Abstract

existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

Ambiguity

the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness

Amplification

involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over

Anagnorisis

recognition of truth about one's self and his actions; moment of clarity

Analogy

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Anastrophe

inversion of the usual, normal, or logical order of the parts of a sentence. a fancy word for inversion

Aphorism

a concise statement of a truth or principle

Apostrophe

addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction

Apposition

placing side by side two coordinate elements, the second of which serves as an explanation or modification of the first

Archetype

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

Argument

a statement put forth and supported by evidence

Assonance

repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity

Asyndeton

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Atmosphere

the overall mood or feeling of a work of literature

Cacophony

a harsh, discordant, unpleasant mixture of sounds

Catharsis

the purgation of emotional tension from the audience towards the story/work

Chiasmus

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Claim

an assertion or statement, usually supported by evidence

Climax

phrases or clauses in a sentence are put in ascending order of importance

Concession

when a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opponents argument and claims.

(hearing the opponent out).

Concrete

existing in a material or physical form; specific, observable; real or solid; not abstract

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces

Connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word

Consonance

the repetition of similar sounds or consonants

Counter argument

a contrasting, opposing, or refuting argument

Counter claim

a claim made to rebut a previous claim

Deductive reasoning

general claims to specific details

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word

Diction

a writer's or speaker's choice of words

Discourse

written or spoken communication or debate

Ellipses

indicated by a series of three periods; shows that words have been omitted

Empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Emulation

effort or desire to equal or excel others

Enthymeme

a syllogism missing one or two of its parts

Epilogue

a short speech at conclusion of dramatic work

Epistrophe

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Epithet

a descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something

Ethos

credibility of the speaker

Euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Euphony

pleasant, harmonious sound

Faulty parallelism

occurs when the elements put into pairs and series "go in different directions" because they do not have the same form

Figurative language

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid

Hamartia

a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

Hubris

excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work

Inductive reasoning

specific details to general claims

Inversion

inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

Irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

Dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

Verbal irony

when what is said is the opposite of what is meant

Situational irony

an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

Juxtaposition

placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Kairos

builds a sense of urgency

Logos

an appeal based on logic or reason

Metaphor

a comparison without using like or as

Meter

describes the rhythm in a line of poetry

Metonomy

when one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated; name change

Modes of discourse

different kinds of written texts

Motif

a recurring theme, subject or idea

Mood

feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Myth

a traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events

Narrator

the person who tells the story

Narrative voice

the voice in which a story is written

Onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

Oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

Paralipsis

pretending to omit something by drawing attention to it

Parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

Pathos

an appeal to emotion

Peripeteia

a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances

Periphrasis

the use of indirect and circumlocutory speech or writing

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

Point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

Polysyndeton

deliberate use of many conjunctions

Prologue

a speech, passage, or event coming before the main speech or event

Prose

the ordinary form of written language

Pun

a humorous play on words

Reasoning

the application of logic to understand and judge something; the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments

Rebuttal

a refutation or contradiction

Refutation

a denial of the validity of an opposing argument

Repetition

the action of repeating something that has already been said or written

Rhetorical choices

the particular choices a writer or speaker makes to achieve meaning, purpose, or effect

Rhetorical question

a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

Rhetorical situation

a situation in which people's understanding can be changed through messages

Rhetorical strategies/modes

a persuasive device the speaker uses to convey the reader with the goal of persuading them

Rhetorical triangle

A diagram that illustrates the interrelationship among the speaker, audience, and subject in determining a text

Rhythm

pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

Semantics

meaning of words and sentences

Setting

the context in time and place in which the action of a story occurs

Simile

a comparison using "like" or "as"

Soliloquy

a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Stanza

a group of lines in a poem

Syllepsis

use of a word understood differently in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs

Syllogism

a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.