Antithesis

Antithesis
Definition: An antithesis is used when the writer employs two sentences of contrasting meanings in close proximity to one another. Whether they are words or phrases of the same sentence, an antithesis is used to create a stark contrast using two divergent elements that come together to create one uniform whole. An antithesis plays on the complementary property of opposites to create one vivid picture. The purpose of using an antithesis in literature is to create a balance between opposite qualities and lend a greater insight into the subject. Example: When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon it might have been one small step for a man but it was one giant leap for mankind.

Consonance

Consonance
Definition: Consonance refers to repetition of sounds produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. In this regard consonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from alliterations is that it is the repetition of only consonant sounds. Consonance is the opposite of assonance, which implies repetitive usage of vowel sounds.

Example: Sing sweet songs for suzy.

Blank Verse

Blank Verse

Blank Verse
Definition: Blank Verse consists of lines of iambic pentameter (five-stress iambic verse) which are unrhymed—hence the term "blank." Of all English metrical forms it is closest to the natural rhythms of English speech, and at the same time flexible and adaptive to diverse levels of discourse; as a result it has been more frequently and variously used than any other type of versification. Soon after blank verse was introduced by the Earl of Surrey in his translations of Books 2 and 4 of Virgil's The Aeneid (about 1540), it became the standard meter for Elizabethan and later poetic drama; a free form of blank verse is still the medium in such twentieth-century verse plays as those by Maxwell Anderson and T. S. Eliot. John Milton used blank verse for his epic Paradise Lost (1667), James Thomson for his descriptive and philosophical Seasons (1726-30), William Wordsworth for his autobiographical Prelude (1805), Alfred, Lord Tennyson for the narrative Idylls of the King (1891), Robert Browning for The Ring and the Book (1868-69) and many dramatic monologues, and T. S. Eliot for much of The Waste Land (1922). A large number of meditative lyrics, from the Romantic Period to the present, have also been written in blank verse, including Coleridge's "Frost at Midnight," Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," Tennyson's "Tears, Idle Tears" (in which the blank verse is divided into five-line stanzas), and Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning."

Idiom of the day

a crush on 

sudden feeling of love or

romance

Judy has a crush on Tim. See the way she

looks at him.

a crying shame 

a sad event, 

it is too bad It's a crying shame that they didn't have fire

insurance.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions

A conjunction is a linking word such as and, or, but. Conjunctions are used to connect words or sentences. A conjunction may link two or more than two words or sentences. Conjunctions connect words or groups of words and show how the words are related. There are three kinds of conjunctions.: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions. 

1. Coordinating conjunctions link similar words or word groups. There are seven coordinating conjunctions:

• both . . .and
• either . . . or
• neither . . . nor
• not only . . . but 
• also whether . . . or

Use this mnemonic to help you remember the seven coordinating conjunctions:

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

2. Correlative conjunctions also link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs. Here are the correlative conjunctions:

• both . . .and
• either . . . or
• neither . . . nor 
• not only . . . but also 
• whether . . . or

3. Subordinating conjunctions link an independent clause (complete sentence) to a dependent

clause (fragment). Here are the most often used subordinating conjunctions:

after	although	as		as if
as	long	as		as soon as
before	even though	in order that		if
since	so that	though		till
unless	until	when		whenever
where	wherever	as though
because

Examples:

Maggie could play the piano before she was five.
I always brush my teeth after I’ve had my breakfast.
You have grown taller since I saw you last.
Look both ways before you cross the street.
Joe listened to music while he was doing his homework.
Miss Lee was smiling as she walked into the class.
Wait here until I come back.
Don’t leave until you’ve finished your work.
Tran saw an accident while he was walking home.
Take all your belongings with you when you leave the plane.
Joe first met his wife when he was studying in London.
Tom and Joe have been friends since childhood.
After he began exercising regularly, Jerry became healthier.
The animal is large but timid.
It’s cold, wet and windy today.
Is this a sheep or a goat?
a cat and its kittens
a builder and his tools
a doctor and a nurse
slow but steady
sweet or sour?
a male or a female?
A horse, a zebra or a donkey?
Paul has a dog, a parrot and a cat.

Next>>Interjections

Autobiography

Autobiography
Definition: An Autobiography is a biography written by the subject about himself or herself. It is to be distinguished from the memoir, in which the emphasis is not on the author's developing self but on the people and events that the author has known or witnessed, and also from the private diary or journal, which is a day-to-day record of the events in one's life, written for personal use and satisfaction, with little or no thought of publication. Example: The latter type are the seventeenth-century diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, the eighteenth-century journals of James Boswell and Fanny Burney, and Dorothy Wordsworth's remarkable Journals, written 1798-1828, but not published until long after her death. The first fully developed autobiography is also the most influential: the Confessions of St. Augustine, written in the fourth century.

