Alliteration
Words beginning with the same sound
Allusion
An indirect reference to something, often cultural, historical, or religious
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or series of words placed at the beginning of the sentence or phrase
Antecedent
The word that a pronoun alludes to
Antithesis
Two opposite ideas are used in the same sentence to contrast
Aphorism
A brief witty statement about a general truth or principle
Apostrophe
An aside to a personified object, a person not present, or an idea
Assertion
A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief
Assonance
A repetition of vowel sounds throughout a section of text
Asyndeton
Omits conjunctions, stays concise. "I came, I saw, I conquered
Attitude
Voice of the writer, a way of thinking about someone or something shown through the writing
Begging the Question
To support your point with evidence that is basically your point rewarded. "I don't like cheese because it's unlikeable
Chiasmus
Words or concepts are repeated in reverse order to get something across.
"Readers don't need to write, but writers do need to read
Claim
A statement that the author treats as fact
Colloquial Speech
Less professional, more ordinary speech
Conceit
A metaphor that compares to very unlikely things in a clever way
Connotation
The idea or feeling that invokes to its literal or primary meaning
Dad vs. Father
Consonance
Repetition of consonants in non-rhyming words
Deductive Reasoning
Using general statements to come to a specific conclusion
A=B and B=C therefore A=C
Dialect
A variety of different forms of a language distinguishable by grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary
Diction
The use of words and phrases in speech or writing to persuade a tone. Must have an adjective
Didactic
A type of literature that is written to inform or instruct the reader about most political or moral lessons for an entertainment purpose
Ellipsis
Three dots in a row (...) that can indicate an omission of words, a change in topic, or a pause
Epistrophe
Like an Anaphora, but at the end instead
Eulogy
A speech written to praise a person that has died
Euphemism
Substituting a harsh or offensive expression with one considered more mild and vague
Expository
Intended to explain or describe
Extended Metaphor
Figurative language that compares two things throughout a paragraph or multiple lines in a poem
Fallacy
Arguments or logic that is weak or false
Figurative Language
Language that uses writing techniques such as personification, metaphor, hyperbola etc.
Hyperbole
An exaggerated overstatement that isn't meant to be taken with much credit
Imagery
A visual description that creates a picture in the reader's mind
Inductive Reasoning
Using specific examples to come up with a general conclusion
"My dog is cute, thus all dogs are cute
Inference
An educated guess based on facts and evidence
Irony
Using words to convey a meaning that is opposite to what it actually means
Jargon
Technical speak. Words that are specific to a certain subject
Juxtaposition
The physical contrast of two objects placed together within a story or sentence
Litotes
The use of a double negative to confirm a positive meaning
"Not too bad
Metaphor
Comparing two things without using like or as
Metonymy
A figure of speech that replaces the name of something it closely resembles or is associated with
Mood
The emotion the reader feels from the author's tone
Narrative
A story that has a sequence of connected events
Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate sounds
Oxymoron
Two opposite terms put together in a sentence
"That's pretty ugly
Paradox
A statement that contains ideas that conflict with each other
Personification
Giving inanimate objects or animals human like qualities
Pronoun
A word that can function by itself as a noun phrase (replaces I, you, etc.)
Prose
The ordinary form in which a person is writing
Providential Reference
Attributing an act to a divine power
Realism
Describing something in a manner relating to real life
Rebuttal/Refutation
Arguing against/contradicting another argument
Rhetorical question
A literary device where authors state a question but don't expect or want an answer
Rhetorical Strategy
One of four forms of writing and speech: Description, Exposition, Narration, Persuasion
Rhetoric
The ability to use words to persuade or convince the audience
Sarcasm
The use of irony to mock or insult
Satire
A technique used to expose or criticize folly or corruption
Simile
Comparing two things using the words like or as
Style
The literacy element that describes the ways that the author uses words
Symbolism
The use of an object or symbol to represent something else
Synecdoche
When a part of something is used to represent the whole object
"Lend me a hand
Syntax
The actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in the writing
Theme
The subject of the writing, drawing, or speech
Tone
Makes the attitude and mood of a piece of literature. How an author feels about the subject
Zeugma
Figure of speech where a word, often a verb or adjective, applies to more than one noun in different meanings.
"He was leaning against a table in the great hall, heavy with dejection or sleep