Alliteration :the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (as wild and woolly,
threatening throngs)
Allusion: a stylistic device in which one implicitly references a related object or circumstance that has occurred or existed in an external
context
Ambiguity
A word, phrase, sentence, or other communication is called ambiguous if it can be interpreted in more than one way.
Anadiplosis :A rhetorical figure of speech that means to "double back" and repeat a word or phrase that appears at the end of sentence
or clause at the beginning of the next sentence or clause.
Ex. "Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering." -- Yoda, Star Wars
Analogy 1 : inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will prob. agree in others. 2: analogy is an
inference or an argument from a particular to another particular.
Ex. HAND : PALM : : FOOT : ____
Analytic: separating something into component parts or constituent elements
Anaphora
In rhetoric, anaphora (from the Greek anaphérō, "I repeat") is the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of
several consecutive sentences or verses to emphasize an image or a concept.
Ex. Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
— (William Shakespeare, King John, II, i)
Anecdote: a brief tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident.
Antithesis : (Greek for "setting opposite", from anti = against and thesis = position) means a direct contrast or exact opposition to
something. Hell is the antithesis of Heaven, chaos the antithesis of order.
Ex. The familiar phrase “Man proposes, God disposes” is an example of antithesis, as is John Dryden's description in “The Hind and the
Panther”: “Too black for heaven, and yet too white for hell.”
Apostrophe: the addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically <Carlyle's "O Liberty, what things are
done in thy name!"
Argumentation: the act or process of forming reasons and of drawing conclusions and applying them to a case in discussion
Assonance :the repetition of vowel sounds within a short passage of verse or prose.
fleet feet sweep by sleeping Greeks.
"when I get shocked at the hospital by the doctor when I'm not cooperating when I'm rocking the table while he's operating.” — Eminem
Asyndeton :a stylistic scheme in which conjunctions are deliberately omitted from a series of related clauses. Examples are veni, vidi,
vici and its English translation "I came, I saw, I conquered." Another example, "...and that government of the people, by the people, for
the people shall not perish from the earth."
Catachresis :the (usually intentional) use of any figure of speech that flagrantly violates the norms of a language community.
Using a word to denote something radically different from its normal meaning.
'Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon's purse – Shakespeare, Timon of Athens
Using a word out of context.
'Can't you hear that? Are you blind?'
Creating an illogical mixed metaphor.
To take arms against a sea of troubles... – Shakespeare, Hamlet
Climax :a figure of speech in which a series of phrases or sentences is arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness. The
point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action of a play.
Colloquial: an expression not used in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or "grouty"), phrases
(such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a doornail"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat").
cumulative sentence :1 a : made up of accumulated parts b : increasing by successive additions
Declarative : a sentence that is used to state a fact or argument.
Epanalepsis :a figure of speech which consists in the repetition of the beginning word of a clause or sentence in the end.
Ex. The king is dead, long live the king.
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Epitheton :(Greek and Latin epitheton; literally meaning 'imposed') is a descriptive word or phrase. In contemporary usage, epithet is
also used to refer to an abusive or defamatory phrase, such as a racial epithet.
Euphemism: an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase
it replaces, or in the case of doublespeak to make it less troublesome for the speaker. Euphemisms are often used to hide unpleasant or
disturbing ideas, even when the literal term for them is not necessarily offensive. In some versions of English, toilet room, itself a
euphemism, was replaced with bathroom and water closet, which were replaced (respectively) with rest room and W.C. Concentration
camp was used by the British during the Second Boer War and until the Third Reich used the expression for their death camps, it was an
acceptable description for the British concept. Since then new terms have been invented as euphemisms for them, such as internment
camps, resettlement camps, fortified villages, etc.
Exemplum :(latin for "example", pl. exempla, exempli gratia = "for example", abbr.: e.g.) is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or
fictitious, used to illustrate a point.
Expletive :The word expletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning "to fill", via expletivus, "filling out". Expletive is a term in
linguistics for a meaningless word filling a syntactic vacancy (syntactic expletives). Outside linguistics, the word is much more commonly
used to refer to "bad language".
Exposition: A setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of a writing). Discourse or an example of it designed to convey information or
explain what is difficult to understand
figurative language: Words in figurative expressions connote additional layers of meaning. When the human ear or eye receives the
message, the mind must interpret the data to convert it into meaning. Usages in figurative language are called figures of speech. A
figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetorical figure or device, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward,
literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. As an example of the
figurative use of a word, consider the sentence, I am going to crown you. It may mean:
I am going to place a literal crown on your head.
