Metaphor Metaphor Metaphor compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other. Unlike a simile or analogy, metaphor asserts that one.

MetaphorMetaphor

Metaphor compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other. Unlike a simile or analogy, metaphor asserts that one thing is another thing, not just that one is like another.

Affliction then is ours; / We are the trees whom shaking fastens more. --George Herbert

SynecdocheSynecdocheSynecdoche is a type of metaphor

in which the part stands for the whole, the whole for a part, the genus for the species, the species for the genus, the material for the thing made, or in short, any portion, section, or main quality for the whole or the thing itself (or vice versa).

Farmer Jones has two hundred head of cattle and three hired hands.

MetonymyMetonymyMetonymy is another form of

metaphor, very similar to synecdoche (and, in fact, some rhetoricians do not distinguish between the two), in which the thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated with (but not an actual part of) the subject with which it is to be compared.

The orders came directly from the White House.

PersonificationPersonificationPersonification metaphorically

represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes--attributes of form, character, feelings, behavior, and so on. Ideas and abstractions can also be personified.

The ship began to creak and protest as it struggled against the rising sea.

We bought this house instead of the one on Maple because this one is more friendly.

HyperboleHyperboleHyperbole, the counterpart of

understatement, deliberately exaggerates conditions for emphasis or effect.

There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.

AllusionAllusionAllusion is a short, informal

reference to a literary work, famous person or event.

“We had traveled too far into a net of expectations and left no crumbs behind.” The Scarlet Ibis

OxymoronOxymoronOxymoron is a paradox reduced

to two words, usually in an adjective-noun.

Jumbo shrimpAct naturallyCold fire

AlliterationAlliterationAlliteration is the recurrence of

initial consonant sounds.

Done well, alliteration is a satisfying sensation.

OnomatopoeiaOnomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia is the use of words

whose pronunciation imitates the sound the word describes. "Buzz," for example, when spoken is intended to resemble the sound of a flying insect. Other examples include these: slam, pow, screech, whirr, crush, sizzle, crunch, wring, wrench, gouge, grind, mangle, bang, blam, pow, zap, fizz, urp, roar, growl, blip, click, whimper, and, of course, snap, crackle, and pop.

ApostropheApostropheApostrophe interrupts the

discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or personified thing, either present or absent.

O books who alone are liberal and free, who give to all who ask of you and enfranchise all who serve you faithfully! -- Richard de Bury

Assonance: similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words containing different consonants:

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

AllegoryAllegoryA multi-layered literary work in

which characters, objects, or actions represent distractions.

Animal Farm is an allegory.

AdageAdageA familiar proverb or wise saying.

AnalogyAnalogyA comparison of two different

things that are similar in some way.

Foot::leg as hand::arm

"His head was like the dome of a cathedral."

ClichéClichéOverused expression

Easy as pie

There’s no place like home.

ClimaxClimaxHighest point of interest in a

literary work

ColloquialismColloquialismInformal words or expressions

not acceptable in formal writing

Y’all wanna get some grub?

ConceitConceitFanciful extended metaphor

ConnotationConnotationThe implied or associated

meaning of a word

Brother has many more accepted meanings than a male sibling.

DenotationDenotationThe literal or dictionary meaning

of a word.

DialectDialectA variety of speech characterized

by its own particular grammar of pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographic region.

*think To Kill a Mockingbird

DialogueDialogueConversation between two or

more people

DictionDictionWord choice made by a writer

EllipsesEllipsesOmission of a word or phrase

which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from context.

Some people prefer dogs; others cats.

EpiphanyEpiphanyA moment of sudden revelation

EpitaphEpitaphInscription on tombstone

FlashbackFlashbackInsertion of an earlier event into

the normal chronological order

Flat CharacterFlat CharacterEmbodies a single quality; does

not develop in the course of the story

ForeshadowingForeshadowingPrepares reader for what is to

come next

GenreGenreMajor category of literature

Poetry, fiction, drama

HyperboleHyperboleIntentional exaggeration for

effect

Her bag weighed a ton.

IdiomIdiomAn expression in a given

language which cannot be understood in a lteral sense.

It was raining cats and dogs.

We were in a pickle.

ImageryImageryUsing language to create vivid

images that appeal to one of the senses.

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” -Hamlet

InferenceInferenceUsing evidence to draw a

conclusion

IronyIronyIncongruity between what

happens and what is expected to happen

It was ironic that the kids wished Miss Brown many more happy birthdays when she would not live to see another one.

JargonJargonSpecialized language

Doctors: stethoscope, malpractice, scalpel

Auto Mechanics: carburetor, muffler, transmission

JuxtapositionJuxtapositionPlacing two elements side by side

to show contrast

Romeo and Juliet is full of structural juxtapositions between light and dark and between age and youth.

MetaphorMetaphorDirect comparison of two unlike

things

“All the world’s a stage”

MetonymyMetonymySubstituting the name of one

object for another closely associated

The pen is mightier than the sword.

MoodMoodEmotional atmosphere of a work

*the reader’s side

ToneToneThe attitude a writer has toward

his subject

*writer’s side

NarratorNarratorWho tells the story

ParallelismParallelismThe use of corresponding

syntactical forms (creating balance in the sentence)

We added the milk, beat the eggs, and sifted the flour.

ParaphraseParaphraseRestatement of text in a different

form

ParodyParodyHumorous interpretation of a

serious work

PunPunA play on words

Round CharacterRound CharacterA character who develops or

changes throughout the course of a work

SatireSatireUse of humor to point out

imperfections in people or social institutions

SimileSimileLike is like a box of chocolates

SettingSettingTime, place, and environment

SymbolSymbolStands for itself as well as

something outside itself

SyntaxSyntaxHow words are arranged in

sentences

Subject + Verb

Prepositional Phrase + Subject + Verb

Subject + Verb + Direct Object

ThemeThemeThe central idea of a work of

literature

ThesisThesisThe primary position taken by a

speaker or writer

TragedyTragedyProtagonist engaged in a struggle

which ends in destruction or ruin

Romeo and Juliet

Understatement Understatement Deliberate under-emphasis