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.
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
D |
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dialectA form of language as it is spoken in a particular geographic area or by a particular social or ethnic group. | |
dialogueA
conversation between two or more characters in a work that is
used by writers to give insight into the characters themselves. | |
dictionClarity and distinctiveness of pronunciation; choice of words in speaking or writing. | |
digraphsTwo successive letters that make a single sound (e.g., ea in bread or ng in sing). | |
dynamic characterA character who undergoes a change during the course of a story. | |
E |
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e.g.Exempli gratia (Latin), meaning "for example." | |
editingA step in preparing a written work for publication or review that focuses on clarity and correctness. | |
end rhymerhyme at the ends of lines of poetry | |
end-stoppeda pause (period or comma) at the end of the line. | |
English/Shakespearean Sonneta fourteen-line poem of four stanzas, three quatrains and a couplet. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. | |
enjambedno pause at the end of the line. | |
epic simileArray | |
eponym
A person whose name is the source of the name of
something. Examples:
Note: The term eponym is also sometimes used to refer to a word that is derived from a person's name. Websites for researching eponyms: | |
et al"and others" or "and elsewhere" (when talking referencing other places in a text). et al. is the abbreviation of any of the latin terms: et alli (male plural), et aliae (female plural), or et alia (neutral plural). | |
evaluative questionA question that asks the responder to make a judgment. | |
exclamatoryA sentence that makes a vehement statement or conveys strong or sentence sudden emotion. | |
exonymA place name used by foreigners that differs from the name used by
natives Examples:
| |
explicitFully or clearly expressed; definite. | |
expositoryA spoken or written composition, intending to set forth or explain. Note: Good exposition is clear in conception, well organized and understandable. It may include limited amounts of argumentation, description and narration to achieve this purpose. | |
eye-rhymeArray | |
F |
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fableA story intended to enforce a useful truth, especially one in which animals speak and act like human beings. | |
fallacyA typical error in reasoning that arises commonly in ordinary discourse and renders unsound the argument in which it appears. | |
feminine rhymeArray | |
figurative languageLanguage enriched by word images and figures of speech. Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. Any language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights into an idea or a subject. The most common figures of speech are simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idioms. | |
figurative meaningA symbolic interpretation of written work. | |
figures of speechspecial poetic ways of expressing things, especially comparisons that are not literally true. | |
first person narrationNarration in which the point of view is that of the main character. | |
flashbackThe technique of stopping the chronological action in a story and shifting to an earlier period to introduce additional information. | |
flat characterA character with only one outstanding trait or feature. | |