rhet/lit terms

A type of humorous writing which exposes human flaws, especially those institutionalized by society, with the hope of correcting the behavior



A form of poetry using tercets with an interlocking rhyme scheme

• a figure of speech in which a part stands as a whole
• ex: "Lend me your ears" for give me your attention

a phrase set off by commas or parenthesis with commentary or added detail

sentence structure in question form

sentence structures in command form

sentence structures in statement form

Word choice focusing primarily on abstract words such as friendship, passion, hatred

Word choice focusing primary on descriptive adjectives and sensory imagery

A sentence which contains a subject and a verb, or one independent clause, may or may not have two subjects or two verbs

A sentence which contains an independent clause and a dependent (or subordinate) clause

A sentence with two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction

A sentence consisting of five words or less

A word that is used to stand for something else that shares its attributes, “crown” for king, the “Oval Office,” for the president

Taking two statements, assumed to be true, and forming a conclusion.

The writer’s attitude towards the subject

When one word or one phrase governs another two or more words. “She lost her heart and her earring at the prom.”

Old-fashioned language, often deliberately used to create a feeling of antiquity

A deliberate pause in a poem

The beat or rhythm in poetry in a general sense

Every day speech and conversation that is not part of academic or formal writing

A pair of lines that end in rhyme

A minor character whose attributes serve to highlight aspects of the protagonist’s character, often by contast. Example: Ismene to Antigone, Raymond to Mersault, Laertes to Hamlet.

Turning or twisting, figurative language

Serious and often somber drama that typically ends in disaster