AP Glossary Flashcards
Active Voice
The subject of the sentence performs the action.This is a more direct and preferred style of writing in most cases.
Allusion
An indirect reference to something with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.
(usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events)
Alter-ego
A character that is used by the author to speak the author’s own thoughts; when an author
speaks directly to the audience through a character.
Anecdote
A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Are often inserted into fictional or nonfictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor.
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.
Classicism
Art or literature characterized by a realistic view of people and the world;sticks to traditional themes and structures
Comic relief
When a humorous scene is inserted into a serious story, in order to lighten the mood somewhat.
Diction
Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning.
Colloquial
Ordinary or familiar type of conversation.Is a common or familiar type of saying, similar to an adage or an aphorism.
Connotation
Rather than the dictionary definition (denotation), the associations suggested by a word. Implied meaning rather than literal meaning.
Denotation
The literal, explicit meaning of a word, without its connotations.
Jargon
The diction used by a group which practices a similar profession or activity. Lawyers speak using particular ______as do soccer players.
Vernacular
- Language or dialect of a particular country. 2. Language or dialect of a regional
clan or group. 3. Plain everyday speech
Didaction
A term used to describe fiction, nonfiction or poetry that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
Adage
A folk saying with a lesson.
Similar to aphorism and colloquialism.
Allegory
A story, fictional or non fictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, and events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.
Aphorism
A terse statement which expresses a general truth or moral principle. An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author’s point.
Ellipsis
The deliberate omission of a word or phrase from prose done for effect by the author.
Euphemism
- A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts.
Sometimes they are used for political correctness.
Figurative Language
Opposite of Literal Language. Writing that is not meant to be taken literally.
Analogy
Is a comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration.
Idiom
A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally.
Metaphor
Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words.
Metonymy
Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. .
Synecdoche
A kind of metonymy when a whole is represented by naming one of its
parts, or vice versa.
Simile
Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very
different things.
Simile
“My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.”
Synecdoche
“The cattle rancher owned 500 head.” “Check out my new wheels.”
Metaphor
“My feet
are popsicles.”
Metonymy
“Relations
between London and Washington have been strained,” does not literally mean relations between
the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England
Idiom
“I got
chewed out by my coach.”
Hyperbole
“My mother will kill me if I am late.”
Analogy
“America is to the world as the
hippo is to the jungle.”
Figurative Language
Include similes,metaphors,hyperboles and personification.
Euphemism
“Physically challenged,” in place of “crippled.”
Ellipis
“The whole
day, rain, torrents of rain.”
Aphorism
“A watched pot never
boils.”
Allegory
Alice in Wonderland. Depicts nineteenth century British imperialism.
Adage
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Didactic
Aesop’s Fables: The Tortoise and the Hare.
Vernacular
AAVE
Jargon
I need a script in order to pick up the medicine. (medical jargon for “prescription”)
Denotation
They were in a rush to get back to their home.
Connotation
My brother is such a chicken every time we would watch horror films. (chicken here means coward)
Colloquial
Phrases: Old as the hills Penny-pincher She’ll be right (Australian English, meaning everything will be all right)
Diction
Slang, Jargon, Colloquial.
Comic relief
In Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse is considered a comic relief character. She makes a number of jokes that relieve tension in scenes.
Classicism
Seventeenth century French writers were the first to align with classical standards as part of an organized literary movement.
Antecedent
It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.
Anecdote
A politician who is arguing for a different type of healthcare program includes an anecdote about a little girl who was not able to have a transplant due to insurance .
Alter-ego
In Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, Shakespeare
talks to his audience about his own upcoming retirement, through the main character in the play, Prospero.
Allusion
If it doesn’t stop raining,I’m going to build an ark
Active Voice
“Anthony drove while Toni searched for the house.”
Synesthesia
a description involving a “crossing of the senses.”
Personification
Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human.
Foreshadowing
When an author gives hints about what will occur later in a story.
Genre
The major category into which a literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose,
poetry, and drama.
Gothic
Writing characterized by gloom, mystery, fear and/or death. Also refers to an architectural style
of the middle ages, often seen in cathedrals of this period.
Imagery
Word or words that create a picture in the reader’s mind. Usually this involves the five senses.
Invective
A long, emotionally violent, attack using strong, abusive language.
Irony
When the opposite of what you expect to happen does.
Synthesia
“A purplish scent
filled the room.” “I was deafened by his brightly-colored clothing.”