Biography

Biography 

Definition: Late in the seventeenth century, John Dryden defined biography neatly as "the history of particular men's lives." The name now connotes a relatively full account of a particular person's life, involving the attempt to set forth character, temperament, and milieu, as well as the subject's activities and experiences.

Adverbs

Adverbs

An adverb is a word that describes a verb. It tells you about an action, or the way something is done. A lot of adverbs end in -ly. Many adverbs are made by adding –ly. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs answer the questions: When? Where? How? or To what extent?

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. For example:

Quick — quickly

Careful — carefully

Accurate — accurately

• Here are some of the most common non-ly adverbs:

Afterward, Almost, Already, also, back, even, far, fast, hard, here, how, late, long, low, more, near, never, next, now, often, quick, rather, slow, soon, still, then, today, tomorrow, too, when, where, yesterday

Follow these guidelines when you use adverbs:

1. Use an adverb to describe a verb.

Experiments using dynamite must be done carefully.

2. Use an adverb to describe an adjective.

Sam had an unbelievably huge appetite for chips.

3. Use an adverb to describe another adverb.

They sang so clearly.

• Conjunctive adverbs are used to connect other words and to link ideas and

paragraphs,accordingly, again, also, besides, consequently, finally, for example, furthermore, however, indeed, moreover, on the other hand, otherwise, nevertheless, then, therefore

Adjective	Adverb
beautiful	beautifully
brave	bravely
bright	brightly
fierce	fiercely
happy	happily
heavy	heavily
loud	loudly
peaceful	peacefully
slow	slowly
sound	soundly
Sweet	Sweetly

Examples.

The baby is sleeping soundly.

The dog is barking fiercely.

Alice skated beautifully.

The Prince and the Princess lived happily ever after.

The birds are singing sweetly.

It is raining heavily.

The dog and the cat live together peacefully.

The soldiers fought bravely.

The sun is shining brightly.

The old man walked slowly.

They laughed loudly.

• Some adverbs describe the way something is done. They are called adverbs of manner. For Example.

Adjective	Adverb
careless	carelessly
cheap	cheaply
clear	clearly
close	closely
correct	correctly
different	differently
playful	playfully
safe	safely
selfish	selfishly
skillful	skillfully
smart	smartly

Examples.

The driver braked suddenly.

The parcel arrived safely.

Please write legibly.

Please speak clearly.

Look closely at these footprints.

You have all answered correctly.

You can shop cheaply at this store.

Jamal dressed smartly for the party.

Maria is behaving selfishly.

The man drove carelessly.

The twins liked to dress differently.

She played skillfully.

The dog jumped up playfully.

• Some adverbs describe when something happens.They are called adverbs of time. For Example.

He often swims in the evening.

Lisa is always cheerful.

Sometimes I ride my bike to school.

Everyone arrived early.

David arrived late.

It’s snowing again.

The mother bird started to build her nest yesterday.

She is continuing to build it today.

She will finish it tomorrow.

John’s shoes were too big for him last year.

They fit him this year.

They will be too small for him next year.

It rained last night.

The weather is fine this morning.

Can I do my work later? No, do it now.

• Paul has just arrived.Some adverbs tell you where something happens. They are called adverbs of place. For Example.

Come here!

Please put the books there.

The workers are moving the rubbish away.

The miners are working underground.

They are going abroad to study.

There are trees everywhere.

Alice lived next door.

Next>> Conjunctions

Verse

Verse
Definition: The literary term ‘verse’ is used to refer to any single, lone line of a poetry composition. A metrical writing line is known as verse. The word can however, also refer to a stanza or any other part of the poetry. Example: A single line or stanze in poetry would be an example of verse.

Wit

Wit
Definition: Wit is the ability to make brilliant, imaginative or clever connections between ideas and deftness. The original meaning of wit is knowledge, and then intellect.

Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude

Definition: Verisimilitude is an interesting literary device wherein the quality of seeming truthfulness or verity is ascribed to a person, notion, concept, statement or event. The quality of the stated seeming to be true and correct and accurate is referred to as verisimilitude.

