Language Terms
MR. Z
AP
Stylistic devices:
A particular pattern of words, a figure of speech, or a technique used in literature to
produce a specific effect (e.g., rhyme scheme, analogy, comparison, contrast,
suspense, prediction, humor, symbolism, etc.)

Alliteration:
The deliberate repetition of sounds or syllables, especially initial consonants, for stylistic
effect ex. recreational reading

Allusion:
 An indirect or direct reference within a work of literature to a familiar figure, place or
event outside the core text that is known from literature, history, myth, religion or some
other field of knowledge. ex. My room is Eden within a world of confusion.
ex. He has the strength of Hercules.
Understanding the connection the author wishes to make is dependent on your vast
knowledge of such events, places, historical, Biblical or literary figures.

Figurative language:
Words or phrases used in a non-literal way to create a desired effect (e.g., metaphors,
similes, personification, oxymoron, etc.

Diction:
The author’s choice of words. An author has the option of choosing any word from our
language, why does he/she choose to use certain words and not others? In order to
create a certain tone.
In argumentative writing, the goal is to persuade your audience that your ideas are
valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided
the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, Logos.

Ethos: the source's credibility, the speaker's/author's authority

Logos: the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be
the facts and statistics used to help support the argument.
Deduction: In the process of deduction, you begin with some statements, called
'premises', that are assumed to be true, you then determine what else would have
to be true if the premises are true.
Induction: In the process of induction, you begin with some data, and then
determine what general conclusion(s) can logically be derived from those data.
In other words, you determine what theory or theories could explain the data

Pathos: the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional
language and numerous sensory details.

Foreshadowing:
A writing technique that gives readers clues or hints about events that will happen later, in the
future, in the story.

Ex. A character breaks a mirror, a black cat crosses his path and then later on in
the story something bad happens to him/her


Flashback:
A writing technique where the author moves from the present to the past in order to fill in missing
events or provide insight into events or the character’s life in order for the reader to understand
the story in greater depth.
Hyperbole:

A literary device in which exaggeration is used deliberately for effect or emphasis
ex. I have told you a million times to be quiet. He is strong as a tank.
ex. a flood of tears, piles of money

Imagery:
Descriptions and figures of speech (e.g., metaphors, similes, and other figurative
language) used by writers to create vivid mental pictures in the mind of the reader.
Ex. The bright red balloon drifted through the light blue sky.

Irony: A device that creates a contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant

Verbal irony: occurs when a character says one thing literally, but really means something
in a statement or between expectations and reality in a certain situation. There is an underlying
meaning different from its literal or surface meaning.
else. There is an implied meaning opposite to what is said.
ex. You really have beautiful hair.
ex. When you don’t complete your homework, and I say with sarcasm, “I can see that you are
really working hard in this course!”

Situational Irony: the actual outcome is different from what is expected
ex. You study hard for a test and fail it. The fire station burns down.

Dramatic Irony: when we the reader or audience member is aware of something that is
about to occur, but the character in the text is not.


Metaphor:
a figure of speech that makes an indirect or implied comparison between
two things seemingly unlike without using the connective words “like” or “as”
ex. She ran wildly down the tract to win the race.
Onomatopoeia:
The use of a word having a sound that suggests its meaning
ex. splash, murmur, buzz, twitter



Oxymoron: a combination of words with contradictory meanings (opposite meanings),
used deliberately for effect
ex. delicious torment, living death, jumbo shrimp, dry ice, etc.
It is a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression.
Paradox: a statement which sound contradictory but unlike an oxymoron is partially
true
ex. The sound of silence.
Personification:
a device where inanimate objects are given human attributes
ex. The leaves whispered in the wind. The snow twirled through the air.

Pathetic Fallacy: when the weather, setting or description of events

Pun:
reflects the mood in the story or characters
a play a words for comic effect
ex. After eating at the buffet, the customer had little to no waste.

Simile:: a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two things
seemingly unlike using the connective words “like” or “as”
ex. She ran like a cheetah down the track to win the race.
• Suspense:
•




Techniques used by the author to keep readers interested in the story and
wondering what will happen next.
The following techniques usually create suspense:
1. short sentences
4. understatement
2. vivid verbs
5. foreshadowing
3. hyperbole
6. irony

Synecdoche: You use this when you speak of a part of something but mean the
whole thing i.e., referring to a hundred ships as “a hundred sails,” or saying “We
have fifteen head of cattle” when you, hopefully, have the entire animals, not just
their heads.

Metonymy: referring to something in terms of a closely-associated object, i.e.,
referring to a businessman as “a suit,” or to a king as “the crown,” or a preppy guy
as “so J. Crew.”

Motif: One of the key ideas or literary devices which supports the main THEME
of a literary work. It may consist of a character, a recurrent image or verbal
pattern.

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A literary style which was first used (in
English) by James Joyce in his novel, Ulysses. The writer expresses a character’s
thoughts and feelings as a chaotic stream, with no apparent order or logic.

Red herring: is a kind of fallacy that is an irrelevant topic
introduced in an argument to divert the attention of
listeners or readers from the original issue. In literature, this
fallacy is often used in detective or suspense novels to
mislead readers or characters to false conclusions.

Let us consider a simple example of red herring. A teacher
catches a student cheating during a test. The student in
response says, “I know I’ve made a mistake. But think of my
parents. They’re going to kill me”. The student uses red
herring in his response. He tries to appeal to pity to distract
his teacher from the real issue.
Symbol
An image, object, character, or action that stands for an idea (or ideas) or
represents an abstract idea beyond its literal meaning.
Symbols are often used in short stores and can be people (the Pope), objects
(the crucifix), or actions (Jesus on the cross for our sins).
Some everyday symbols include:
The cross: symbolizes love, sacrifice, redemption.
A ring: eternity, infinity, love, marriage.


Tone: The language in a story that suggest the writer’s or narrator’s
own attitude toward characters, objects etc.

Understatement: saying less than what is true for effect
ex. My parents were disappointed when I smashed their new car!
ex. The bullet wound is just a scratch.
VIEWPOINT: The intellectual or emotional perspective held by a NARRATOR or
PERSONA (not to be confused with the author) in connection with a story. Here are the
main possibilities:

1. FIRST PERSON PARTICIPANT - the story is narrated by one of the main
characters in the story (e.g. Mark Twain's, Huckleberry Finn).

2. FIRST PERSON OBSERVER - the story is narrated by a minor character,
someone plays only a small part in the plot (e.g. Emily Bronte's, Wuthering Heights).

3. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT - the story is narrated not by a character, but
by an impersonal author who sees and knows everything, including characters’
thoughts (e.g. the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid).

4. THIRD PERSON LIMITED - the story is narrated by the author, but he/she
focuses on the thinking and actions of a particular character.

5. OBJECTIVE- the story describes only what can be seen, as a newspaper reporter