Personification
“The tired old truck
groaned as it inched up the hill.”
Foreshadowing
A gun is a sign of upcoming events.
Genre
Autobiography,
biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing.
Gothic
Characterized by mystery, suspense, and fear, which is usually heightened by elements of the unknown or unexplained.
Imagery
I could hear the popping and crackling as mom dropped the bacon into the frying pan, and soon the salty, greasy smell wafted toward me.
Invective
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”
Irony
Dramatic,Verbal, and Situational
Verbal Irony
When you say something and mean the opposite/something different. If your voice tone is bitter, it’s called sarcasm.
Dramatic Irony
When the audience of a drama, play, movie, etc. knows something that the
character doesn’t and would be surprised to find out.
Situational Irony
Found in the plot (or story line) of a book, story, or movie. Sometimes it
makes you laugh because it’s funny how things turn out.
Verbal Irony
Saying, ‘it’s a great time to go for a swim,’ during the winter
Dramatic Irony
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, we know the old woman is the wicked queen, but Snow White doesn’t.
Situational Irony
Fire chief’s house burning down
Juxtaposition
Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Authors often use ______
of ideas or examples in order to make a point.
Mood
The atmosphere created by the literature and accomplished through word choice (diction). Affected by setting,tone,and events.
Motif
A recurring idea in a piece of literature.
Oxymoron
When apparently contradictory terms are grouped together and suggest a paradox.
Pacing
The speed or tempo of an author’s writing. Writers can use a variety of devices (syntax,
polysyndeton, anaphora, meter) to change the _____ of their words.
Juxtaposition
Two siblings in a story are opposites-one is always good and one is always evil.
Mood
Guilty,Alone,Aggravated,Bouncy,Calm,Blissful.
Motif
In To Kill a Mockingbird, the idea that “you never really
understand another person until you consider things from his or her point of view” is a motif, because the
idea is brought up several times over the course of the novel.
Oxymoron
“wisefool,” “eloquent silence,” “jumbo shrimp.”
Pacing
Fast,sluggish,stabbing,vibrato,staccato,measured,etc.
Parellelism
(Also known as parallel structure or balanced sentences.) Sentence construction which
places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns._____ is used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing.
Anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences or
clauses in a row. This is a deliberate form of repitition.
Chiasmus
When the same words are used twice in succession, but the second time, the order of
the words is reversed.
Anithesis
Two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses, or even ideas, with parallel
structure.
Zuegma(Syllepsis)
When a single word governs or modifies two or more other words, and the
meaning of the first word must change for each of the other words it governs or modifies.
Paradox
“Cinderella swept the
floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs.”
Anaphora
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Chiasmus
“Fair is foul and foul is fair.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get
going.”
Antithesis
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Zuegma
“The
butler killed the lights, and then the mistress.” “I quickly dressed myself and the salad.”
Parallelism
true.“You can’t get a job without
experience, and you can’t get experience without getting a job.”
Parenthetical Idea
Parentheses are used to set off an idea from the rest of the sentence. It is almost
considered an aside…a whisper, and should be used sparingly for effect, rather than repeatedly. Parentheses
can also be used to set off dates and numbers.
Parenthetical Idea
“In a short time (and the time is getting shorter by the
gallon) America will be out of oil.”
Parody
An exaggerated imitation of a serious work for humorous purposes. It borrows words or phrases
from an original, and pokes fun at it. This is also a form of allusion, since it is referencing a previous text,event, etc.Do not confuse with satire.
Parody
Saturday Night Live.
Poetic device
A device used in poetry to manipulate the sound of words, sentences or lines.
Poetic device
Alliteration,assonance,consonance,onomatopeia,internal rhyme
Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.
Alliteration
“Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore”
Assonance
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.
Assonance
“From the molten-golden notes”
Consonance
The repetition of the same consonant sound at the end of words or within words.
Consonance
“Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door”
Onomatopoeia
The use of a word which imitates or suggests the sound that the thing makes.
Onomatopoeia
Snap, rustle, boom, murmur
Internal rhyme
When a line of poetry contains a rhyme within a single line.
Internal rhyme
“To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!”
Slant rhyme
When a poet creates a rhyme, but the two words do not rhyme exactly – they are merely similar.
Slant rhyme
“I sat upon a stone, / And found my life has gone.”
End rhyme
When the last word of two different lines of poetry rhyme.
End rhyme
“Roses are red, violets are blue, / Sugar is sweet, and so are you.”
