GLOSSARY
Some Useful Terms for Analyzing Written Material
Prepared by: Dr. P. Ramsay
Allusion: a passing reference to a familiar person, place, or object
in history, myth, or literature. Writers use allusions to enrich or
illuminate their ideas.
Ellipsis: an omission of words that is signaled by three equally
spaced dots.
Euphemism: an inoffensive or polite term used in place of
language that readers or listeners might find distasteful, unpleasant,
or otherwise objectionable: e.g. passes on is a euphemism for
died.
Figurative language: words that create images or convey
symbolic meaning beyond the literal level.
Analogy: a comparison that uses a familiar or concrete item to
explain an abstract or unfamiliar concept. For example, a geologist
might compare the structure of the earth’s crust to the layers of an
onion.
Figures of speech: deliberate departures from the ordinary, literal
use of words in order to provide fresh perceptions and create
lasting impressions. For example, metaphor, paradox,
personification, simile and pun etc.
Audience: the readers for whom a piece of writing is intended.
Many essays are aimed at a general audience, but a writer can
focus on a specific group of readers.
First person: the use of I, me, we and us in speech and writing to
express a personal view or present a firsthand report.
Block by block pattern: an organizational pattern used in
comparison and contrast writing. In this method, a writer presents,
in a block, all the important points about the first item to be
compared and then presents, in another block, the corresponding
points about the second item to be compared.
Connotation and denotation: terms used to describe the different
kinds of meaning that words convey. Denotation refers to the
most specific or direct meaning of a word – the dictionary
definition. Connotations are the feelings or associations that
attach themselves to words. For example, assertive and pushy
share a similar denotation – both mean “strong” or “forceful.” But
their differing connotations suggest different attitudes: an assertive
person is admirable; a pushy person is offensive.
Diction: choice of words in writing or speaking.
Dominant impression: the main idea or feeling that the writer
wants to convey in an extended description.
Image: a description that appeals to the readers’ senses of sight,
smell, sound, touch, or taste. Images add interest and clarify
meaning.
Inference: a conclusion drawn by a reader from the hints and
suggestions provided by the writer. Writers sometimes express
ideas indirectly rather than stating them outright; readers must use
their own experience and knowledge to read between the lines and
make inferences to gather the full meaning of a selection.
Irony: the use of words to express the opposite of what is stated.
Writers use irony to expose unpleasant truths or to poke fun at
human weaknesses.
Irony has many degrees, but all are variations on the use of a word
or phrase intended to be understood as the opposite of what is
literally said.
Jargon: the specialized or technical language of a trade,
profession, or similar group. To readers outside the group,
however, jargon can be inaccessible and meaningless.
Journalistic style: the kind of writing found in newspapers and
popular magazines. It normally employs informal diction with
relatively simple sentences and unusually short paragraphs.
Metaphor: a metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things
intended to point up certain similarities between them.
Onomatopoeia: the use of words that suggest or echo the sounds
they are describing – hiss, plop, or sizzle, for example.
Personification: To “personify” is to give human characteristics
to that which is not human. One can refer to the thorns on a
rosebush as “vicious,” for instance, or to hurricane winds as
“furious.”
Pun: a pun is a play on words, usually in some very obvious or
even outrageous way, which is probably why it is sometimes called
the lowest form of humor. Puns are often created by the
relationships between homonyms – or the way a word is spelt and
the way it appears on paper, e.g. “I wouldn’t send a knight out on a
dog like this.”
Purpose: the writer’s reasons for writing; what the writer wants to
accomplish in an essay.
Sarcasm: obviously insincere and biting irony, often used to
express strong disapproval.
Satire: writing that uses wit and irony to attack and expose human
folly, weakness, and stupidity.
Sexist language: words and phrases that stereotype or ignore
members of either sex. For example, the sentence “A dentist must
finish his residency before he can begin to practice” suggests that
only men are dentists. Writing in the plural will avoid this
exclusion: “Dentists must finish their residencies before they can
begin to practise.” Terms like mailman, stewardess, manpower,
and mothering are also sexist; gender-neutral terms are preferred
mail carrier, flight attendant, workforce, parenting.
Simile: a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things
are compared, usually in a phrase introduced by like or as.
Slang: the informal language of a given group or locale, often
characterized by colorful expressions and short-lived usage.
Structure: the general plan, framework, or pattern of a piece of
writing.
Style: individuality of expression, achieved in writing through
selection and arrangement of words, sentences, and punctuation.
Subject: what a piece of writing is about.
Symbol: a concrete or material object that suggests or represents
an abstract idea, quality or concept. The lion is a symbol of
courage; a voyage or journey can symbolize life; water suggests
spirituality; dryness stands for the absence of spirituality.
Thesis: the main point or proposition that a writer develops and
supports in an essay. The thesis is often stated early, normally in
the first paragraph, to give the reader a clear indication of the
essay’s main idea.
Tone: the attitude that a writer conveys toward the subject matter.
Tone can be serous or humorous, critical or sympathetic,
affectionate or hostile, sarcastic or soothing, passionate or detached
– or any of numerous other attitudes.
Understatement: a type of irony that deliberately represents a
point or idea as less than it is in order to stress its importance or
seriousness.
Unity: the fitting together of all elements in a piece of writing;
sticking to the point.
Voice: the expression of a writer’s personality in his or her
writing; an author’s distinctive style or manner of writing.