Sam
The repetition of the same initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables in any sequence of neighboring words
Alliteration
a rhetorical appeal to credibility or ethics
ethos
An intentionally exaggerated statement
Hyperbole
A device used to create contrast by placing two parallel but opposite ideas in a sentence
Antithesis
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
Characterization
Type of word choice; can be formal, informal, slang, or specific to a certain realm (for example: martial or domestic)
Diction
a rhetorical appeal to emotion
Pathos
A thing that represents or stands for another thing like an object that represents an abstract idea
Symbol
a word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several times in a poem
Refrain
a rhetorical appeal to logic
Logos
Repetition of consonant sounds two or more times in short succession within a sentence or phrase (not necessarily at the beginning of words)
Consonance
a figure of speech that makes an explicitly comparison between two unlike things, using words such as like or as
Simile
Descriptive language that directly appeals to the physical senses
Imagery
a literary device in which normally unassociated or contrasting ideas are placed next to one another
Juxtaposition
A character who acts as contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero.
Foil
the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition.
Connotation
the repetition of a similar grammatical structure: for example, "I came; I saw; I conquered."
Parallelism
The use of language that normally signifies the opposite of what the writer intends (often for humorous effect or to add emphasis)
Irony
sentence which uses multiple conjunctions but NO commas to separate the items in a series
Polysyndeton
A type of narrator whose account of the story is affected by immaturity, bias, outright deception, etc.
Unreliable Narrator
a poetic form that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme
Free Verse
a stanza consisting of four lines
Quatrain
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristic to a nonhuman or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
Personification
a statement that says less than what is meant
Understatement
a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology (for example, the "damsel in distress," the "heroic outlaw," the "everyman")
Archetype