Rhyme Scheme
The pattern of a poem’s end rhymes.
Rhyme Scheme
a b a b c d c d
Stressed and unstressed syllables
In every word of more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed, or said with more force
than the other syllable(s).
Stressed and unstressed syllables
syllable(s). In the name “Nathan,” the first syllable is stressed. In the word
“unhappiness,” the second of the four syllables is stressed.
Meter
A regular pattern to the syllables in lines of poetry.
Meter
Trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, and heptameter.
Free verse
Poetry that doesn’t have much meter or rhyme.
Free verse
the only characteristics of formal poetry that it retains are lines and stanzas
Iambic pentameter
Poetry that is written in lines of 10 syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Iambic pentameter
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Sonnet
A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Usually divided into three quatrains and a couplet.
Sonnet
The three main types are the Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet, the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet, and the Spenserian sonnet.
Polysyndeton
When a writer creates a list of items which are all separated by conjunctions. Normally, a
conjunction is used only before the last item in a list.
Polysyndeton
“I walked the dog, and fed
the cat, and milked the cows.” “Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean
beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things…he also shall be unclean.”
Pun
When a word that has two or more meanings is used in a humorous way.
Pun
“My dog has a fur coat
and pants!” “I was stirred by his cooking lesson.”
Rhetoric
The art of effective communication.
Rhetoric
Uses three primary modes of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos.
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
The relationships, in any piece of writing,
between the writer, the audience, and the
subject. All analysis of writing is essentially
an analysis of the relationships between the
points on the triangle.
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
Logos at the top, and Ethos and Pathos at the bottom corners.
Romanticism
Art or literature characterized by an idealistic, perhaps unrealistic view of people and the
world, and an emphasis on nature. Does not rely on traditional themes and structures
Romanticism
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Sarcasm
A generally bitter comment that is ironically or satirically worded.
Sarcasm
Flattery,Irony,Insult,Passive,Humor
Satire
A work that reveals a critical attitude toward some element of life to a humorous effect. It targets
human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions.
Satire
If voting changed anything, they would make it illegal.
Sentence
A sentence is group of words (including subject and verb) that expresses a complete thought.
Sentence
Joe went to the store.
Appositive
A word or group of words placed beside a noun or noun substitute to supplement its
meaning.
Appositive
“Bob, the lumber yard worker, spoke with Judy, an accountant from the city.”
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.
Clause
Independent,dependent,or subordinate.
Balanced sentence
A sentence in which two parallel elements are set off against each
other like equal weights on a scale. Both parts are parallel grammatically.
Balanced sentence
“If a free
society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Also
called parallelism.
Compound sentence
Contains at least two independent clauses but no dependent
clauses.
Compound sentence
Sarah walked to class, but Kevin ran.
Complex sentence
When the writer begins with an
independent clause, then adds subordinate elements.
Cumulative sentence
- Contains only one independent clause and at least one dependent
clause.
Cumulative sentence
“He doubted whether he could ever
again appear before an audience, his confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet
with perspiration.” The opposite construction is called a periodic sentence.
Complex sentence
Although he was wealthy, he was still unhappy.
Periodic sentence
When the main idea is not completed until the end of the sentence.
The writer begins with subordinate elements and postpones the main clause.
Periodic sentence
“His
confidence broken, his limbs shaking, his collar wet with perspiration, he doubted
whether he could ever again appear before an audience.” The opposite construction is
called a cumulative sentence.
Simple sentence
Contains only one independent clause.
Simple sentence
The mangy, scrawny stray dog hurriedly gobbled down the grain-free, organic dog food.
Declarative sentence
- States an idea. It does not give a command or request, nor does it
ask a question.
Declarative sentence
“The ball is round.”
Imperative sentence
Issues a command.
Imperative sentence
“Kick the ball.”
Interrogative sentence
Sentences incorporating interrogative pronouns (what, which,
who, whom, and whose).
Interrogative sentence
“To whom did you kick the ball?”
Style
The choices in diction, tone, and syntax that a writer makes. Style may be conscious or unconscious.
Style
The waves waltz along the seashore, going up and down in a gentle and graceful rhythm, like dancing.
Symbol
Anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete
such as an object, actions, character…that represents something more abstract.
Symbol
Examples of symbols
include the Whale in Moby Dick, the river and the jungle in Heart of Darkness, and the Raven in “The
Raven.”
