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What is alliteration?
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.
Example: “she sells sea shells.”
What is allusion?
A direct or indirect reference to something commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
What is analogy?
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.
What is antithesis?
The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.
What is an aphorism?
A terse statement of known authorship expressing a general truth or moral principle.
What is apostrophe in literature?
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.
What is connotation?
The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.
What is denotation?
The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.
Example: The denotation of a knife is a utensil used to cut.
What is euphemism?
A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.
What is a homily?
A serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
What is hyperbole?
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
What is imagery?
The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
What is irony?
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true.
What is metaphor?
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other.
What is mood in literature?
The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work.
What is onomatopoeia?
A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.
What is oxymoron?
A figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
What is paradox?
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory but contains some degree of truth or validity.
What is parallelism?
The grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.
What is anaphora?
A sub-type of parallelism involving the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.
What is parody?
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.
What is personification?
A figure of speech in which the author presents concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes.
What is point of view?
The perspective from which a story is told.
What is repetition?
The duplication of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
What is rhetoric?
The principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
What are rhetorical modes?
The variety, conventions, and purposes of the major kinds of writing.
What is sarcasm?
Bitter, caustic language meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.
What is satire?
A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule.
What is symbol/symbolism?
Anything that represents itself and stands for something else.
What is synecdoche?
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
What is syntax?
The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
What is theme?
The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.
What is a thesis?
The sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion, purpose, meaning, or position.
What is tone?
The author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both.
What is understatement?
The ironic minimalizing of fact, presenting something as less significant than it is.
How can spoken language help identify an author’s tone?
Considering how a work would sound if read aloud can help in identifying an author’s tone.
What are some words that describe tone?
Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, somber, etc.
What is understatement?
Understatement is the ironic minimalizing of fact, presenting something as less significant than it is.
What effect does understatement often have?
The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic.
What is the opposite of understatement?
The opposite of understatement is hyperbole.
Can you provide an example of understatement?
Example: Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub: ‘Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse.’
