Ad hoc
For a single purpose
Ad hominem
Personal attack
Allegory
Symbolic story that parallels actual events
Alliteration
Repeated consonant at beginning of words
Allusion
Vague reference to historical place/person etc.
Ambiguity
Multiple meanings of text
Analogy
Comparison explaining an unfamiliar event with familiar
Antecedent
Word/phrase a pronoun refers to
Antithesis
Nearness of contrasting ideas
Aphorism
Statement expressing moral principal
Apostrophe
Language that directly addresses absent idea
Atmosphere
Mood of piece
Caricature
Exaggerated description of characteristic
Colloquialism
Informal words not used in formal writing
Conceit
Extended metaphor
Connotation
Interpretive meaning based on associated images
Denotation
Literal meaning of word
Diction
Word choice
Didactic
Intended to teach
Euphemism
Polite term for unpleasant concept
Extended metaphor
Long figurative comparison
Figurative language
Non-literal speech
Homily
Serious speech giving moral advice
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration
Imagery
Sensory details
Infer/inference
Educated guess
Invective
Violent verbal accusation
Irony
Language that points to a discrepancy between two different meanings EX: verbal, situation, dramatic
Metaphor
Comparison of two different things
Mood
Atmosphere of a piece
Narrative
Story-like explanation of a piece