Syntax/sentence variety
- Grammatical arrangement of words. This is perhaps one of the most difficult
concepts to master. First, a reader should examine the length of sentences (short or long). How does
sentence length and structure relate to tone and meaning. Are they simple, compound, compound-complex
sentences? How do they relate to one another?
Syntax/sentence variety
Agreement: She is a person. versus She am a person.
Word order: We ate fish for dinner. versus For dinner ate we fish.
Theme
The central idea or message of a work.It is rarely stated directly in fiction.
Theme
Compassion,Courage,Death and dying,Honesty.
Thesis
The sentence or groups of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning,
or proposition. It should be short and clear.
Thesis
Can be found anywhere in the text.
Tone
A writer’s attitude toward his subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and
organization.
Tone
Can be: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, somber, etc.
Understatement
The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant
than it is.
Understatement
“Our defense played valiantly, and held the other team to
merely eight touchdowns in the first quarter.”
Litotes
- a particular form of understatement, generated by denying the opposite of the statement
which otherwise would be used.
Litotes
understatement (Hitting that telephone pole certainly didn’t do your car any
good) or becomes an intensifying expression (The flavors of the mushrooms, herbs, and spices
combine to make the dish not at all disagreeable).
Argument
An argument is a piece of reasoning with one or more premises and a conclusion. Essentially,
every essay is an argument that begins with the conclusion (the thesis) and then sets up the
premises.
Argument
Premise: All Spam is pink
Premise: I am eating Spam
Conclusion: I am eating something that is pink
Premises
Statements offered as reasons to support a conclusion are premises.
Premises
Jane is a young girl growing up in a rural Southern town. Though her friends and family think she should settle for a life in the country, following the ways of life around her, she dreams of escaping and making it in the big city.
Conclusion
A conclusion is the end result of the argument – the main point being made. In an
argument one expects that the conclusion will be supported with reasons or premises. Moreover,
these premises will be true and will, in fact, lead to the conclusion.
Conclusion
The final scene in a movie.
Aristotle’s appeals
The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade an audience that one’s ideas are valid, or more
valid than someone else’s. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided all means of persuasion
(appeals) into three categories
Aristotle’s appeals
Ethos,pathos,and logos
Ethos ( credibility)
Means being convinced by the credibility of the author.
Ethos ( credibility )
A respected authority figure or celebrity giving a product or brand a testimonial or endorsement.
Pathos ( emotional )
Means persuading by appealing to the reader’s emotions.
Pathos ( emotional )
Someone feeling bad for a friend whose dog has died.
Logos ( logical )
Means persuading by the use of reasoning, using true premises and valid
arguments.
Logos ( logical )
“The data is perfectly clear: this investment has consistently turned a profit year-over-year, even in spite of market declines in other areas.”
Concession
Accepting at least part or all of an opposing viewpoint. Often used to make one’s own argument
stronger by demonstrating that one is willing to accept what is obviously true and reasonable, even
if it is presented by the opposition.
Concession
“Dad, I know taking a trip to another country with my friends may be expensive and unsafe, but I have studied so hard the past year and I think I deserve a vacation. You already know how responsible I have been all my life; I don’t think there will be any problem.”
Conditional Statement
A conditional statement is an if-then statement and consists of two parts, an antecedent and a
consequent.
Conditional Statement
“If you studied hard, then you will pass the test.”
Contradiction
A contradiction occurs when one asserts two mutually exclusive propositions.
Contradiction
“Abortion
is wrong and abortion is not wrong.”
Counterexample
A counterexample is an example that runs counter to (opposes) a generalization, thus falsifying it.
Counterexample
Premise: Jane argued that all whales are endangered.
Premise: Belugas are a type of whale.
Premise: Belugas are not endangered.
Conclusion: Therefore, Jane’s argument is unsound.
Deductive argument
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide a guarantee of the truth of the
conclusion.
Deductive argument
All human beings will soon die. Clark is a human being. Therefore, Clark will soon die. All German Shepherds are dogs. Some pets are German Shepherds. Therefore, some pets are dogs. All men are mortal. Therefore, birds are mortal.
Fallacy
A fallacy is an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning. Writers do not want to make obvious
fallacies in their reasoning, but they are often used unintentionally, or when the writer thinks they
can get away with faulty logic.
Fallacy
Bad analogy, Ad hominem
Ad hominem
Latin for “against the man”. Personally attacking your opponents instead of their
arguments. It is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feeling rather than
intellect.
