John Wilson
English Review
Simile: a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar.
Example: “She 's as fierce as a tiger” is a simile, but “She 's a tiger when she 's angry” is a metaphor.
Metaphor: a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar.
Theme: A topic of discourse or discussion. Example: Italy, dark mansion, etc.
Irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: "Hyde noted the irony of Ireland 's copying the nation she most hated" (Richard Kain). An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. Dramatic irony. Socratic irony
Setting: The time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative, drama, or film takes place.
Stanza: One of the divisions of a poem composed of two or more lines usually characterized by a common pattern of meter, rhyme, and number of lines.
Prose: Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure, to speak or write in a dull, tiresome style.
Verse: A single metrical line in a poetic composition; one line of poetry.
Personification: Inanimate objects are given human attributes or qualities of living things. Example: The car coughed and sputtered.
Repetition: The act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated.
Mood: A pervading impression of an observer Example: the somber mood of the painting.
Genre: A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. Example: "his six String Quartets ... the most important works in the genre since Beethoven 's" (Time).
Simile: a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar.
Example: “She 's as fierce as a tiger” is a simile, but “She 's a tiger when she 's angry” is a metaphor.
Metaphor: a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar.
Theme: A topic of discourse or discussion. Example: Italy, dark mansion, etc.
Irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: "Hyde noted the irony of Ireland 's copying the nation she most hated" (Richard Kain). An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. Dramatic irony. Socratic irony
Setting: The time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative, drama, or film takes place.
Stanza: One of the divisions of a poem composed of two or more lines usually characterized by a common pattern of meter, rhyme, and number of lines.
Prose: Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure, to speak or write in a dull, tiresome style.
Verse: A single metrical line in a poetic composition; one line of poetry.
Personification: Inanimate objects are given human attributes or qualities of living things. Example: The car coughed and sputtered.
Repetition: The act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated.
Mood: A pervading impression of an observer Example: the somber mood of the painting.
Genre: A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content. Example: "his six String Quartets ... the most important works in the genre since Beethoven 's" (Time).