Origin of Brevity is the Soul of Wit It is one of the countless phrases coined by William Shakespeare. It appears in his play, Hamlet, in the second act, where Polonius says, “Since brevity is the soul of wit /…
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10 Beautiful Allusions in Poetry
Allusion in Poetry Allusion and poetry seem to go hand in hand – each one makes the other stronger. An allusion is a word or phrase designed to call something to mind, without mentioning that thing explicitly. This something in poetry can…
Melodrama
Definition of Melodrama Melodrama is a subgenre of drama, which is an exaggerated form of this genre. Melodramas deal with sensational and romantic topics that appeal to the emotions of the common audience. Originally, it made use of melody and…
Omniscient
Definition of Omniscient Omniscient is a literary technique of writing a narrative in third person, in which the narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story. Through omniscient narrative, the author brings an entire world of…
Parenthesis
Definition of Parenthesis Parenthesis is a stylistic device that comes from the Greek word meaning “to place,” or “alongside.” Parenthesis is a qualifying or explanatory sentence, clause, or word that writers insert into a paragraph or passage. However, if they…
Figurative Language
Figurative Language Definition Figurative language uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful. Figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give readers new insights. On the…
Drama
Definition of Drama Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of play written for theater, television, radio,…
Epistolary
Definition of Epistolary Epistolary comes from a Greek word, epistolē, which means “letter.” Epistolary is a literary genre pertaining to letters, in which writers use letters, journals, and diary entries in their works, or they tell their stories or deliver…
Vignette
Definition of Vignette Vignette is a small impressionistic scene, an illustration, a descriptive passage, a short essay, a fiction or nonfiction work focusing on one particular moment; or giving an impression about an idea, character, setting, mood, aspect, or object.…
Folklore
Definition of Folklore Folklore is a collection of fictional stories about animals and people, of cultural myths, jokes, songs, tales, and even quotes. It is a description of culture, which has been passed down verbally from generation to generation, though…
Trope
Definition of Trope Trope is a figure of speech through which speakers or writers intend to express meanings of words differently than their literal meanings. In other words, it is a metaphorical or figurative use of words in which writers…
Spondee
Definition of Spondee A metrical foot, spondee is a beat in a poetic line that consists of two accented syllables (stressed/stressed) or DUM-DUM stress pattern. Spondee is a poetic device that is not as common as other metrical feet, like…
Dactyl
Definition of Dactyl Dactyl is a metrical foot, or a beat in a line, containing three syllables in which the first one is accented, followed by second and third unaccented syllables (accented/unaccented/unaccented) in quantitative meter, such as in the word…
15 Fun Alliterative Tongue Twisters
Many Tongue Twisters are Alliterative You probably didn’t know when you were younger that you were constantly saying examples of alliteration. They were fun for you to say, which is why you didn’t know what was happening. Alliteration is the…
200 Short and Sweet Metaphor Examples
A metaphor is a word or phrase that is used to make a comparison between two things. They can be very useful, and we use them all the time in daily conversation, and we do not even realize it! Let’s…
10 Dramatic Uses of Apostrophe by Edgar Allan Poe
Apostrophe and Edgar Allan Poe An apostrophe is a literary device that an author uses to have his characters address characters, personifications, or ideas directly, as though they were present in the scene. Apostrophes are common in plays and poetry,…
Top 6 Great Metaphors in Presidential Speeches
A metaphor is a device that allows people to compare one thing to another, whether or not that other thing is named. Presidential speeches are full of metaphors because they can act as a bolster to morale, encourage participation, and…
Sestina
Definition of Sestina Sestina is a type of a poem that contains six stanzas, each stanza having six lines, while a concluding seventh stanza has three lines called “envoi,” which is also known as “tornada.“ As sestina derives its name…
Semantic
Definition of Semantics Semantics is one of the important branches of linguistics, and deals with interpretation and meaning of the words, sentence structure, and symbols. It deals with the reading comprehension of the readers, in how they understand others and…
Prosody
Definition of Prosody A literary technique, prosody is the study of meter, intonation, and rhythm of a poetic work. It is a phonetic term that uses meter, rhythm, tempo, pitch, and loudness in a speech for conveying information about the…