Ad hominem
A politician arguing that his opponent cannot possibly be a good choice for women because he has a religious conviction that causes him to be pro-life.
Appeal to Authority
The claim that because somebody famous supports an idea, the idea must be
right. This fallacy is often used in advertising.
Appeal to Authority
A commercial claims that a specific brand of cereal is the best way to start the day because athlete Michael Jordan says that it is what he eats every day for breakfast.
Appeal to the bandwagon
The claim, as evidence for an idea, that many people believe it, or
used to believe it, or do it. In the 1800’s there was a widespread belief that bloodletting cured
sickness. All of these people were not just wrong, but horribly wrong, because in fact it made
people sicker. Clearly, the popularity of an idea is no guarantee that it’s right.
Appeal to the bandwagon
Think of peer pressure or popularity as being the basis of the argument. Example: The “Rachel” haircut that was wildly popular in the late nineties is a great example.
Appeal to emotion
An attempt to replace a logical argument with an appeal to the audience’s
emotions. Common emotional appeals are an appeal to sympathy, an appeal to revenge, an appeal
to patriotism – basically any emotion can be used as an appeal.
Appeal to emotion
Grocery store commercial that shows a happy family sitting around the table at Thanksgiving. 2. A real estate ad that shows a happy young family with children moving into the home of their dreams.
Bad analogy
analogy: Claiming that two situations are highly similar, when they aren’t.
Bad analogy
“We have pure
food and drug laws regulating what we put in our bodies; why can’t we have laws to keep
musicians from giving us filth for the mind?”
Cliche thinking
Using as evidence a well-known saying, as if it is proven, or as if it has no
exceptions.
Cliche thinking
“I say: ‘America: love it or leave it.’ Anyone who disagrees with anything our country
does must hate America. So maybe they should just move somewhere else.”
False cause
Assuming that because two things happened, the first one caused the second one.
(Sequence is not causation.)
False cause
“Before women got the vote, there were no nuclear weapons.
Therefore women’s suffrage must have led to nuclear weapons.”
Hasty generalization
A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.
Hasty generalization
“My uncle
didn’t go to college, and he makes a lot of money. So, people who don’t go to college do just as
well as those who do.”
Non Sequitur
A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.
Non Sequitur
“Hinduism is one of the world’s largest religious groups. It is also one of the world’s oldest
religions. Hinduism helps millions of people lead happier, more productive lives. Therefore the
principles of Hinduism must be true.”
Slippery slope
The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme
possible outcome.
Slippery slope
“If you drink a glass of wine, then you’ll soon be drinking all the time, and then
you’ll become a homeless alcoholic.”
Inductive argument
An argument in which it is thought that the premises provide reasons supporting the probable truth
of the conclusion. In an inductive argument, the premises are intended only to be so strong that, if
they are true, then it is unlikely that the conclusion is false.
Inductive argument
The first three Skittles that I dumped out of the bag were purple. All of the Skittles in this bag must be purple.
Sound argument
A deductive argument is said to be sound if it meets two conditions: First, that the line of
reasoning from the premises to the conclusion is valid. Second, that the premises are true.
Sound argument
All criminal actions are illegal.
Unstated premises
Not every argument is fully expressed. Sometimes premises or even conclusions are left
unexpressed.
Unstated premises
If one argues that Rover is smart because all dogs are smart, he is leaving unstated
that Rover is a dog. Here the unstated premise is no problem; indeed it would probably be obvious in context.
Valid argument
An argument is valid if the conclusion logically follows from the premises.
Valid argument
We do not know if the argument is sound, because we do not
know if the premises are true or not.
Premise: Either Elizabeth owns a Honda or she owns a Saturn.
Premise: Elizabeth does not own a Honda.
Premise: Therefore, Elizabeth owns a Saturn.
Active Voice
Adds impact
Allusion
Give a deeper meaning
Alter-ego
Is allluring and story-defining
Anecdote
Adds humor
Antecedent
Enables the use of a pronoun
Classicism
Makes it possible to recount important historical moments
Comic relief
Adds humor to dark moments
Diction
Effects tone and how readers perceive the characters
Colloquial
Useful in creating a bond between reader and writer that makes it easier for the reader to agree with the writer’s point of view.
Connotation
Paves a way for creativity
Denotation
Helps words enter one’s mind
Jargon
Helps emphasize a situation
Vernacular
Makes text more enjoyable to read for some groups of people.
