The Language of Fiction: A Writer’s Stylebook

Glossary of Terms

221 Glossary of Terms Adjective a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. The lean, mysterious stranger ordered a tall glass of hard liquor. Adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, clause, or even another adverb. Unfortunately, the client shuddered violently and gave a quite emphatic grimace. Alliteration the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Beowulf was bent upon battle. Anglo-Saxon technically, the language spoken in the British Isles before the Norman invasion of 1066. Generally refers to a style of diction that is characterized by short, common words. His grim face showed no pity as he swung the mace. Antecedent the word that a pronoun replaces. Maybelline informed the waiter that she is allergic to shrimp. Appositive a word or phrase that renames or re-identifies a noun or noun phrase. Paul, my brother-in-law, lives on a farm. Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds within words. I strive to find the right type of hang glider. Clause a grammatical unit that contains at least one subject and one verb. Margo smiled. Comma splice the mechanical error that ensues when a writer attempts to connect two independent clauses using only a comma as the connective element. Donkeys sink in quicksand, mules do not. Complex sentence a sentence construction that involves an independent clause joined with at least one dependent clause. After a great deal of bickering, we decided to share the fudge. 222 | Gl o ss a ry Compound predicate a sentence element that gives two or more pieces of information about what the subject is doing. Jules drove the stake into the vampire’s chest and howled in triumph. Compound sentence a sentence construction that involves two or more independent clauses. Jimmy cracked corn, and I don’t care. Compound-complex sentence a sentence construction that involves two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Although I like Wham, I never saw them live, and now I’ve missed my chance. Conjunction a word that serves as a connecting element between words, phrases, and clauses. The Beer and Bowl is fine for casual dates, but for formal occasions I recommend a more elegant place, or at least one with napkins. Consonance the repetition of consonant sounds within words. The pack of hawks cackled in the dark. Coordinate modifiers a series of modifiers that all apply to the same noun, and thus should be separated with commas. The meaty, rich, aromatic dish made me forget that I’d given up pasta for Lent. Dangling participle an error that occurs when a writer uses a modifying participle but does not provide a noun for the participle to attach to. Gazing intently at the red flow, the volcano looked amazing. Dash a punctuation mark that comprises two hyphens. A pair of dashes sets off a nonrestrictive element, while a single dash calls attention to whatever follows. Flying a large plane—flying any plane—requires a great deal of effort. I should know—I’ve crashed twice. Demonstrative adjective a word that modifies a noun by referring to its distance in time or place. Demonstrative adjectives will be always paired with a noun. That movie is disgusting. Demonstrative pronoun a pronoun that replaces a noun and refers to the noun’s relative location in time or place. Demonstrative pronouns stand alone, not attached to a noun. That is disgusting. Gl o ss a ry | 223 Dependent clause a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence. After a few minutes the tingling stops, because you’ve become numb. Dialect speech that is particular to a region, nation, culture, ethnicity, etc. I reckon we done et enuff biscuits n’ gravy fer now. Dialogue tag a phrase that indicates who has spoken a line of dialogue, and sometimes how that dialogue is spoken. “Hop on in,” the driver said. Dialogue supplement any sentence that is not technically a tag, yet which is meant to comment on the speech or speaker. “Hop on in.” The driver smelled like petunias. Diction refers generally to the writer’s choice of words. See entries for “AngloSaxon ” and “Latinate” for examples. Factual case a mode of present tense that implies something is true eternally. The sun burns with great heat. Figurative language language that is meant to indicate something other than what its words actually state. The car was a lemon, but I needed to get out of...