alliteration
the practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound
allusion
a reference to a mythological, literary, well known or historical person, place, thing or event
anaphora
the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences
antithesis
a direct juxtaposition of structurally parallel words, phrases, or clauses for the purpose of contrast
aphorism
a pithy observation that contains a general truth such as "if it ain't broke, don't fix it
apostrophe
a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present and the inanimate as if animate. These are all addressed directly
assonance
the repetition of accented vowel sounds in a series of words
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter. blank verse is the meter of most of Shakespeare's plays, as well as that of Milton's Paradise Lost
Cacophony
a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones
consonance
the repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect
details
the facts revealed by the author or speaker that support the attitude or tone in a piece of poetry or prose
diction
a word choice intended to convey a certain effect
elegy
a verse form that refers to the subject matter of change and loss; often a lament for the death of a particular person
enjambment
the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line or couplet of a poem to the next with no pause
euphony
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate
figures of speech/ figurative language
words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of something else
flashback
a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event
foreshadowing
the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action
free verse
poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical
heroic couplet
two end stopped iambic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in the two line unit
hyperbole
a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration
imagery
consists of the words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the senses
verbal iront
occurs when a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite
situational irony
occurs when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect though often the twist is oddly appropriate
dramatic irony
occurs when a character or speaker says or does something that has different meanings from what he or she thinks it means, though the audience and other characters understand the full implications of the speech or action
metaphor
an implied comparison of two unlike things not using like or as
extended metaphor/ conceit
a metaphor that is continued through several sentences or even paragraphs
mood
the atmosphere of predominant emotion in a literary work
motif
a conspicuous element, such as a type of event, device, reference or formula, which occurs frequently in a work or works of literature
motivation
a circumstance or set of circumstances that prompts a character to act in a certain way or that determines the outcome of a situation or work
narration
the telling of a story in writing or speaking
onomatopoeia
the use of words that mimic the sounds they describe and make you think of its meaning
imitative harmony
when onomatopoeia is used on an extended scale in a poem
oxymoron
a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposites terms into a single unusual expression
parallelism
a similar grammatical structure within a line or lines of poetry
paradox
occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth
pastoral
poets writing in english drew on the pastoral tradition by retreating from the trappings of modernity to the imagined virtues and romance of rural life
personification
a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics and or action
plot
the sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem
point of view
the perspective from which a narrative is told
prosody
the study of sound and rhythm in poetry
protagonist
the central character of a drama, novel, short story or narrative poem
pun
a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse
repetition
the deliberate use of any element of language more than once
rhyme
the repetition of sounds in two or more words or phrases that appear close to each other in a poem
sarcasm
the use of verbal irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting
setting
the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem take place
shift/ volta
refers to a change or movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader
simile
a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of words like or as
sound device
stylistic techniques that convey meaning through sound
structure
the framework or organization of a literary selection
style
the writers characteristic manner of employing language
suspense
the quality of a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
symbol
any object, person, place or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, believe or value
synecdoche
a form of metaphors that is a part of something used to signify the whole
syntax
the arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence
theme
the central message of a literary work
tone
the writers or speakers attitude toward a subject, character, or audience, and it is conveyed through the authors choice of words and detail
understatement
the opposite of hyperbole. it is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is