Literary and structural devices

• A term that describes the repetition of a word for emphasis e.g. Words, words, words.


  Epizeuxis
• Macaronic Language


  A type of poetry that intermingles languages.
• Catachresis


  use of the wrong word for the context to create a paradoxical figure of speech (blind mouths.)
• Epithalamium 


  A poem or song written in celebration of a marriage.
• Hypallage


  Also called a “transferred epithet,” a literary device in which the syntax is jumbled up in order to make a sentence nonsensical.
• Polysyndeton 


  The use of several conjunctions in succession for emphasis.
• Verisimilitude


  When a work of fiction closely mimics reality; authenticity.
• Hyperbation


  inversion of word order in poetry to have an unusual, disorientating effect.
• Metonym


  When a word or phrase is substituted with the literal thing it is describing (the pen is mightier than the sword.)
• Synecdoche


  A literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. "Help me out, I need some hands!" - hands represents humanity, they don't literally mean 'hands.'
• litotes


  Using a negative statement to emphasise a positive meaning.
• Antanaclasis


  When a word is repeated within a sentence but has a different meaning each time.
• Zeugma


  When one word is used to ascribe two separate meanings to two other words. This literary device is great for adding humour and figurative flair as it tends to surprise the reader.

  “Yet time and her aunt moved slowly"
• Aphorism


  A universally accepted truth stated in a concise, to-the-point way. They are typically witty and memorable, often becoming adages or proverbs as people repeat them over and over.

  "To err is human, to forgive is divine"
• Tautology


  When a sentence or short paragraph repeats a word or phrase, expressing the same idea twice. Often, this is a sign that you should trim your work to remove the redundancy (such as “frozen ice”)
• Portmanteau


  When two words are combined to form a new word which refers to a single concept that retains the meanings of both the original words.
• Malapropism


  When similar-sounding words replace their appropriate counterparts, typically to comic effect — one of the most commonly cited is “dance a flamingo,” rather than a “flamenco.”
• Erotesis


  A close cousin of the rhetorical question. Rather than a question asked without expectation of an answer, this is when the question (and the asker) confidently expects a response that is either negative or affirmative.

  “Do you then really think that you have committed your follies in order to spare your son them?”
• Epistrophe


  The opposite of anaphora, with this time a word or phrase being repeated at the end of a sentence.

  “I’ll be ever’where – wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there."
• Cumulative sentence


  One that starts with an independent clause, but then has additional or modifying clauses. They’re often used for contextual or clarifying details.

  “I ran to the store to buy milk, bread, and toilet paper”
• Chiasmus


  When two or more parallel clauses are inverted.

  “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
• Clerihew


  A form of comic verse consisting of two metrically awkward couplets, and usually presents a ludicrously uninformative ‘biography’ of some famous person whose name appears as one of the rhymed words in the first couplet:

  Geoffrey Chaucer

  Could hardly have been coarser,

  But this never harmed the sales

  Of his Canterbury Tales
• Acumen


  If you can easily make decisions or learn important things, you are displaying this noun. This positive word is a great term to use when paying someone a compliment.

  Example: "His legal [noun] makes him likely to win the court case."
• Bastion


  A place that is well-defended, but it can also be used to describe an institution or person who holds firm to principles. Use it when talking or writing about social institutions, politics, news organizations, and more.

  Example: "The city library was a [noun] to the importance of books."
• Burgeon 


  When you’re talking about something that is growing noticeably, you might say that it is [verb]ing. You can use this term literally or figuratively.

  Example: "With the arrival of spring, buds [verb]ed on the tree branches."
•  Effete 


  Sometime, you meet someone or encounter something that is overly refined - even to the point of uselessness. That thing is [adjective].

  Example: "Her beautifully manicured nails were an [adjective] affectation, getting in the way every time she tried to type."
• Galvanize


  Verb that means to stimulate someone to act. Certain life events or situations can inspire other actions and events, and they are perfect for this word.

  Example: "My grandfather's battle with Alzheimer's [verb]ed me, leading me to choose medicine as a career."
• Egregious


  Adjective to describe something that is really extraordinary but negative at the same time. It comes in handy for writing or talking about people breaking important laws or rules.

  Example: "His refusal to stop at the stop sign in front of our house is such an [adjective] driving error that I called the police."
• Insouciant (adjective)

  Someone who is very calm and doesn’t seem bothered by the concerns of daily life can be described as insouciant. This is a great positive word to use in a variety of situations.

  Example: "The rain began to fall, but she turned her face up to it with the insouciant joy of someone who doesn't mind forgetting an umbrella."
• Metanoia (noun)

  When you’re talking about a fundamental shift in how someone sees something, you’re talking about metanoia. This is a great unusual word to use in essays.

  Example: "The conquering country required complete metanoia from those it ruled; they must believe in the ideals of the rulers, not just pay lip service."
• Obfuscate (verb)

  Have you ever seen someone make something more confusing than it needs to be? That person is obfuscating a concept.

  Example: "While making bread is really a very simple process, his explanation of the different types of yeast and flour served to obfuscate the concept."
• Paucity (noun)

  When something is scarce, there is a paucity of it. This is a good and uncommon word that is extremely useful when talking about a lack of evidence for a claim.

  Example: "The number of people who text and drive shows there is a paucity of common sense in the modern world."
• Ubiquitous (adjective)

  Another really useful word that isn’t common is ubiquitous. It means something that is everywhere at the same time.

  Example: "Cell phones are now ubiquitous with everyone from elementary children to senior citizens using them."
• fragmented narrative


  Fragmentation, as a theoretical term, denotes the deliberate or inherent breaking down of a whole into discrete and often disconnected parts within a specific context.
• Neologism


  A newly coined word or expression in a literary text
• Antithesis


  a rhetorical and literary device that involves the contrast of two opposing or contrasting ideas, often in parallel structures, to create a clear and impactful contrast in a sentence or within a larger text
• Circumlocution


  a literary device in which an idea is expressed through excessive words and convoluted sentence structures. It’s often used to avoid giving an honest or direct answer, especially in delicate or evasive situations.
• Phonetics, phonology and prosodics


  How speech sounds and the effects are articulated and analysed
• Lexis and semantics 


  the vocabulary of English, including social and historical variation
• Grammar including morphology


  the structural patterns and shapes of English at sentence, clause, phrase and word level