I am going to symbolically exalt you to the place of kingship.
I am going to punch you in the head with my clenched fist.
I am going to put a second checker on top of your checker to signify that it has become a king (as in the game of draughts).
Hyperbole: largely synonymous with exaggeration and overstatement, is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated or
extravagant. The modern slang term hype, in its usage as meaning extravagant publicity, is derived from the word hyperbole
"He is as big as a house!"
"That's the worst idea I've ever heard."
Imperative: An imperative can refer to a moral command, such as one of the Ten Commandments. Of, relating to, or constituting the
grammatical mood that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another
Interrogative: A question. Questions have a number of secondary uses: They may be used ("Socratically") to guide the questioner
along an avenue of research. A rhetorical question is asked in order to make a point, and does not expect an answer (often the answer is
implied or obvious). Presuppositional questions, such as "Have you stopped beating your wife?" may be used as a joke or to embarrass
the audience, because any answer a person could give would imply more information than he was willing to affirm.
Juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing two things close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast
the two, to show similarities or differences, etc. In literature, a juxtaposition occurs when two images that are otherwise not commonly
brought together appear side by side or structurally close together, thereby forcing the reader to stop and reconsider the meaning of the
text through the contrasting images, ideas, motifs, etc. For example, "He was slouched alertly" is a juxtaposition. Modern poetry plays
extensively with juxtaposing images, inserting unrelated fragments together in order to create wonder and interest in readers.
Metaphor: a rhetorical trope defined as a direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects. In a metaphor, a first object is
described as being or precisely equal to a second object. Thus, the first object can be economically described because implicit and
explicit attributes from the second object are used to enhance the description of the first. Metaphor is a subset of analogy and is closely
related to other rhetorical concepts such as comparison, simile, allegory and parable.
Objective: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or
interpretations <objective art> <an objective history of the war> <an objective judgment>
Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms (e.g. "deafening silence"). Oxymoron is a Greek term
derived from oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull"). Oxymora are a proper subset of the expressions called contradiction in terms. What
distinguishes oxymora from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the
contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept.
"O miserable abundance, O beggarly riches!" John Donne, "Devotions on Emergent Occasions"
"O anything of nothing first create! / O heavy lightness, serious vanity! / Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! / Feather of lead, bright
smoke, cold fire, sick health!" William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, scene 1
Paradox: an apparently true statement or group of statements that seems to lead to a contradiction or to a situation that defies intuition.
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The word paradox is often used interchangeably with contradiction; but where a contradiction by definition cannot be true, many
paradoxes do allow for resolution, though many remain unresolved or only contentiously resolved.
Parallelism: to give two or more parts of the sentences a similar form so as to give the whole a definite pattern. Parallelism in grammar
refers to a balance of two or more similar words, phrases, or clauses.
"We charge him with having broken his coronation-oath - and we are told that he kept his marriage-vow! We accuse him of having
given up his people to the merciless inflictions of the most hard-hearted of prelates - and the defense is that he took his little son on his
knee and kissed him. We censure him for having violated the articles of the Petition of Right - and we are informed that he was
accustomed to hear prayers at six o'clock in the morning." (Macaulay)
"In a democracy we are all equal before the law. In a dictatorship we are all equal before the police." (Fernandes)
Pedantic: Narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned. A pedant is a person who is a formalist or precisionist in teaching or
scholarship. The term comes from the Latin paedagogare, "to teach", derived from Greek terms for "child" and "to lead". The term is
typically used in a negative connotation, indicating someone overly concerned with minutia and detail.
periodic sentence: A sentence not grammatically complete until its end. The periodic sentence is effective when it is used to arouse
interest and curiosity, to hold an idea in suspense before its final revelation. Periodicity is accomplished by the use of parallel phrases or
clauses at the opening or by the use of dependent clauses preceding the independent clause; that is, the kernel of thought contained in
the subject/verb group appears at the end of a succession of modifiers. It is the opposite of a loose sentence. “Out of the bosom of the
Air, Out of the cloud-folds of her garment shaken, Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest-fields forsaken, Silent and soft,
and slow, Descends the Moon.”
This, the first stanza of Longfellow’s “Snowflakes,” is a maximally periodic sentence. It begins with a succession of parallel adverbial
phrases (“Out of the bosom”, “Out of the cloud-folds,” “Over the woodlands,” “Over the harvest-fields”), each followed by parallel
modification (“of the air,” “of her garments shaken,” “brown and bare,” “forsaken,”). However, the thought is not grammatically complete
until the subject/verb group “Descends the Moon” finalizes the statement.
