Literary Terms for LitCritters

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Anacrusis

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A brief introduction or lead-in to a line of verse, often consisting of one or more unstressed syllables.

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Old English

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The early form of the English language spoken and written in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.

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Syllepsis

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A figure of speech in which a word is applied to two others in different senses.

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Refrain

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A repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse.

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Metathesis

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The transposition of sounds or letters in a word.

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Dactyl

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A metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

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Didacticism

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An artistic philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature and other types of art.

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Consonance

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The recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity.

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Polyptoton

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The stylistic scheme in which words derived from the same root are repeated.

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Ambiguity

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The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.