Colloquialism A word or phrase used in everyday relaxed speech, not in formal writing Elegy A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead Epistolary Of or associated with letters or the writing of letters Epitaph A brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person Expletive An unnecessary word Read more…
Alliteration repetition of a single letter or combination of letters. Allusion a brief reference to a presumably familiar person or thing Antagonist one who opposes the actions and efforts of the main character. Atmosphere the mood or feeling evoked by the story. Characterization how the character’s personality is revealed. Climax Read more…
Symbol Where something represents or stands for something else. Alliteration The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of consecutive words in a sentence. Allusion A brief reference to a person, event, place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art. May be drawn from history, geography, literature, Read more…
alliteration the repetition of the first sound in words Alice’s aunt ate apples and acorns around August. Better butter makes a batter better. allusion a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, Read more…
Imagery The language that appeals to the senses. Metaphor a word or phrase that compares one thing to another in a vivid way. Personification Gives life to inanimate objects. Simile A comparison of two unlike things using like or as. Alliteration When all the sounds are the same together at Read more…
Metaphor figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things Simile a figure of speech that uses like or as to compare seemingly unlike things Personification a figure of speech in which an animal, object, a force of nature, or an idea is given human characteristics. imagery Read more…
Alliteration Repetition of initial consonant sounds Anastrophe Inversion of the natural or usual word order Apostrophe 1. punctuation mark; 2. appeal to someone not present (a figure of speech) Archetype A recurring and familiar pattern in literature & drama Blank Verse Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter Conflict A struggle Read more…
ALLITERATION the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words ALLUSION a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize ANAPHORA the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences ANTITHESIS a statement in which two opposing Read more…
Motif emphasizes theme Theme the message an author wants to portray Theme emphasizes a main point or idea Repetition The faucet irritated me. All it did was drip, drip, drip. Repetition a repeated situation or idea or symbol throughout a work of literature Denotation dictionary meaning Irony Yesterday a firehouse Read more…
Allusion A reference (either implied or stated) to mythology, the Bible, literature, music, or history that reinforces a point in the current work — by relying on the reader’s familiarity with the alluded-to work. What does SMOOPHA stand for? Simile, Metaphor, Oxymoron, Onomatopoeia, Personification, Hyperbole, and Alliteration Oxymoron A figure Read more…
Allegory Using character/story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. Usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. Alliteration The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in “she sells sea shells”). The repetition can Read more…
alliteration the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginnings of words or syllables. It gives emphasis to words ex: guilty grin in his thing grey beard allusion a reference in a work of literature to a well-known character, place, or situation or from another work of literature, music or, Read more…
alliteration the repetition of the initial consonant sound in words assonance the repetition of vowel sounds consonance the repetition of consonant sounds in the middle or at the end of words enjambment when the writer uses line breaks meaningfully and abruptly to either emphasize a point or to create dual Read more…
Analogy An analogy is a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. By using an analogy we can convey a new idea by using the blueprint of an old one as a basis for understanding. With a mental linkage between the Read more…
alliteration used for poetic effect, a repetition of the initial sounds of several words in a group example: O Wild West Wind allusion A brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature; a kind of shorthand whereby the recalling of something outside the work Read more…
allegory a story in which every aspect is representative, of something else (usually a larger abstract concept or of an important historical event) alliteration the repetition of sounds at the beginning of consecutive words archetype a universal symbol or pattern dramatic irony when the audience perceives something that the character Read more…
Hyperbole The use of hyperbole can: Emphasise for amusing effect. Make ordinary human feelings sound extraordinary Catch the reader’s attention My grandmother is as old as the hills. Your suitcase weighs a ton! She is as heavy as an elephant! I am dying of shame. I am trying to solve Read more…
Allegory Story in which characters/events are symbols that stand for situations. Ex: Our Town: Life’s cycle; Life is just one long day. Play begins at crack of dawn (1st Act: Daily Life), Develops around Mid-Day (2nd Act: Love and Marriage), and ends in the evening (3rd Act: Death). Dialect A Read more…
Alliteration Repetition of consonants at the beginning of words that are near each other or repetition of ronsonants at the reginning of rords that are rear each rother. Allusion A reference to another work of literature or some cultural knowledge that contributes to meaning. Anadiplosis The repetition of the last Read more…
alliteration repetition of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words allusion a passing or casual reference to a person, place, or literary work anachronism thing that belongs to a time period other than that in which it is placed antithesis contrast; direct opposite assonance similarity of Read more…