Use these definitions to supplement yours The 50 (or more) Terms
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 senses
Kinesthetic, 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