Example: The bestseller ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ lent verisimilitude to the suffering of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Ballad

Ballad

Definition: A short definition of the popular ballad (known also as the folk ballad or traditional ballad) is that it is a song, transmitted orally, which tells a story. Ballads are thus the narrative species of folk songs, which originate, and are communicated orally, among illiterate or only partly literate people. In all probability the initial version of a ballad was composed by a single author, but he or she is unknown; and since each singer who learns and re- peats an oral ballad is apt to introduce changes in both the text and the tune, it exists in many variant forms. Typically, the popular ballad is dramatic, condensed, and impersonal: the narrator begins with the climactic episode, tells the story tersely by means of action and dialogue (sometimes by means of the dialogue alone), and tells it without self-reference or the expression of personal attitudes or feelings. The most common stanza form—called the ballad stanza—is a quatrain in alternate four- and three-stress lines; usually only the second and fourth lines rhyme. This is the form of "Sir Patrick Spens"; the first stanza of this ballad also exemplifies the conventionally abrupt opening and the manner of proceeding by third-person narration, curtly sketched setting and action, sharp transition, and spare dialogue: The king sits in Dumferling towne,Drinking the blude-red wine:"O whar will I get a guid sailor,To sail this schip of mine.

Tragic Flow

Tragic Flow

Definition: The error, misstep, frailty or flaw that causes the downfall of the hero at tragedy. For example, in Hamlet the tragic flow of protagonist Hamlet is delaying and delaying Though Hamlet has gotten many chances to take the revenge of her father’s killer but he does not kill the killer. As a result, at last he takes his tragic death.

Adjectives

Adjectives

An adjective is a describing word. It tells you more about a noun. An adjective usually appears before the noun it describes. Sometimes, though, the adjective appears after the noun, later in the sentence. Adjectives are words that describe "nouns" and pronouns. Adjectives answer the questions: What kind? How much? Which one? How many?

For example:

a busy street

a dark corner

a deep sea

a large bed

It is windy.

John’s handwriting is very neat.

The sea is rough.

All the players are very tall.

The baby’s hands are very small.

Sue’s drawing is beautiful.

That problem is too difficult.

Peter is very quiet today.

They live in a beautiful house.

Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today. 

This soup is not edible.

She wore a beautiful dress.

He writes meaningless letters.

This shop is much nicer.

Ben is an adorable baby.

Linda’s hair is gorgeous.

This glass is breakable.

I met a homeless person in New York.

Q. What kind of this ring? 
A. It's gold ring
Q. How much Sugar do you want? 
A. I want more sugar
Which one? second chance, those chocolates
How many? several chances, six books

There are five kinds of adjectives:

• Common adjectives
• Proper adjectives
• Compound adjectives
• Articles
• Indefinite adjectives.

1. Common adjectives describe nouns or pronouns.
strong man
green plant
beautiful view

2. Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.
California vegetables (from the noun “California”)
Mexican food (from the noun “Mexico”)

3. Compound adjectives are made up of more than one word.
far-off country
teenage person

4. Articles are a special type of adjective. 
There are three articles: a, an, the.
The is called a “definite article” because it refers to a specific thing.
A and an are called “indefinite articles” because they refer to general things. Use a with
consonant sounds; use an before vowel sounds.

5. Indefinite adjectives don’t specify the specific amount of something.
all anotherany both each either 
few many more most neither other several some

Note
Follow these guidelines when you use adjectives:
1. Use an adjective to describe a noun or a pronoun.
Jesse was unwilling to leave the circus.

2. Use vivid adjectives to make your writing more specific and descriptive.
Take a larger slice of the luscious cake.

3. Use an adjective after a linking verb. A linking verb connects a subject with a descriptive
word. The most common linking verbs are be (is, am, are, was, were, and so on), seem,
appear, look, feel, smell, sound, taste, become, grow, remain, stay, and

One can make adverbs from some adjectives by adding the suffixly. Example: take the adjective "beautiful," the adverb is beautifully.

Next>>Adverbs

Anastrophe

Anastrophe is a form of literary device wherein the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence is exchanged. In standard parlance and writing the adjective comes before the noun but when one is employing an anastrophe the noun is followed by the adjective. This reversed order creates a dramatic impact and lends weight to the description offered by the adjective. 

Example: He spoke of times past and future, and dreamt of things to be.

Analogy

An analogy is a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. By using an analogy we can convey a new idea by using the blueprint of an old one as a basis for understanding. With a mental linkage between the two, one can create comprehension regarding the new concept in a simple and succinct manner.

Example:In the same way as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, one cannot achieve success and riches without hard work.

