25. Denotation literal meaning of a word as defined
26. Description the picturing in words of something or someone through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four modes of discourse
27. Diction word choice, an element of style; Diction creates tone, attitude, and style, as well as meaning. Different types and arrangements of words have significant effects on meaning. An essay written in academic diction would be much less colorful, but perhaps more precise than street slang.
28. Didactic writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. A didactic work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns. Didactic writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior or thinking.
29. Discourse spoken or written language, including literary works; the four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description, exposition, narration, and persuasion
.
30. Dissonance harsh or grating sounds that do not go together
31. Dramatic Irony When the reader is aware of an inconsistency between a fictional or nonfictional character’s perception of a situation and the truth of that situation.
32. Emotional Appeal When a writer appeals to readers’ emotions (often through pathos) to excite and involve them in the argument.
33. Epigraph the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is “You are all a lost generation” by Gertrude Stein.
34. Ethical Appeal When a writer tries to persuade the audience to respect and believe him or her based on a presentation of image of self through the text. Reputation is sometimes a factor in ethical appeal, but in all cases the aim is to gain the audience’s confidence.
35. Euphemism a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. “He went to his final reward” is a common euphemism for “he died.” Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses “collateral damage” to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.
36. Euphony a succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or prose; the opposite of cacophony
37. Example An individual instance taken to be representative of a general pattern. Arguing by example is considered reliable if examples are demonstrable true or factual as well as relevant.
38. Explication The art of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text. Explication usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language.
39. Exposition the immediate revelation to the audience of the setting and other background information necessary for understanding the plot; also, explanation; one of the four modes of discourse
40. Extended Metaphor a sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is
developed throughout a piece of writing
41. False Analogy When two cases are not sufficiently parallel to lead readers to accept a claim of connection between them.
42. Figurative Language language that contains figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, in order
to create associations that are imaginative rather than literal.
43. Figures of Speech expressions, such as similes, metaphors, and personifications, that make imaginative, rather than literal, comparisons or associations.
44. Foreshadowing the use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event that occurs late in the work
45. Freight-Train Sentence consisting of three or more very short independent clauses joined by
conjunctions.
46. Generalization When a writer bases a claim upon an isolated example or asserts that a claim is certain rather than probable. Sweeping generalizations occur when a writer asserts that a claim applies to all instances instead of some.
47. Genre a type of literary work, such as a novel or poem; there are also subgenres, such as science fiction or sonnet, within the larger genres
48. Hubris the excessive pride of ambition that leads a tragic hero to disregard warnings of impending doom, eventually causing his or her downfall.