Use these definitions to supplement yours

The 50 (or more) Terms

Uncertainty of meaning or intentionEx: “I can’t recommend this book too highly”

Ambiguity

rule, method, or practice established by usage

Ex: Greeting someone with a handshakeEx: Capitalizing the first letter of a sentence

Convention

The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

Ex: Saying “to pass away” instead of “to die”Ex: “Handicapped” instead of “crippled”

Euphemism

Euphemism

The language peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.

Ex: “touch base” to meet up with colleagues to discuss progress.

Ex: “Win-Win”Ex: GTL

Jargon

Repetition of vowel soundsEx: Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed

hornEx: I bomb atomically- Socrates’ philosophies

and hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these mockeries

Ex: And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me/ speaking words of wisdom, “let it be”.

Assonance

Words that imitate sounds

Onomatopoeia

A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.

Satire

The primary or strict meaning of a word or phrase; exact meaning.

Think of the dictionary definition of the wordSaying “the dog died” instead of “the dog is

going to the big dog house in the sky”

Literal

A figure of speech in which the phrase seems to have a self-contradictory effect

Ex: bitter-sweetEx: nice-nasty

Oxymoron

A short allegorical story that is meant to teach so truth, moral, or religious principle

Ex: The Prodigal Son, How Much Land Does A Man Need

Parable

A statement that seems self-contradictory, but in reality, expresses truth

Ex: I always tell lies, This sentence is false

Paradox

A humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of writing or literature

Parody

a stylistic device in which one implicitly references a related object or circumstance that has occurred or existed in an external context. An allusion is understandable only to those with prior knowledge of the reference in question (as the writer assumes the reader has). An "allusion" is not the same as an "illusion".

Ex: Utopian discordEx: T.S. Elliot’s The Waste Land alludes to

Shakespeare, Dante, and Milton

Allusion

The Gaslight Anthem in the song “High Lonesome”(2008): “And Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, I kinda sorta wished I had looked like Elvis” alludes to:

The Counting Crows’ song “Round Here” (1994): “Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, she says she would like to meet a boy who looks like Elvis”

Allusion: Example

Style of speaking or writing as dependant upon word choice

"Words strain,Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,Will not stay still."(T.S. Eliot, "Burnt Norton")

Diction

This occurs when the audience or reader knows something a character does not know

This is a great way to build tension and interest into plot

Think of horror movies…

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic Irony

A figure of speech when what is said is opposite is what is meant

“Break a leg”

Verbal Irony

When the outcome of a play, story, or event is the opposite of what was expected.

Situational Irony

a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in  order to suggest a resemblance

Ex: Your friend is a big babyEx: You are my guardian angelEx: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;

he makes me lie down in green pastures.

Metaphor

This occurs when the author tells the reader exactly what a character is thinking, feeling, or is like

The author “tells” usEd Johnson scratched his head in confusion

as the sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine performance diagnostic computer. The old mechanic hated modern electronics, preferring the old days when all he needed was a stack of manuals and a good set of tools.

Direct Characterization

the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

“That Ed Johnson,” said Anderson, watching the old mechanic scratch his head in confusion as the sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine performance diagnostic computer. “He hasn’t got a clue about modern electronics. Give him a good set of tools and a stack of yellowing manuals with a carburetor needing repair, and he’d be happy as a hungry frog in a fly-field.”

Indirect Characterization

a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply

Ex: Why Me?Ex: Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle?

Rhetorical Question

Original model or patternthe original pattern or model from which all t

hings of  the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a  model or first form

Ex: The Tragic Hero, The Villain, The Damsel in Distress, The Evil Stepmother, The Hero. The Sage

Odysseus, Oedipus, The Devil

Archetype

the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood;  probability

For example, a teenager (not you of course) goes somewhere without her parents permission and tells her parents that she was really at the library. If the teenager adds creative details about what happened while she was there (even though she is making the details up), she is attempting to add verisimilitude to her story. Writers of fiction also do this. 

Verisimilitude

a comparison between two things that are similar in some way, often used to help explain something or make it easier to understand

eye:sight::teeth:chewhand:elbow::foot:kneemeow:cat::bark:dogbaby:adult::puppy:dog

Analogy

Words the Author uses to appeal to our sensesKinesthetic, Organic, Auditory, Tactile, Visual,

Olefactory, Gustatory

Imagery

Words that describe movement or tensionEx: Superman was faster than a speeding

bullet

Kinesthetic Imagery

Something that appears through sight

“The cottages up to their shining eyes in snow”

Visual Imagery

Representation of sound,Can be Onomatopoeia Ex: “The scythe whispering to the ground”

Auditory Imagery

Words that represent smellEx: “The musk from hidden grapevine springs

Olfactory Imagery

Words that represent taste“The walking boots that taste of Atlantic and

Pacific salt”

Gustatory Imagery

Words that represent touchHardness, softness, wetness, heat, cold“The bed linens must just as well be ice and

the clothes snow”

Tactile Imagery

Internal sensationsHunger, Fear, thirst, fatigue, nausea“My heart owns a doubt, It costs no inward

struggle not to go”

Organic Imagery