Mr. A's Glossary
This glossary contains definitions for words used throughout the website. If you have a suggestion of a word that should be included here, please e-mail me at tim@mr-anderson.com.
Browse the glossary using this index
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
I |
|---|
inferential questionA question that asks a responder to draw a conclusion. | |
infinitiveA verb that is usually introduced by to. The infinitive may be used as a noun or a modifier. | |
inflectionThe process or result of changing the form of a word to express a syntactic function without changing the word's grammatical class, as run to ran or runs. | |
informational documentsWorks of nonfiction such as transcripts, reports or journals. | |
internal rhymerhymes inside the lines, or a word inside a line that rhymes with a word at the end of a line | |
interrogative sentenceA sentence that asks a question or makes an inquiry. | |
intonationThe rise and fall of a voice pitch. | |
irregularAn exception to a linguistic pattern or rule, as good, better, best are exceptions to the usual -er, -est pattern of comparatives and superlatives in English. | |
Italian/Petrarchan Sonneta fourteen-line poem of an octave and a sestet. Abba abba cde cde | |
L |
|---|
languageThe systematic use of sounds, signs and symbols as a method of communication; in writing, the choice of words used to convey meaning. | |
limericka five-line nonsense poem, mostly in anapest, rhyme scheme aabba. Lines one, two, and five have three feet, but lines three and four have only two feet. | |
limited point of viewThe vantage point in which a narrator tells the story in the third person but often confines himself or herself to what is experienced, thought and felt by a single or limited number of characters. | |
literal meaningThe actual meaning of a word or a phrase. | |
literary elementA component of a piece of literature such as plot or setting in a story. | |
M |
|---|
main ideaThe gist of a passage; the central thought; the chief topic of a passage expressed or implied in a word or phrase; the topic sentence of a paragraph; a statement in sentence form which gives the stated or implied major topic of a passage and the specific way in which the passage is limited in content or reference. | |
masculine rhymeArray | |
mediaA means of communication, especially of mass communication, such as books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, motion pictures and recordings. | |
meronym1. A word that refers to a part of what another word refers
to
Examples:
| |
metaphorA figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things (e.g., he's a tiger). | |
meterthe pattern of rhythm of syllables. | |
metonymA word designates something by the name of something associated
with it Examples:
| |
metronymA name derived from the name of one's mother, or another female
ancestor. From Greek metros (=mother). | |
monologueAn extended speech in a drama or a narrative that is presented by one character. | |
moodThe feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for a reader; a reflection of an author's attitude toward a subject or theme. | |
motivationan inducement or incentive to action; in a story, the psychological or social factors that drive character action | |
N |
|---|
narrativeOne of the four traditional forms of composition in speech and writing that tells a story or gives an account of something, dealing with sequences of events and experiences, though not necessarily in strict order. | |
near rhymeArray | |
nuanceA delicate shade of difference. | |
O |
|---|
omniscient point of viewThe vantage point in which a narrator is removed from the story and knows everything that needs to be known. | |