The entries have been organized alphabetically:
ABCDE FGHIJ
KLMNO PQRST
UVWXYZ
 abridge:
v. to make shorter, smaller or to condense.
allege:
v. to declare or assert positively usually without proof.
alliteration:
n. the repetition of the same consonant sound in
closely positioned words, as in "Sing a song of sixpence."
allusion:
n. a brief reference to a person, place, or event assumed to be sufficiently well known to be recognized by the reader.
allude:
v. to mention without going into any detail;
refer to indirectly in a general way.
a posteriori:
Latin: inductively, a conclusion from experiences or observations.
a priori:
Latin: deductively, from general rule to specific instance; presumptive.
antagonist:
n. a person who opposes, fights, or competes with another; opponent; rival.
antagonistic:
adj. actively in opposition to.
assert:
v. to say in a clear, sure way; to state in a positive manner.
circumlocution:
n. a long way of saying something; talking all around a subject without coming to the point.
colloquial:
adj. containing the words and phrases that are
used only in everyday talk; related to ordinary, conversational language usage.
concordance:
n. an alphebetical index indicating reference passages, as from a writer's work.
decipher:
v. to translate from secret writing or code into
ordinary language; to decode, as a message.
deduce:
v. to figure out by reasoning from known facts
or general principles; to conclude from specific information; to infer.
deductive:
adj. related to reasoning that begins with a known premise and works to a conclusion.
dénouement:
French: a conclusion, outcome, or final solution.
dialogue (British English) or dialog (American English):
n. a conversation between two or more parties; the parts of a novel that are conversation.
digress:
v. to wander from the subject that one has been writing about; to ramble off the point.
dictum:
Latin: n. an authoritative saying or maxim.
disclosure:
n. a disclosing, an exposure, revelation, or explanation.
episode:
n. any happening or incident that forms a part of a whole story, life, history, etc.
episodic:
adj. characterized by incidental details and vaguely related incidents.
homonym:
n. a word with the same pronunciation, but with a different spelling and meaning. "Bore" and "boar" are homonyms.
hyperbole:
n. an exageration of the literal facts; a way of writing to make something seem greater or better than it is;
It is hyperpole to say "John is as strong as an ox."
leitmotif or leitmotiv:
German: n. leading motive in music or literature; a basic
underlying, recurrent theme.
localism:
n. a word, an expression, or a custom which is typical of a specific region.
loquacious:
adj. talking very much; too talkative.
memorabilia:
n. a collection of all sorts of (objects) information as from the past.
milieu:
French: n. a general environment or setting.
monologue:
n. a long (often boring) speech by one person during a convcersation.
non sequitur:
Latin: a conclusion that does not follow logically from the premise.
portfolio:
n. a flat case for carrying loose papers, drawings; a collection of documents on a topic or an individual; a selection of representative works.
posthumous:
adj. published after the author died; taking place after death.
postulate:
v. to suppose to be true or real as the first step in proving an argument; to assume truth without proof; take for granted.
premise:
n. a statement or belief that is taken for granted and is used as the basis for a theory, argument, etc.; a basic statement or position from which one develops an argument.
prologue:
n. introductory material to a written work
[Chaucer's General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales].
pseudonym:
n. a name used by an author in place of his real name
[O. Henry is the pseudonym of William Sydney Porter].
rethorical:
adj. related to the use of the various devices of effective writing or speech; a rhethorical question is a question asked, not to evoke a reply, but to achieve rethorical emphasis stronger than a direct statement. Example:
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
[Romeo and Juliet, II. ii. 43]
superfluous:
adj. more than is needed; unnecessary.
syllogism:
n. a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example:
All mammals have warm blood.
Whales are mammals.
Therefore, whales have warm blood.
synonymous:
adj. having similar or equivalent meaning.
synthesis:
n. a combining of diverse elements into one entity; the putting together of parts or elements so as to make a whole.
theory:
an explanation of how or why something happens, especially one based on scientific study and reasoning [Darwin's theory of evolution] or the general principles on which an art or science is based [music theory].1
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