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| the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard usage |
vernacular |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it |
understatement |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| an artful deviation from the ordinary or principal signification of a word (hyperbole, metaphor, and personification are some examples) |
trope |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience |
tone |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the primary position taken by a writer or speaker |
thesis |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a central idea of a work |
theme |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding ("Widow woman," "free gift") |
tautology |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the manner in which words are arranged into sentences |
syntax |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color," "a sweet sound") |
synesthesia (or synaesthesia) |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| using one part of an object to represent the entire object (ex: referring to a car simply as "wheels") |
synecdoche |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and a minor premise |
syllogism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a construction in which one word is used in two different senses |
syllepsis |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work |
style |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the arrangement or framework of a sentence, paragraph, or entire work |
structure |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| non standard grammatical usage; violation of grammatical rules (ex: unflammable; they was) |
solecism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause |
simple sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a comparison of two things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words |
simile |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| an artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words (anaphora, anastrophe, antithesis are some examples) |
scheme |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions |
satire |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule |
sarcasm |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression |
rhetorical devices |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:49 GMT |
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| a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer |
rhetorical question |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the art of presenting ideas in a clear, effective, and persuasive manner |
rhetoric |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural |
polysyndeton |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a strong verbal denunciation. The term comes from the orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century |
philippic |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics |
personification |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| characterized by an excessive display of learning or scholarship |
pedantic |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity |
pathos |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to quality or explain |
parenthetical |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a humorous imitation of a serious work |
parody |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| deriving general principles from particular facts or instances |
inductive reasoning |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly. NOTE: the author/speaker implies; the reader/audience infers |
implication |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence that gives a command |
imperative sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses |
imagery |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect |
idiom |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| intentional exaggeration to create an effect |
hyperbole |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.) |
figurative language |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an exclamation mark |
exclamatory sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant |
euphemism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the persuasive appeal of one's character, or credibility |
ethos |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading of a chapter or other section of a work |
epigraph |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying |
epigram |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context |
ellipsis |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds |
dissonance |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing |
didactic |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the word choices made by a writer |
diction |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often associated with a particular geographical region |
dialect |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms |
parallelism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth ("whoever loses his life, shall find it) |
paradox |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an inference that does not follow logically from the premises (literally, "does not follow") |
non sequitur |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various works |
motif |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the emotional atmosphere of a work |
mood |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it |
metonymy |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a direct comparison of two different things |
metaphor |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage |
maxim |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar |
malapropism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| appeal to reason or logic |
logos |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite (describing a particularly horrific scene by saying, "It was not a pretty picture") |
litotes |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast |
juxtaposition |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession |
jargon |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs (situational, verbal, dramatic) |
irony |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence constructed so that the predicate comes before the subject |
inverted syntax |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack |
invective |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence that asks a question |
interrogative sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a conclusion on draws (infers) based no premises or evidence |
inference |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the literal meaning of a word |
denotation |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case |
deductive reasoning |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence that makes a statement or declaration |
declarative sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases |
cumulative sentence (loose sentence) |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the implied or associative meaning of a word |
connotation |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| details that relate to or describe actual, specific things or events |
concrete details |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor |
conceit |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence with two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses |
compound-complex sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions |
compound sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence with one independent clause and at least on dependent clause |
complex sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing |
colloquialism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure |
climax |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off |
cliche |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed |
chiasmus |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast |
balanced sentence |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a construction in which elements are represented in a series without conjunctions |
asyndeton |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a concise, statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance |
aphorism |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced |
antithesis |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers |
antecedent |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event |
anecdote |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses |
anaphora |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way |
analogy |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize |
allusion |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions |
allegory |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| an argument attacking an individual's character rather than his or her position on an issue |
Ad hominem argument |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:48 GMT |
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| a word free from limitations or qualifications ("best," "all," "unique," "perfect") |
absolute |
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smiley Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:43:47 GMT |
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