Writing Terms

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H O M E B L O G R E S O U R C E S F R E E C O N T A C T

Timothy Sharkey ・Author

– author of Writing Made Easy: Just the Basics

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WRITING TERMS
EVERY WRITER SHOULD KNOW

from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

       BOMBASTIC (L bombyc cotton, silk, as in the cotton padding of shoulders in coats): inflated, padded, overblown language. For example, “Chicago’s nickname of ‘The Windy City’ came from its bombastic politicians, not its skyscrapers.”

       CLICHE (F cliché stereotype): an expression so overused it is no longer effective. For example, “You're as busy as a bee.” “I slept like a baby.”

   COLLOQUIAL (L colloqui converse, speak): conversational language: informal language: writing in a conversational style. For example, “Walt Whitman chose to write in the colloquial language of the man on the street corner and not the man in academia.”

   CONCISE (L concisus to cut up): brevity of expression: free of all elaboration: writing that is brief and to the point (i.e., poignant).

   CONNOTATION: the implied meaning of a word. A snake, for example, implies (or connotes) a sneaky person, but it literally means a reptile.

   DENOTATION: the dictionary meaning of a word. Cheap denotes a low price for something but it also implies (or connotes) low-quality.

   DICTION (L diction speaking): word choice: the art of choosing good words: picking the right word for the right context (considered the essence of poetry by some).

         ESSAY (L exagium act of weighing): a composition that is analytical, interpretive, personal, and limited in scope. For example, a political essay, a descriptive essay, an argumentative essay, a photographic essay. An essay is essentially a short piece of writing.

         ETYMOLOGY (Gk etymon origin + logia word): the study of the origin of words: the branch of linguistics that studies the origin of words.

         EUPHEMISM (Gk eupemismos nice sounding language): the substitution of an agreeable, softened word for one that may offend. For example, military campaign for war, military fatigue for shell shock, and incident for rampage.

         EXPOSITION (L exponere to expose, explain, or present for view): exposing facts: conveying information.

         EXPOSITORY WRITING: writing involving exposition; i.e., writing that exposes facts, details, names, and important information.

         FIGURE OF SPEECH: an expression that describes something in terms of something else: a comparison: figurative, not literal, language. For example, “He ran very fast” uses literal language. “He ran like a rabbit” uses figurative language.

         GRAMMAR (Gk grammatikos of letters; gram Gk gramma small weight, one unit): the study of the 8 different kinds of words in English: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Grammar involves using the right word in the right place in a sentence.

         HYPERBOLE (Gk hyperbole excess): extreme exaggeration in language. For example, “Mile high ice cream cones.” “I was so embarrassed I could have died.” “My love for you is infinite.” “He is older than the hills.”

         IDIOM (L idioma peculiarity of language): the language, or way of talking, unique to a particular group, period, or location.

         IDIOMATIC: a form of expression, or way of talking, unique to a particular group, period, or location. For example, “Groovy, baby. I can dig it.” in the 1960s in America.

         JARGON (F jargon, 14c): the technical terminology of a particular group of people (such as lawyers using legal jargon, doctors using medical jargon, and musicians using musical jargon).

         LACONIC (L laconicus Spartan, Gk lakonikos Spartan terseness of speech): a minimum use of words. For example, Clint Eastwood’s screen persona in his Western films used an economy of words.

         MALAPROPISM (from Mrs. Malaprop, a character in R B Sheridan’s The Rivals, a comedy in 1775, noted for her misuse of words): a humorous misapplication of a word. For example, “He is the very pineapple [pinnacle] of success!” “You’re constipating [concentrating] too much” (Archie Bunker).

         MELLIFLUOUS (L mellifluus flowing like honey): smooth or rich language that flows like honey: smooth sounding words.

         METAPHOR (Gk metaphorein to transfer): a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of something else: an idea expressed through the image of a second object: one object described through the qualities of a second object. (Please see Metaphor in the Rhetorical Terms section of Chapter 2: The Descriptive Essay for a complete explanation of metaphor and simile.)

         NEOLOGISM (Gk neo new + logia word): a newly invented word (sometimes disapproved of because of its newness). For example, “selfie,” “tweet,” “crowd-sourcing,” “app,” “alt-right,” “woke,” “bot,” “webinar,” “blogosphere,” etc.

         ONOMATOLOGY (Gk onomat name + logos word): the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names: the study of name formation and naming practices.

         ONOMATOPOEIA (Gk onomatopoiía the making of words): the formation of a word from a sound associated with it: the naming of a thing by a vocal imitation of its sound. For example, sizzle, splash, buzz, bang, honk, hiss, hiccup, oink, roar, chirp, meow.

         ORATORY (L oratorium place of prayer): Oratory is the art of public speaking, usually with a rhetorical speech. Demosthenes was the great orator of ancient Greece. Cicero was the great orator of ancient Rome. Abraham Lincoln was the great orator of The United States during the civil war.

         OXYMORON (Gk oxymoron pointedly foolish): a contradiction of terms: a combination of contradictory words. For example, jumbo shrimp, civil war, tragic pleasure, Nazi culture, an honest thief. The following speech from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet uses oxymorons: “Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! / O anything of nothing first create! / O heavy lightness! serious vanity! / Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! / Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! / This love feel I, that feel no love in this” (I.i.174-82).

         REDUNDANT (L redundant overflowing): duplicated and needless language: language that exceeds what is necessary: previously stated and therefore unnecessary.

         RHETORIC (Gk rhetorike art of oratory): the principles or rules of speaking and writing effectively. Aristotle wrote a book titled The Art of Rhetoric in ancient Greece where he formulated three basic elements of rhetoric: ethos (ethics), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). (Please see Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in the Rhetorical Terms section of chapter 2: The Descriptive Essay for a complete explanation of ethos, pathos, and logos, and more.)

         RHETORICAL TERMS: rhetorical techniques or rhetorical devices that writers use to help them communicate more effectively. These devices include alliteration, allusion, hyperbole, metaphor, parallel construction, and personification, among others. (Please see the Rhetorical Terms section of Chapter 2: The Descriptive Essay for a complete explanation of rhetorical terms.)

         SLANG (origin unknown, 1756): non-standard language composed of coinages, deliberately changed words, and extravagant figures of speech. For example, blood sludge for greasy food, dough for money, bombed for being drunk, and all nicknames. Slang is frowned upon in formal writing, but it can be useful in narrative essays, novels, and screenplays. Slang is rich in metaphor.

         SUCCINCT (L succinctus girded up): compact, precise expression without wasted words: language that makes every word count.

         VERBAL BULL-ROAR: language that does a lot of talking but never says a hot-damned thing: language that beats around the bush but never gets to the point. For example, “We’re going to implement a strategic initiative.” This expression simply means “We’re going to do something,” but it uses pretentious words to sound important.

         VERBOSE (L verbosus wordy): too wordy: containing more words than necessary: language that is impaired by excessive wordiness.

         Please Note: the full sources of these definitions are included in Writing Made Easy: Just the Basics (the book), but they have not transferred over to this web page.

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