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acronym
a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name
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allegory
a short moral story (often with animal characters)
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alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
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allusion
passing reference or indirect mention
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ambience
the atmosphere of an environment
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ambiguity
unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning
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analogy
drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect
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anecdote
short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
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archetype
something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies
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articulation
the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
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artifact
a man-made object taken as a whole
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assonance
the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words
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ballad
a narrative poem of popular origin
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bias
a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation
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Bible
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
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bylaw
a rule adopted by an organization in order to regulate its own affairs and the behavior of its members
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censorship
deleting parts of publications or correspondence or theatrical performances
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characterization
the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features
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cinematographer
a photographer who operates a movie camera
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circumlocution
an indirect way of expressing something
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cognate
related by blood
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coherence
the state of cohering or sticking together
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cohesion
the state of cohering or sticking together
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collective noun
a noun that is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things
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commercialization
the act of commercializing something; involving something in commerce
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concept
an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
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consonance
the property of sounding harmonious
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context
the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
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couplet
a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse; usually rhymed
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credibility
the quality of being believable or trustworthy
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dash
run or move very quickly or hastily
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debate
a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal
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deconstruct
interpret (a text or an artwork) by the method of deconstructing
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delivery
the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another
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dictation
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
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diction
the manner in which something is expressed in words
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directionality
the property of being directional or maintaining a direction
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emphasis
intensity or forcefulness of expression
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epic
a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
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ethics
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
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excerpt
a passage selected from a larger work
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feature article
a special or prominent article in a newspaper or magazine
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hyperbole
extravagant exaggeration
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idiom
an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up
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incongruity
the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate
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inflection
the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
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interior monologue
a literary genre that presents a fictional character's sequence of thoughts in the form of a monologue
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irony
incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
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job application
an application for a job
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job interview
an interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment
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leave-taking
the act of departing politely
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literary criticism
the informed analysis and evaluation of literature
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logical fallacy
a fallacy in logical argumentation
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lyric poem
a short poem of songlike quality
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medium
the surrounding environment
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memorandum
a written proposal or reminder
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methodology
the system of methods followed in a particular discipline
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microfiche
small sheet of microfilm on which many pages of material have been photographed; a magnification system is used to read the material
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modulation
the act of modifying or adjusting according to due measure and proportion (as with regard to artistic effect)
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mythology
myths collectively; the body of stories associated with a culture or institution or person
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narrator
someone who tells a story
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negotiate
discuss the terms of an arrangement
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norm
a standard or model or pattern regarded as typical
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noun phrase
a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb
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nuance
a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
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ode
a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
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onomatopoeia
using words that imitate the sound they denote
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overstatement
making to seem more important than it really is
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overview
a general summary of a subject
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packaging
material used to make packages
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parable
a short moral story (often with animal characters)
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parody
a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
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pastoral
relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle
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persona
(Jungian psychology) a personal facade that one presents to the world
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production cost
combined costs of raw material and labor incurred in producing goods
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propaganda
information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause
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questionnaire
a form containing a set of questions; submitted to people to gain statistical information
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readability
the quality of written language that makes it easy to read and understand
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red herring
a dried and smoked herring having a reddish color
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redraft
a draft for the amount of a dishonored draft plus the costs and charges of drafting again
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reflexive pronoun
a personal pronoun compounded with -self to show the agent's action affects the agent
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resume
take up or begin anew
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rhetorical device
a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)
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rhetorical question
a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered
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sarcasm
witty language used to convey insults or scorn
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satire
witty language used to convey insults or scorn
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semicolon
a punctuation mark (`;') used to connect independent clauses; indicates a closer relation than does a period
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soap opera
a serialized program usually dealing with sentimentalized family matters that is broadcast on radio or television (frequently sponsored by a company advertising soap products)
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soliloquy
speech you make to yourself
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stream of consciousness
the continuous flow of ideas and feelings that constitute an individual's conscious experience
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subvocalize
articulate without making audible sounds
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thesis
an unproved statement put forward as a premise in an argument
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transparency
the quality of being clear and transparent
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understatement
a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
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warranty
a written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications
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word processing
rapid and efficient processing (storage and printing) of linguistic data for composition and editing