Personification: a term used in literary criticism to name the figure of speech which involves directly speaking of an inanimate object, or
an abstract concept, as if were a living entity, often one with specifically human attributes.
"blind justice"
Petulance: Insolent or rude in speech or behavior. characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor.
Polysyndeton: the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped
and laughed for joy"). It is a stylistic scheme used to slow the rhythm of prose and can add an air of solemnity to a passage.
Polysyndeton is used extensively in the Bible. For example:
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the
fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
Genesis 7:22-24
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of
unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. Leviticus 5:1-3
Writers of modern times have also used the scheme: "I said, 'Who killed him?' and he said 'I don't know who killed him, but he's dead all
right,' and it was dark and there was water standing in the street and no lights or windows broke and boats all up in the town and trees
blown down and everything all blown and I got a skiff and went out and found my boat where I had her inside Mango Key and she was
right only she was full of water." Ernest Hemingway, After the Storm
It can be compared with asyndeton and syndeton, which describe the use of zero or one coordinating conjunction, respectively.
Querulous: From Latin querulus, from queri to complain habitually complaining: 2 : FRETFUL, WHINING <a querulous voice>
Reflection: A thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation. Consideration of some subject matter, idea,
or purpose
Rhetorical Question : A rhetorical question seeks to encourage reflection within the listener as to what the answer to the question (at
least, the answer implied by the questioner) must be. When a speaker declaims, "How much longer must our people endure this
injustice?" or "Will our company grow or shrink?", no formal answer is expected. Rather, it is a device used by the speaker to assert or
deny something.
Simile : a figure of speech in which the subject is compared to another subject. Frequently, similes are marked by use of the words like
or as, "The snow was like a blanket". However, "The snow blanketed the earth" is also a simile and not a metaphor because the verb
blanketed is a shortened form of the phrase covered like a blanket.
Subjective: Formed, as in opinions, based upon subjective feelings or intuitions, not upon observation or reasoning, which can be
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influenced by preconception; Coming more from within the observer rather than from observations of the external environment resulting
from or pertaining to personal mindsets or experience: Arising from perceptive mental conditions within the brain and not necesarily from
external stimuli: Lacking in reality or substance
Synecdoche: a figure of speech that presents a kind of metaphor.
A part of something is used for the whole. Ex. "hands" to refer to workers, "head" for cattle, "threads" for clothing, "wheels" for car,
"mouths to feed" for hungry people, "white hair" for the elderly.
The whole is used for a part.
Ex."the police" for a handful of officers, "body" for the trunk of the body, the "smiling year" for spring, "the Pentagon" for the top-ranking
generals in the Pentagon building
The species is used for the genus.
Ex. "cutthroat" for assassin, "kleenex" for facial tissue, "castle" for home, "bread" for food
The genus is used for the species.
Ex."creature" for person, "milk" for cow's milk
The stuff of which something is made is used for the thing
Ex. "willow" for cricket bat, "copper" for penny, "boards" for stage, "ivories" for piano keys, "plastic" for credit card
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transitive verb: a verb accompanied by a direct object and from which a passive can be formed, as deny,
rectify, elect.
transitive verb
n : a verb (or verb construction) that requires an object in order to be grammatical [syn: transitive verb
form]
Examples: A transitive verb is a verb that requires both a subject and one or more objects. Some examples
of sentences with transitive verbs:
Mary sees John. (John is the direct object of "sees")
You lifted the bag. (bag is the direct object of "lifted")
I punished you. (you is the direct object of "punished")
I give the book to you. (book is the direct object of "give" and "you" is the indirect object of "give")
intransitive verb: a verb that indicates a complete action without being accompanied by a direct object, as
sit or lie, and, in English, that does not form a passive.
intransitive verb
n : a verb (or verb construction) that does not take an object [syn: intransitive verb form]
Examples: Verbs that don't require an object are called intransitive, for example the verb to sleep. Since
you cannot "sleep" something, the verb acts intransitively. In English, the verbs sleep, die, and swim, are
intransitive.
Ambitransitivity: In most languages, there are some verbs which are ambitransitive: they can act as
intransitive or as transitive. For example, English play is ambitransitive (both intransitive and transitive),
since it is grammatical to say His son plays, and it is also grammatical to say His son plays guitar. English
is rather flexible with regards to verb valency, and so it has a high number of ambitransitive verbs...
Another example: the verb eat, since the sentences I am eating (with an intransitive form) and I am
eating an apple (with a transitive form that has an apple as the object) are both grammatically correct.
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