Language and Composition Terms Flashcards
Allegory
The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words.
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known.
Ambiguity
Leaving something up for the reader’s interpretation, but purposefully not clear.
Analogy
A comparison between two things in order for clarification
Anastrophe
An inversion of word order
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
Antithesis
The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite
Aphorism
A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personification abstraction, such as liberty or love
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds
Atmosphere
The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work
Caricature
A verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
Colloquial
The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing
