Alliteration n.

use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of
verse

Allusion n. passing reference or indirect mention

Ambiguous adj. having more than one possible meaning; having no intrinsic or objective meaning;
not organized in conventional patterns; open to two or more interpretations; or of
uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead

Action verb n. express someone or something doing something

Bias n. a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation; v. cause to

be biased; influence in an unfair way; adj. slanting diagonally across the grain of a
fabric; n. a line or cut across a fabric that is not at right angles to a side of the fabric

Circumlocution n. an indirect way of expressing something; a style that involves indirect ways of
expressing things

Colloquial expression n. a phrase that appears more often in spoken than in written language; similar to
slang, but tend to be more universal, whereas slang can often be limited to a particular
social group; a colloquialism

Comparisons n. systems that distinguish the degree to which the modifier modifies its complement (-
er, -est, more, most, less, least, etc.)

Diction n. the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or

effectiveness

Digressive rebuttal n. an opposing argument or contradiction that doesn’t address the topic of the original
argument

Euphemisms n. the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or
suggest something unpleasant; the expression so substituted

Exaggerations v. to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth; to enlarge or increase especially beyond the
normal

Interjection n. the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts; an abrupt
emphatic exclamation expressing emotion

Irony n. incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; a trope that
involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs; witty language used
to convey insults or scorn

Metaphor n. a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does
not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity; doesn’t use “like” or “as”

Metaphorical Allusion n. a figure of speech in which something is compared to a famed object that it does
not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity

Onomatopoeia n. using words that imitate the sound they denote

Paradox n. (logic) a statement that contradicts itself

Parallelism n. similarity by virtue of corresponding

Parody n. humorous or satirical mimicry; a composition that imitates somebody's style in a

humorous way; v. make a spoof of or make fun of; make a parody of

Personification n. the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.; representing an
 abstract quality or idea as a person or creature; a person who represents an abstract
quality

Pronouncement n. an authoritative declaration

Pun n. a humorous play on words; v. make a play on words

Subordinate clause n. a group of words that has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent
clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Subtle rebuttal n. a contradictory argument that is delivered as an underlying point

Tone n. the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both. Tone is easier to
determine in spoken language than in written language.

Understatement n. a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said

Verbal Irony n. a figure of speech in which the speaker intends to be understood as meaning
something that contrasts with the literal or usual meaning of what he says; ex:
sarcasm, overstatement, understatement