| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | abbreviation | shortened form of a word |
| 2. | acronym | word formed from initials |
| 3. | adage | traditional saying with wisdom |
| 4. | adverb | word modifying a verb or adjective |
| 5. | affix | element added to a word |
| 6. | alliteration | repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| 7. | ambiguity | double or unclear meaning |
| 8. | analogy | comparison showing similarity |
| 9. | anaphora | repetition at clause beginnings |
| 10. | antithesis | balanced contrast of ideas |
| 11. | apostrophe | address to absent person or thing |
| 12. | apposition | noun phrase placed beside another |
| 13. | archaism | old-fashioned word or expression |
| 14. | article | a, an, or the |
| 15. | assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| 16. | barbarism | nonstandard or incorrect expression |
| 17. | blend | word made from merged parts |
| 18. | cacophony | harsh-sounding combination of words |
| 19. | catachresis | strained or mixed metaphor |
| 20. | circumlocution | roundabout way of speaking |
| 21. | clause | group of words with subject |
| 22. | cliche | overused expression |
| 23. | colloquialism | informal everyday expression |
| 24. | comma | punctuation mark for separation |
| 25. | compound | word made of joined words |
| 26. | deixis | word pointing by context |
| 27. | denotation | literal dictionary meaning |
| 28. | diction | choice of words |
| 29. | digraph | two letters for one sound |
| 30. | diphthong | gliding vowel sound |
| 31. | ellipsis | omission shown by three dots |
| 32. | eponym | name derived from a person |
| 33. | euphemism | mild term for harsh one |
| 34. | euphony | pleasant sound in language |
| 35. | expletive | filler or emphatic word |
| 36. | fragment | incomplete sentence part |
| 37. | gerund | -ing form used as noun |
| 38. | gloss | brief explanatory note |
| 39. | homograph | same spelling, different meaning |
| 40. | homonym | same form, different meaning |
| 41. | homophone | same sound, different meaning |
| 42. | hyperbaton | inverted normal word order |
| 43. | hyperbole | deliberate exaggeration |
| 44. | idiom | fixed phrase with special meaning |
| 45. | infinitive | base verb form with to |
| 46. | initialism | letters pronounced separately |
| 47. | innuendo | indirect suggestive remark |
| 48. | irony | meaning opposite to words |
| 49. | jargon | specialized language of a field |
| 50. | litotes | understatement by negation |
| 51. | malapropism | wrong word resembling right one |
| 52. | metaphor | implied comparison |
| 53. | metonymy | substitution by close association |
| 54. | modifier | word that limits or describes |
| 55. | neologism | newly coined word |
| 56. | nominalization | noun formed from another class |
| 57. | non sequitur | statement not logically following |
| 58. | noun | word naming person, place, thing |
| 59. | onomatopoeia | word imitating a sound |
| 60. | oxymoron | paired contradictory terms |
| 61. | paradox | seeming contradiction with truth |
| 62. | parallelism | matching grammatical structure |
| 63. | parenthesis | inserted explanatory element |
| 64. | parody | comic imitation of style |
| 65. | participle | verb form used adjectivally |
| 66. | passive | subject receives the action |
| 67. | period | full stop punctuation mark |
| 68. | personification | human traits given to nonhuman |
| 69. | phrase | small group of words |
| 70. | pleonasm | redundant use of words |
| 71. | plural | form meaning more than one |
| 72. | portmanteau | blended word from two others |
| 73. | predicate | what is said of subject |
| 74. | prefix | element added at front |
| 75. | preposition | word showing relation |
| 76. | qualifier | word that limits meaning |
| 77. | quotation | exact repeated words |
| 78. | redundancy | needless repetition or excess |
| 79. | register | level or style of language |
| 80. | repetition | reuse of words or sounds |
| 81. | rhyme | matching ending sounds |
| 82. | sarcasm | cutting ironic remark |
| 83. | semicolon | punctuation mark linking clauses |
| 84. | sentence | complete unit of thought |
| 85. | simile | comparison using like or as |
| 86. | slang | very informal vocabulary |
| 87. | solecism | grammatical mistake or impropriety |
| 88. | spoonerism | swapped initial sounds in words |
| 89. | tautology | needless repetition of meaning |
| 90. | tense | verb form showing time |
| 91. | tone | attitude conveyed in writing |
| 92. | trope | figurative turn of language |
| 93. | understatement | deliberately restrained expression |
| 94. | usage | accepted way words are used |
| 95. | verb | word expressing action or state |
| 96. | vernacular | everyday native language |
| 97. | voice | grammatical relation of action |
| 98. | vowel | speech sound without blockage |
| 99. | wit | clever verbal humor |
| 100. | zeugma | one word governing two others |