Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds in successive words
understatement
less than what is meant
paradox
Nobody goes to that restaurant, its too crowded (self contradictory)
Synecdoche
part used for the whole
personification
human attributes to objects
satire
aims to reform society
antithesis
directly opposes or states the complete opposite of the given opinion
syntax
grammatical structure
diction
choice of words
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
syllogism
two premises major and minor followed by a conclusion
colloquialism
slang
Onomatopoeia
sounds imitated by the sounds of words
connotation
emotions associated with a word
denotation
dictionary meaning of a word
imagery
descriptive language paints a picture
Asyndeton
without conjunctions
Metonymy
type of metaphor where the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it
Mood
the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of the work
pathos
appealing to emotions, passion
Juxtaposition
placing to elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast.
logos
logic
ethos
credible source
anaphora
repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row
ad hominem argument
ab argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect
allegory
a hidden meaning in a story that represents another historical event
allusion
direct or indirect reference to something that is assumed to be commonly known
ambiguity
the sense of uncertainty that the work presents
analogy
drawing a comparison to another situation that applies to the original circumstances in order to show a similarity
anecdote
a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate a point
antecedent
what a pronoun refers back to
aphorism
short, witty statement of truth
apostrophe
when a speaker addresses someone or something that is either not present or inanimate
argumentation
writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or idea by presenting reasoned arguments
axiom
a universal truth
begging the question
a logical fallacy in which the asserted conclusion is based on a prior question that is only presumed settled
chiasmus
verbal pattern in which the two halves expression are balanced but the second half is reversed "Ask not what your country can do for you
clause
a group of words, dependent or independent, containing a subject and a verb
cliche
an overused saying or idea
consonance
repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity
deductive reasoning
a reasoning from general ideas and principles to particular, detailed facts
didactic
designed to teach
euphemism
more exceptable way of saying something
extended metaphor
a comparison introduced and then further developed throughout a literary work
homily
sermon, serious talk
hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
inductive reasoning
reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
infer
to draw reasonable conclusion from the information presented
invective
emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language
inverted order
the reversal of the normal order of worder
litotes
figure of speech in which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite, such as "it was no mean feat
loose sentence
the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses
metaphor
comparison not using like or as
oxymoron
the author groups contradictory terms "jumbo shrimp
parallelism
similarity in structure and syntax in a series of related words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs that develops balance
parody
imitates the style of another work to mock or ridicule
pedantic
adjective that describes words, phrases, or a general tone that is overly scholarly
polysyndeton
use of many conjunctions in close succession
procatalepsis
predicts the most likely, common, or troubling objections to an argument than offers strong answers to those objections
rhetoric
the technique and rules for using language effectively and persuasively
simile
comparison like or as
slippery slope
logical fallacy that claims a series of intensifying consequences will follow a seemingly safe incident
synthesis
combination of two or more elements into a unified whole
thesis
directly expresses the author's opinion
tone
attitudes and presuppositions of the author that are revealed by their linguistic choices
Slippery Slope
Camel's nose"-Event X occurred, therefore Y will inevitably happen. Assuming something is wrong because it is next to, or could slide toward, something that is wrong.
Straw Man
Fallacy of Extension"-Ignoring a person's actual position, attacking an exaggerated version of an opponent's position.
Red Herring
Changing the subject"-Using an irrelevant topic to divert attention, avoiding having to defend a claim or follow up on a promise.
Hasty Generalization
X% of all As are Bs, therefore, all As are Bs. A person draws a conclusion about a population based on a sample that is not large enough.
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
After this, therefore because of this"-A occurs before B, therefore A causes B. An assumption that the first thing caused the second simply because the two things happened.
Equivocation
Ambiguous and misleading language. Using a word to mean one thing and the n later using to mean something else.