The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene
What is wit
100
A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of grammatical arrangement of words, clauses or sentences
What is antithesis
100
Writing that explains or analyzes
What is expository writing
100
A fallacy of argument in which the writer shows only one side of an argument
What is stacking the deck
100
A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end
What is a periodic sentence
200
An imitation of a work meant to ridicule its style and subject
What is a parody
200
The dictionary definition of a word
What is denotation
200
Words and phrases used in everyday speech but avoided in formal writing
What is colloquial expression
200
A figure of speech that makes a weaker statement than a situation seems to call for
What is understatement
200
Where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event
What is an allegory
300
A direct verbal assault; a denunciation; casting blame on someone or something
What is an invective
300
A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character
What is dramatic irony
300
Using the same part of speech or syntactic structure in 1) Each element of a series 2) Before and after coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) 3) After each of a pair of correlative conjunctions (not only....but also....)
What is parallelism
300
An answer that challenges or refutes a specific claim or charge
What is a rebuttal
300
Direct address, usually to something or someone who is not present
What is an apostrophe
400
A mocking, satirical assault on a person or situation
What is a lampoon
400
The emotional tone or prevailing atmosphere in a work of literature or other discourse. In grammar, it refers to the intent of a particular sentence
What is mood
400
Reversing the normal word order of a sentence
What is inverted syntax
400
Words or phrases that limit the scope of a claim: usually, in a few cases, under these circumstances
What are qualifiers
400
The special language of a profession or group; often evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders
What is jargon
500
A grotesque or exaggerated likeness of striking qualities in persons and things
What is a caricature
500
A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated
What is metonymy
500
An independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses
What is a complex sentence
500
A process of thought in which particular cases lead to general principles
What is inductive reasoning
500
A story designed to suggest a principle, illustrate a moral, allegorical