Abstract language
Language describing ideas or qualities rather than observable, specific things
Allegory
Anachronism
Out of time, placing something in time where it does not belong
Anaphora
Repetition of the first word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of 2 or more sentences
Anecdote
A short narrative detailing the particulars of an event
Aphorism
A short statement of containing a general truth or moral wisdom
assonance
Repetition of a vowel sound in words in close proximity
Asyndeton
Using only commas, but no conjunctions; speeds up the flow of the sentence; equalizes all parts
Carpe Diem
A philosophy of living for the day and not thinking about tomorrow
Chiasmus
XYYX pattern
Connotation
The non-literal, associative meaning of a word
Conceit
An extended metaphor or a surprising analogy between two dissimilar objects
Clause
Santa’s Last Name
A grammatical unit containing both a subject and a verb
Didactic
A term used to describe fiction or nonfiction that teaches a lesson
Doublespeak
Evasiveness in writing or speech
Euphemism
Replacing a word with a more pleasant sounding one
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration
Metonymy
A figure of speech where the name of the object is substituted with a word closely associated with it
Oxymoron
Grouping contradictory terms together to suggest a paradox
Paradox
A statement that seems opposed to common sense, but upon closer examination contains some validity or truth
Parallelism
Similar grammatical words, phrases or clauses
Loose sentence
A sentence in which the main idea comes first
Pedantic
A tone that is overly bookish or educated
Periodic sentence
A sentence in which the main idea comes at the end
Exposition
Writing that expresses ideas, explains and analyzes ideas
Satire
Writing that targets human folly, social institutions, or conventions for reform or ridicule
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which the part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part
“Foul is fair and fair is foul.” Macbeth
Paradox And antimetabole
I want you to want me I need you to need me I’d love you to love me Cheap Trick
Anaphora And Epistrophe
Cruel kindness
Oxymoron
“They were the best of times; they were the worst of times.” Charles Dickens
Parallelism And epistrophe And paradox
Beware of the suits!
Metonymy
My grandmother, a centenarian, had a keen sense of smell until her death.
Appositive A noun describing a noun
The alien, teeth bared, devoured every human it could sink its teeth into.
Absolute A noun and a participle describing something in a sentence
Breathing heavily, the human barely evaded the alien.
Participle phrase Particples end in –ed, -ing, or they can be irregular as in “gone” form the word “go”
To run was the only option to survive the alien’s jaws. What kind of sentence?
Simple
It is best to run from the alien, or you will get eaten.
Compound Sentence
As she faced certain death, Ripley sprayed the alien with acid.
Complex sentence
While the alien appeared to be dead, the survivors had to be wary, or they too would end up as a fricassee.
Compound-Complex sentence
The android tried to persuade Ripley that he was human, but Ripley didn’t believe him.
Compound-Complex Sentence
First the alien killed humans; soon, however, the humans and androids were killing each other.
Another days dawns in the universe.
Simple
The alien and Ripley never really did become friends.
Simple
deduction
Using logic, particularly a syllogism to arrive at a conclusion or truth
induction
Using an array of evidence and appeals to arrive at a conclusion or truth
The three parts of a syllogism
Major premise, minor premise, conclusion
Enthymeme
A syllogistic structure in which the major premise is assumed to be true by the audience and therefore, unstated by the writer or speaker
Syllogism or Enthymeme? To drink alcohol, legally in the U.S., you must be 21. Emma is 16. Emma cannot drink alcohol legally.
Syllogism
Syllogism or Enthymeme? All people that wear glasses are smart. Mrs. Trang wears glasses. Mrs. Trang must be smart.
Syllogism or Enthymeme? All marijuana smokers drank milk when they were children Bill drank milk when he was a child. Bill smokes marijuana.
Enthymeme
Syllogism or Enthymeme?
People who eat a lot of sweets are putting themselves at risk for diabetes. Susie eats a lot of sweets. Susie is putting herself at risk for diabetes.
Syllogism
How does an enthymeme differ from a syllogism?
The major premise is an unstated assumption the writer believes the audience will accept as true.
How is an argumentative essay different from a persuasive essay?
The persuasive essay will have an additional paragraph at the end calling the reader to action.
Definitions: Sardonic
Bitter, scathing
erudite
scholarly
Ad hominem
Attacking the person instead of what the person is saying
Pathetic fallacy
Giving nature human emotions or characteristics
elegiac
mournful
Homily
a sermon
Periodic sentence
A sentence in which the main idea appears at the end (used to build suspense)
Exigence
The event that causes a writer to write