Didactic
Makes good use of second-person point of view
Adage
Text becomes familiarized
Allegory
Creates an overarching effect that works over the entire course of a literary text.
Aphorism
Used to cleverly and concisely express observations or philosophical ideas
Ellipsis
It gives clarity and brevity to the text. Narrative writers use this device to express their ideas, which they may not do openly.
Euphemism
Allows readers to feel less confronted as they might by harsh, literal wording. As a result, meaning is enhanced through figure of speech.
Figurative Language
Creates layers of meaning
Analogy
Enhances meaning of text and helps readers create visual images in their mind
Hyperbole
Adds amusing effect
Idiom
Enhances intended effect
Metaphor
When used effectively, can change everything and inspire creativity in the reader’s mind.
Metonym
Varies expression and produce an effect for the reader.
Synecdote
Helps express a word or idea in a different way by using an aspect of that word or idea.
Simile
Helps make text more interesting and engaging to readers.
Synesthesia
Brings appeals to more than one sense
Personification
Grab the readers attention as well as their emotional support and make the entire write up prominent and remarkable.
Foreshadowing
It allows readers to make connections between themes, characters, symbols, and more
Genre
Determines what the text will be about
Gothic
Enables horror,mystery and shock to develop in text
Imagery
Generates a vibrant and graphic presentation of a scene that appeals to as many of the reader’s senses as possible.
Invective
Brings negative emotion
Irony
Helps move stories forward
Verbal irony
Brings humor. Helps analytical skills show
Dramatic irony
Adds suspense and interest
Situational irony
Gives emphasis on important scenes and make strange and unusual images vivid. It creates an unexpected turn at the end of a story, and makes audience laugh or cry.
Juxtaposition
Help portray characters in great detail, to create suspense, and to achieve a rhetorical effect.
Mood
Brings an emotional attachment to the reader
Motif
Reinforces the overall message.
Oxymoron
Adds wit to writing
Stressed and unstressed syllables
Stressed seems longer and unstressed seem shorter. Determines the meter.
Paradox
Elicits humor, illustrate themes, and provoke readers to think critically.
Free verse
Poem seems like storytelling.
Pun
Creates a humorous effect
Chiasmus
Gives structure and poetic form, making text more digestible and memorable.
Antithesis
Helps to convey meaning more vividly than ordinary speech.
Zuegma (Syllepsis)
It adds flavor to literary texts as it helps produce a dramatic effect, which could possibly be shocking in its result.
Parenthetical Idea
Adds credibility
Parody
Add humour and irony
Persona
Creates reliable and realistic representations of key parts of the text
Poetic device
Create poetry. Enhances timing and rhythm
Alliteration
Gives attention certain parts of the text
Assonance
Accelerates the musical effect in a poem
Consonance
Can add an emphasis to sounds or words that resonate with the main ideas or themes of the work.
Onomatopoeia
Adds excitement,action,and interest to the text
Internal rhyme
Makes the poem unified
Start rhyme
Ties two lines together
End rhyme
Creates rhythm. Strong mnemonic device
Appeal to authority
Unsound logic will be used
Appeal to the bandwagon
There is no convincing argument
Appeal to emotion
Words with alot of pathos will be used.
Inductive argument
Starts specific and ends general. Conclusion may not be true
Iambic pentameter
Creates a conversational or natural feel
Sonnet
Can create musical effects
Polysyndeton
Slows down the pace of the text
Imperative sentence
Make it clear that you want the reader to react right away.
Interrogative sentence
Force the reader to think about what you have written
Style
Allaws the text to be expressed in ways that are memorable, intriguing, and different.
Rhetorical Question
Helps text to seem more engaging
Romanticism
Adds authentic details to the text
Sarcasm
Shows that the speaker is being impatient or contemptuous
Satire
Shows foolishness or vice in humans, organizations, or even governments
Sentence
Builds the body of the text
Appositive
Reduce wordiness, add detail, and add syntactic variety to a sentence.
Clause
Does not equate to a full sentence. Stand by themselves to create complete sentence
Balanced sentence
Adds rhythical flow to the text
Compund sentence
Create complex communications, adds detail and richness.
Complex sentence
Text becomes more interesting and paint a more vivid picture
Cumulative sentence
Helps to describe things
Style
Allows the text to be expressed in ways that are memorable, intriguing, and different.
Tone
It stimulates the readers to read a piece of literature as a serious, comical, spectacular, or distressing manner. In addition, tone lends shape and life to a piece of literature because it creates a mood.
