Allegory: a tale
in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract
ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point
Alliteration:
the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of
words
Allusion: a
reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer
expects a reader to recognize
Ambiguity:
something uncertain as to interpretation
Anachronism:
something that shows up in the wrong place or the wrong time
Analogy: a
comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them
Analysis: a
method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts
given rigorous and detailed scrutiny
Anaphora: a device
or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or
more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences
Anecdote: a very
short story used to illustrate a point
Antagonist: a
person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative
Antithesis: a
balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness
Aphorism: a
terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life
Apologia: a
defense or justification for some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action;
also apology
Apostrophe: a
figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or
something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly
