Uxorious describes a person, typically a husband, who is excessively fond of or affectionately submissive toward their wife. It's often…
Pedantic means being overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning, often emphasizing the minutiae of knowledge rather…
Foreshadowing can appear in subtle clues or explicit warnings within a dialogue, setting descriptions, or through a character’s thoughts or…
Oratory is the art of speaking. And Oratorical relates to the art or practice of public speaking. An oratorical speech…
Business, technology, and how-to books can be viewed as one-sided sales conversations. Though the author may hope to sell products…
This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange),…
This article explains the tab ruler found on every word processor and typesetting application. Understanding the simple and elegant split…
Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound "right" the same thing that makes an image "pop"…
Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…
This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as…
Most book designers make the same errors. One sore spot for me and with many of my university design students,…
Antimetabole—pronounced an-ti-muh-TAB-uh-lee—involves repeating words in successive clauses, but in reversed order. Listen to Winston S. Churchill’s famous example: 'This is…
Adynaton. Pronounced ad-uh-NAY-ton, is a form of hyperbole that describes something so exaggerated, it's impossible. It's like saying, 'You'll get…
Anecdote. Technically, an anecdote is a short narrative about a real incident or person, usually intended to illustrate or support…
Catechresis. Catechresis is a bold, often startling use of language where a word is used in a way that dramatically…
Chiasmus, pronounced ky-AZ-mus. Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by…
Circumlocution involves using unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to describe something that could be expressed more succinctly. It’s often used…
Epizeuxis is the emphatic repetition of a word, with no other words in between. It’s used to highlight a strong…
Euphony refers to the quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words. It's a…
Exordium—the introductory part of a speech, where you set the stage and prepare your audience for what’s to come. The…
To extemporize is to speak or perform without preparation. Essentially, it's improvising. This skill is invaluable for speakers who need…
Epistrophe is used to emphasize a point and create a memorable rhythm in speech. A classic example comes from Abraham…
A diatribe is a forceful and bitter verbal attack. It’s often a prolonged discourse full of passion and anger, making…
Epithet—a descriptive phrase that expresses a characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. It’s used to add to a person’s…
A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than through rational…
Diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that a writer or speaker uses. The diction in…
Ethos—a rhetorical device that refers to the credibility or ethical appeal of the speaker. Ethos is crucial to persuading an…
A harangue is a lengthy and aggressive speech, typically used to express a strong opinion and persuade or rally an…
Climax. Yeah, we all know what that is … but in the context of storytelling and public speaking, a climax…
Colloquialisms are informal words or phrases that people use in everyday speech but which might not be suitable for formal…
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. It's a powerful tool used…
Alliteration. Alliteration artfully arranges adjacent and alike initial sounds in closely clustered words. It’s a superb stylistic strategy that stitches…
Dysphemism is the use of a harsh or more offensive word instead of a more polite or agreeable one. It's…
A euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt…
Cacophony refers to a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, used to describe a situation where a lot of noise makes…
The monomyth, or the hero's journey, is a common narrative archetype that involves a hero who goes on an adventure,…
Hyperbaton—a literary device that involves altering the normal order of words in a sentence for emphasis, to create a dramatic…
Hyperbole—an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally but used to grab attention, emphasize a point, or…
Allegory is a narrative technique in which characters and events represent broader themes and ideas. Through allegory, storytellers explore complex…
Metaphor—a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain…
Metonymy—a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a…
A monologue is a long speech given by one person.. In a theatrical context, a monologue allows a character to…
Litotes—a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. It’s often used to convey modesty…
Along with ethos and pathos, logos is one of the three classical persuasive techniques. Logos appeals to logic and reason.…
Malapropism—the misuse of a word by confusing it with a similar-sounding word, resulting in nonsensical, often bituminous statements. A classic…
Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters, or actions are placed side by side…
Irony—a figure of speech where the intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning. Here’s a soundbite from the…
Orotund refers to a style of speech that is rounded, full, and imposing. It describes a voice or tone that…
Oxymoron—a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction. It's used to create a dramatic effect or to…
Impromptu, which refers to anything done without being planned or rehearsed. In the context of public speaking, it means giving…
Pacing is the speed at which a story unfolds or information is delivered. It plays a crucial role in maintaining…
A motif is a recurring theme, subject, or idea that appears throughout a literary work, which helps to develop the…
Narrative Hook—an opening to a story that grabs the audience's attention so that they want to keep reading or listening.…
A non sequitur is a statement that does not logically follow from the previous statement, often resulting in an absurd…
Oratory is the art of speaking. And Oratorical relates to the art or practice of public speaking. An oratorical speech…
An Aphorism is a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, ‘Actions speak louder than words.' These short,…
Aposiopesis is a rhetorical device where the speaker deliberately breaks off and leaves the sentence unfinished, letting the audience complete…
A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point rather than to solicit an answer. It’s a common…
Asyndeton involves omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can create a fast-paced and concise effect, adding urgency or…
Homiletics—the art of preaching or writing sermons. It involves the construction of a message and the effective delivery of that…
Repartee refers to a quick, witty reply or conversation. Repartee enlivens discussions or debates with humor and sharpness. In public…
Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, particularly the use of figures of speech and other…
Pay attention! This video will reveal new insights into Barnabus T. Hollings famous HBX Success Method—a sure path to instantaneous…
Periphrasis is a rhetorical device that involves using excessive and longer phrases to express an idea that could be conveyed…
Peroration refers to the concluding part of a speech, designed to inspire enthusiasm and drive home the speaker's key points…
Panegyric, a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something, often used to commend achievements or honor…
Parody is a form of satire that imitates the style of a particular genre, work, or artist in a way…
In literature and public speaking, persona refers to the social face or character that a speaker or writer presents to…
Pleonasm, which means using more words than necessary to convey meaning, often redundantly. ‘I saw it with my own eyes'…
Polysyndeton, a stylistic device that involves the use of multiple conjunctions in close succession, often where they are not grammatically…
Though it might sound like a stomach problem, prolepsis is a rhetorical device that involves anticipating and answering potential objections…
Quintilian sounds like a huge number, but Quintilian was an ancient Roman educator, known for his influential work on rhetoric…
Paronomasia, or punning, involves using words that sound similar but have different meanings, often to humorous effect. 'Time flies like…
Pathos, a rhetorical tool used to appeal to the audience's emotions, often to persuade or move them to action. That…
Paralipsis, a rhetorical device that involves bringing up a subject by either denying it or pretending to pass over it.…
Paradox, a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable…
Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device where human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature or inanimate objects, often to…
Prosody encompasses elements like stress, intonation, and timing, crucial for conveying emotions and meanings effectively in spoken language. Think of…
Tautology is the repetitive use of phrases or words that have similar meanings, essentially saying the same thing twice. My…
Elocution. And no, elocution is not what happens when you touch a high-voltage cable. Elocution is the art of clear…
Zeitgeist is a German word meaning 'spirit of the age' or 'spirit of the times.' It refers to the dominant…
Syncrisis is a rhetorical device that involves reframing an argument by redefining it. Unlike a “straw man” argument, which misrepresents…
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. It…
Verisimilitude is the appearance of being true or real in a literary work. It helps in making a story or…
Tone in writing and speaking refers to the attitude or approach that the author or speaker takes toward the subject…
Tricolon is a rhetorical device that involves the use of three parallel clauses, phrases, or words, which happen to increase…
An understatement is a figure of speech where a situation or feeling is made to seem less important or less…
Vernacular refers to the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular region or country. In literature…
Zeugma is a figure of speech where a word, usually a verb or an adjective, is applied to more than…
Syllepsis is not what happens after you’ve eaten too much spicy chili. Syllepsis is a figure of speech in which…
Polyptoton, a stylistic device where a word is repeated in a sentence but in a different form, enhancing emphasis through…
Syllogism is a form of logical reasoning where a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions. A classic…
A solecism is a grammatical mistake or nonstandard usage in speech or writing, such as a misplaced modifier or incorrect…
A soliloquy is a speech delivered by a character in a play or other literary work, who is alone on…
Scansion is the process of analyzing a poem's meter by marking the stresses in each line and determining the metrical…
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as' to highlight similarities explicitly.…
If you’ve never heard the word “similitis” before, that’s okay. I made it up. But before you revoke my literary…
(watch the full interview satire here) This millennial job interview video by Daniel Brea of Brea Films exemplifies this week’s…
To bloviate means to speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner. Otherwise known as the “soaring ramble,” the…
Words and Terms related to speaking and speechwriting: Adynaton [ad-uh-NAY-ton]: A form of hyperbole in which the exaggeration is so…
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