Latin Literary Terms

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allegory

Back 1

story within a story

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alliteration

Back 2

repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words

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allusion

Back 3

direct/indirect reference to something commonly known

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ambiguity

Back 4

multiple meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

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asyndeton

Back 5

taking out the conjunctions of a statement

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ad hominem

Back 6

arguement attacking a man, a false arguement

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assonance

Back 7

repetition of vowel sounds

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anaphora

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repetition of the same beginning words of each clause

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anachronism

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misplaced information, out of time or place

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mondegreen

Back 10

misinterpretation of a phrase

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analogy

Back 11

drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect

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antecedent

Back 12

the word, phrase, or clause to which the pronoun refers

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aphorism

Back 13

statement that expresses a general truth or a moral principle

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apostrophe

Back 14

figure of speech that directly addresses something absent or imaginary

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atmosphere

Back 15

emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work

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understatement

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the ironic minimalizing of fact, presenting something as less than it is

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colloquialism

Back 17

use of slang or informalities in speech or writing

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conceit

Back 18

comparison between two opposite things

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connotation

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the nonliteral, implied meaning of a word involving ideas, emotions, or attitudes

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denotation

Back 20

strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word

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diction

Back 21

word choice

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chiasmus

Back 22

inversion in the second of two parallel phrases

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didactic

Back 23

teaching or instructing, especially about moral or ethical principals

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euphemism

Back 24

good speech, especially that is less offensive or more agreeable

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extended metaphor

Back 25

a metaphor developed at great length, occuring frequently or throughout

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figurative language

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writing or speech that is meant to be imaginative and vivid

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figure of speech

Back 27

a device used to produce figurative language

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genre

Back 28

the major category into which a literary work fits

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homily

Back 29

preaching, sermon, serious talk or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

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hyperbole

Back 30

a figure of speech that deliberately exaggerates or overstates

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imagery

Back 31

the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions

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ellipsis

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an omition

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epiphany

Back 33

a revelation

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inference

Back 34

to draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented

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invective

Back 35

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

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irony

Back 36

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant

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loose sentence

Back 37

type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units

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metaphor

Back 38

figure of speech using implied comparison of semming ly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting similarity

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metonomy

Back 39

figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it

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grammatical mood

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deals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude

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literary mood

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the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work

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wit

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intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights

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onomatopeia

Back 43

figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words

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oxymoron

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figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox

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paradox

Back 45

statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but contains some degree of truth or validity

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parallel structure

Back 46

referring to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity

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parody

Back 47

work that imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule

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pedantic

Back 48

adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish

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periodic sentence

Back 49

sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end

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personification

Back 50

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

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point of view

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perspective from which the story is told

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predicate adjective

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follows a linking verb and describes the subject

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predicate nominative

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a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject

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prose

Back 54

ordinary writing as distinguished from verse

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repetition

Back 55

duplication of any element of language, such as sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern

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rhetoric

Back 56

study of the technique and rules for using language effectively, especially in public speaking

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rhetorical modes

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exposition, argumentation, description, narration

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exposition

Back 58

to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion

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argumentation

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to prove the validity of a point of view by presenting reasoning, discussion, and argument, that thoroughly convince the reader

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persuasive writing

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type of argumentation having an additional aim of urging some form of action

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description

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to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action to make it visible to the reader

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narration

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to tell a story of an event or series of events

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sarcasm

Back 63

bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something

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satire

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work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule

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semantics

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branch of linguistics, choice of words

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style

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choices a writer makes, combination of distinctive features of a literary work, how the author compares to other authors

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subject complement

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word or group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject

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subordinate clause

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clause in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and that functions within the sentence as a noun or adjective or adverb

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syllogism

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deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises

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symbolism

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anything that represents or stands for something else, usually something concrete

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syntax

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way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences

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theme

Back 72

central idea or message of the work

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motif

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a recurring theme

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thesis

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sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author's opinion, purpose, meaning, or proposition in expository writing

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tone

Back 75

describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both