Lit Terms!
Terms
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- Personification
- A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals,or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.
- Symbol
- anything that represents or stands for something else. Usually is something concrete-such as an object, character, or scene-that represents something more abstract.
- Colloquialism
- Slang or informally in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, they give work a conversational, familiar tone. These expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.
- Imagery
- The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions.
- Theme
- The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life. Can be stated as a "universal truth" that is, a general statement about the human condition, about society, or about man's relation t the natural world.
- Diction
- refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain).
- Caricature
- A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect.
- Metaphor
- A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.
- Ambiguity
- The multiple meanings, either intentional, or a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
- Antecedent
- the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a a pronoun.
- Genre
- The major category into which a literary work fits.
- Logos
- employs logical reasoning, combining a clear idea with well thought out an appropriate examples and details. These supports are logically presented and rationally reach the writer's conclusion.
- Juxtaposition
- Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.
- Antithesis
- The resulting parallelism serves to emphasize opposition of ideas. A figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure.
- Inference
- to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented.
- Metonymy
- Is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it.
- Pathos
- plays on the reader's emotions and interests. A sympathetic audience is more likely to accept a writer's assertions, so this appeal draws upon that understanding and uses it to the writer's advantage.
- Parody
- A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect.
- Ethos
- establishes credibility in the speaker. (blank) means the common attitudes, beliefs, and characteristics of a group or time period, this appeal sets up believability in the writer. He or she is perceived as someone who can be trusted and is concerned with the readers best interests.
- Syllogism
- Is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises-the first one is called "major" and the second "minor"-that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion.
- Allegory
- The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning.
- Onomatopoeia
- A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words.
- Apostrophe
- A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.
- Didactic
- These works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.
- Aphorism
- A terse statement of known authorship that expresses a general truth or moral principle. This can be a memorable summation of the authors point.
- Ad Hominem Argument
- this is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect.
- Analogy
- A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. This term can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with, or pointing out its similarity to, something more familiar.
- Denotation
- The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.
- Understatement
- minimizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic.
- Syntax
- The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.
- Satire
- A work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule.
- Parallelism
- It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase.
- Simile
- An explicit comparison, normally using "like," "as," or "if"".
- Homily
- This term literally meas "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
- Figure of speech
- A device used to produce figurative language. For example, apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
- Sarcasm
- This element involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something.
- Figurative Language
- Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid,
- Stylistic Devices
- elements that contribute to style-such as diction.syntax, tone, attitude, figures of speech, connotations, and repetition.
- Narrative
- The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.
- Irony
- Th contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true.
- Hyperbole
- A figure of speech in which using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. This term produces irony at the same time.
- Repetition
- The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern.
- Paradox
- A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.
- Persuasive Essay
- When asked to write this, you should present a coherent argument in which the evidence builds to a logical and relevant conclusion.
- Connotation
- The non literal, associative meaning of a work; the implied, suggested meaning. May involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes.
- Pedantic
- An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish.
- Rhetoric
- this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.
- Allusion
- A direct or indirect reference to something that is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.
- Invective
- An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.
- Tone
- describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both.