guide: əˈlo͞oZHən

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 A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event.

Example:

I violated the Noah rule: predicting rain doesn't count; building arks does.

Term: Ambiguity 

Etymology: Latin--"ambi" wandering about

Pronunciation Guide: ˌambiˈgyo͞o-itē

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 The presence of two or more possible meanings in any passage.

Example:

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed meeting your husband.

Term: Aphorism

Etymology: Greek--"Apho" to delimit, define

Pronunciation Guide: ˈafəˌrizəm

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 A pithy observation that contains a general truth.

Example:

Sits he on ever so high a throne, a man still sits on his bottom.

Term: Colloquialism

Etymology: Latin--"Ety" conversation

Pronunciation Guide: ˈafəˌrizəm

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 An informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing.

Example:

She was recently dumped by her fiance.

Term: Connotation

Etymology: Latin--"tation" mark

Pronunciation Guide: ˌkänəˈtāSHən

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Definition:

 The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry.

Example:

A rose by any other name smells as sweet.

Not if you call them "Stench Blossoms."

Term: Denotation

Etymology: Latin--"tation" mark

Pronunciation Guide: ˌdēnōˈtāSHən

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 The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Example:

He didn't fall? Inconceivable.

Term: Dialect

Etymology: Greek--"dia" speech

Pronunciation Guide: ˈdīəˌlekt

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Definition:

A particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group.

Example:

Y'all, aint, howdy

Term: Didactic

Etymology: Greek--"dactic" to teach, educate

Pronunciation Guide: dīˈdaktik

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Definition:

 Intended or inclined to teach, preach or instruct, often excessively.

Example:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

Term: Genre

Etymology: Latin--"gen" kind

Pronunciation Guide: ˈZHänrə

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Definition: 

Example:

Superhero, fantasy, poetry

Term: Homily

Etymology: Greek--"Homilia" conversation, discourse

Pronunciation Guide: häməlē

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Definition:

 Sermon, or any serious talk, speech, or lecture providing moral or spiritual advice.

Example:

O most gentle pulpiter! What tedious homily of love have you wearied your parishioners withal, and never cried “Have patience, good people”!

Term: Imagery

Etymology: Latin--"Imago" to image

Pronunciation Guide: ˈimij(ə)rē

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 The forming of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things. It is also the use of language to represent actions, persons, objects, and ideas descriptively.

Example:

His eyes sparkled like sparkly yellow stars.

Term: Mood

Etymology: O.E--"Mod" heart, frame of mind, spirit, courage

Pronunciation Guide: mo͞od

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 In essays and other literary works, the dominant impression or emotional atmosphere evoked by the text.

Example:

Fanciful, frightening, melancholy, sorrowful

Term: Parody

Etymology: Greek--"Paroidia" burlesque poem or song

Pronunciation Guide: ˈparədē

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  A humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation of a person, event, or serious work of literature designed to ridicule in nonsensical fashion or to criticize by clever duplication.

Example:

Spaceballs (spoof on Star Wars movies)

Term: Pedantic

Etymology: Italian--"Pedante" a teacher, schoolmaster, pedant

Pronunciation Guide: pəˈdantik/

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Definition:

 Astontatious in one's learning.

Example:

Now, posters on the same side of the argument are bickering over pedantic details.

Term: Periodic Sentences

Etymology: Greek--"periodicus" going around, circuit

Pronunciation Guide: peer-ee-od-ik

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 A long and frequently involved sentence, in which the sense is not completed until the final word.

Example:

Unprovided with original learning, uninformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved -- to write a book.
.

Term: Point of View

Etymology: Latin--"Pungere" to prick

Pronunciation Guide: p-oin-t af v-you

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 A specified position or method of consideration and appraisal. 

Example:

To Have and To Have Not is written from multiple perspectives.

Term: Sarcasm

Etymology: Greek--"Sarkasmos" a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery

Pronunciation Guide: ˈsärˌkazəm

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 A mocking, often ironic or stirical remark, usually intended to wound as well as amuse.

Example:

“Weekend Update” from Saturday Night Live

Term: Satire

Etymology: Greek-- "Satira" mixed dish, dish filled with various kinds of fruit 

Pronunciation Guide: ˈsaˌtī(ə)r

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Definition: 

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

Example:

“Weekend Update” from Saturday Night Live

Term: Semantics

Etymology: Greek--"Semantikos" significant

Pronunciation Guide:se·man·tics

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Definition:

 The branch of linguistics that deals with the meanings of words, expressions, and sentences, and with historical changes in those meanings. 

Example:

Blackberry phone and blackberries the fruit.

Term: Style 

Etymology: Latin--"Stilus" stake instrument for writiing, manner of writing, mode of expression.

Pronunciation Guide: stīl/

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Definition:

 The way in which something is spoken, written, or performed.

Example:

Edgar Allan Poe - Gothic, detective, speculative, a bit on the grotesque

Term: Syllogism

Etymology: Greek--"Syllogismos" inference, conclusion, computation, calculation.

Pronunciation Guide: ˈsiləˌjizəm

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 A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.

Example:

If P is to Q and Q is to R then P is to R.

Term: Symbol

Etymology: Latin--"Symbolum" creed, token, mark

Pronunciation Guide: ˈsimbəl

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Definition:

 A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract.

Example:

A heart is a symbol of love.

Term: Syntax

Etymology: Greek--"Syntaxis" arrange together

Pronunciation Guide: ˈsinˌtaks

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Definition:

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. 

Example:

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

Term: Theme

Etymology: Latin--"Thema" a subject, thesis

Pronunciation Guide: THēm

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 The central and dominating idea in a literary work. A theme may also be a short essay such as a composition.

Example:

Euripides’s The Trojan Women is anguish over the seeming necessity for war

Term: Thesis

Etymology: Latin--"thesis"unaccented syllable in poetry

Pronunciation Guide: ˈTHēsis

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 A statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.

Example:

Under Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher because it is written as an anti-slavery work meant to instruct in the evils of slavery.

Term: Tone

Etymology: Latin--"Tona" string, a stretching

Pronunciation Guide: tōn

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 A writer's attitude toward a subject, audience, and self.

Example:

The sun was out, the birds were chirping, all way calm

Term: Anthimeria

Etymology: Greek-- "one part for another"

 Pronunciation Guide:  an-thi-mer'-i-a

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Definition: 

Substitution of one part of speech for another (such as a noun used as a verb).

Example:

Term: Synecdoche

Etymology: Greek-- synekdokche "a receiving together or jointly"

Pronunciation Guide: siˈnekdəkē

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Term: Anadiplosis

Etymology: Latin-- "repetition of an initial word"

Pronunciation Guide: an'-a-di-plo'-sis

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Definition:

The repetition of the last word (or phrase) from the previous line, clause, or sentence at the beginning of the next. Often combined with climax.

Example:

The love of wicked men converts to fear,
That fear to hate, and hate turns one or both 
To worthy danger and deserved death. 
—Shakespeare, Richard II 5.1.66-68

Term: Jargon

Etymology: Latin-- "a chattering"

Pronunciation Guide: ˈjärgən

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Definition:

Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

Example:

He once created a mythic aura by describing himself as an aging farmercapable of spewing out financial jargon.