Three Unities

Three Unities

Definition:

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, critics of the drama in Italy and France added to Aristotle's unity of action, which he describes in his Poetics (Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory.) two other unities, to constitute one of the rules of drama known as "the three unities." On the assumption that verisimilitude (The appearance of being true or real.) the achievement of an illusion of reality in the audience of a stage play requires that the action represented by a play approximate the actual conditions of the staging of the play, they imposed the requirement of the "unity of place" (that the action represented be limited to a single location) and the requirement of the "unity of time" (that the time represented be limited to the two or three hours it takes to act the play, or at most to a single day of either twelve or twenty-four hours). In large part because of the potent example of Shakespeare, many of whose plays represent frequent changes of place and the passage of many years, the unities of place and time never dominated English neoclassicism ( Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome.) as they did criticism in Italy and France. A final blow was the famous attack against them, and against the principle of dramatic verisimilitude on which they were based, in Samuel Johnson's "Preface to Shakespeare" (1765). Since then in England, the unities of place and time (as distinguished from the unity of action) have been regarded as entirely optional devices, available to the playwright to achieve special effects of dramatic concentration. 

Idioms of The day

a contract out on

a contract that pays to have

someone killed

There's a contract out on Mike. The boss

doesn't like him.

a coon's age 

many years, a dog's age 

We haven't been out to the coast in a coon's

age. It's been years.

a crash course 

a short course that has the

main facts and skills

He took a crash course in cooking and bought a

cafe.

Ambiguity

Ambiguity

In ordinary usage "ambiguity" is applied to a fault in style; that is, the use of a vague or equivocal expression when what is wanted is precision (noun. the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate.) and particularity of reference. Since William Empson published Seven Types of Ambiguity (1930), however, the term has been widely used in criticism to identify a deliberate poetic device: the use of a single word or expression to signify two or more distinct references, or to express two or more diverse attitudes or feelings. Multiple meaning and plurisignation (Extract. A term it means, literally, several or many signs or marks to indicate that a word, a passage or a whole work may have various levels and meanings of what is described as 'semantic thrust'.) are alternative terms for this use of language; they have the advantage of avoiding the pejorative association with the word "ambiguity."

Idiom of the day

a close shave 

very close to serious injury or death

The old man described his fight with the bear as

a close shave.

a clutch hitter (baseball)

a batter who hits when runners

are on base

Joe's a clutch hitter. He's batting .431 with runners on base.

a common thread

an idea or theme that is similar

to others

There's a common thread in most of Berton's

stories.

Idiom of the Day

a cut above 

superior, better 

A scholar's work is a cut above. It's superior to

the others.

a cut-up 

a joker, a person who tells

jokes and has fun

When Marsha goes to a party she's a real cutup

- a lot of fun.

Assonance

Assonance

Assonance refers to repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase. In this regard assonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from alliterations is that it is the repetition of only vowel sounds. Assonance is the opposite of consonance, which implies repetitive usage of consonant sounds.

Example:“A long song”.(Where the ‘o’ sound is repeated in the last two words of the sentence)

Anagrams

 

Anagrams

Anagrams are an extremely popular form of literary device wherein the writer jumbles up parts of the word to create a new word. From the syllables of a phrase to the individual letters of a word, any fraction can be jumbled to create a new form. Anagram is a form of wordplay that allows the writer to infuse mystery and a little interactive fun in the writing so that the reader can decipher the actual word on their own and discover a depth of meaning to the writing.

Example: An anagram for "debit card" is "bad credit". As you can see, both phrases use the same letters. By mixing the letters a bit of humor is created.

Amplification

Amplification

Amplification refers to a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability. When a plain sentence is too abrupt and fails to convey the full implications desired, amplification comes into play when the writer adds more to the structure to give it more meaning.

Example: Original sentence- The thesis paper was difficult. After amplification- The thesis paper was difficult: it required extensive research, data collection, sample surveys, interviews and a lot of fieldwork.

Use of was, were

"Was" is used in the first and third person singular past. It is used for statements of fact. "Were" is used in the second person singular and plural and first and third person plural. It is used in the subjunctive mood to indicate unreal or hypothetical statements.

Examples:

He was a rich man.
He was not a rich man.
Was he a rich man?
That girl was beautiful.
That girl was not beautiful.
Was that girl beautiful?
Allama Iqbal Was a great man.
He was an honest leader.
They were not students.
We were not theives.
They were brave boys.
Were they good player?
We were not their enemies.
They were sincere people.
He was a proud man.
We were there companions