The Writer’s Dictionary

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How many of us can remember exactly what a past participle is? Or how about the differences between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses?

I know it can be difficult to remember some of these concepts and terms if you haven’t taken a formal writing class in a while, so, to help us all remember, I have compiled some of the most frequently used grammar words and phrases here in The Writer’s Dictionary.

But, this isn’t just an ordinary dictionary of grammatical terms and literary concepts. The Writer’s Dictionary is written in plain everyday language so that everyone from the beginner to the experienced writer can understand it. We also incorporate examples in as many places as possible so the reader can visualize the concepts being discussed.

The Writer’s Dictionary is meant to be not only a refresher tool to help us remember some of the terms we may have forgotten but also a learning tool where we can deepen our understanding of language and become betters writers.

If there are any terms that you would like to see added to The Writer’s Dictionary, feel free to email me with a suggestion at Jordan@writingexplained.org!

(A)

Absolute Possessive Pronoun

Abstract Noun

Accusative Case

Acrostic Poem

Action Verb

Active Sentence

Active Voice

Actor

Adage

Adjective

Adjective Clause

Adverb

Affix

Agent Noun

Allegory

Alliteration

Allusion

Anadiplosis

Anagram

Analogy

Anaphora

Anecdote

Antecedent

Anthropomorphism

Anticlimax

Antihero

Antithesis

Aphorism

Appositive / Appositive Phrase

Apostrophe (Punctuation Mark)

Archetype

Assonance

Auxiliary Verb

(B)

Ballad

(C)

Cadence

Cardinal Numbers

Caricature

Catharsis

Clause

Cliché

Climax

Closed-Ended Question

Collective Noun

Colon

Comedy

Comma Splice

Common Noun

Comparative Adjective

Complete Subject

Compound Adjective

Compound Predicate

Compound Subject

Conceit

Concrete Noun

Conditional Sentence

Conjugation

Conjunction

Connotation

Consonant

Coordinating Conjunction

Copular Verb

Correlative Conjunction

Count Noun

Countable Noun

Couplet

(D)

Dangling Modifier

Dangling Participle

Dative Case

Definite Articles

Demonstrative Adjective

Demonstrative Pronoun

Denotation

Denouement

Dependent Clause

Determiner

Dialect

Dialogue (Literary)

Dichotomy

Diction (Word Choice)

Didacticism

Direct Object

Double Entendre

Double Negative

Drama

Dramatic Irony

(E)

Emotive Language

Epigram

Epiphany

Epistrophe

Exposition

Essential Clause

Ethos

Euphemism

Exaggeration

Exclamation Point

Exclamation Sentence

Exclamatory Sentence

External Conflict

(F)

Fable

Falling Action

Fantasy

Farce

Figure of Speech

First Person

Flashback

Flash-forward

Flat Character

Foil

Foreshadowing

Future Perfect Progressive Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Progressive Tense

Future Tense

(G)

Genitive Case

Genre

Gerund

Gerund Phrase

Grammar

(H)

Haiku

Half Rhyme

Helping Verbs

Homily

Homonym

Homophone

Hubris

Hyperbole

(I)

Idiom

Imagery

Imperative Mood

Indefinite Adjective

Indefinite Articles

Indefinite Pronoun

Independent Clause

Indirect Object

Indirect Question

Infinitive Phrase

Inflection

Innuendo

Interjection

Internal Rhyme

Interrogative Sentence

Intransitive Verb

Invective

Inversion

(J)

Juxtaposition

(K)

(L)

Limerick

Linking Verb

Litotes

Logos

Lowercase Letters

(M)

Main Clause

Main Verb

Maxim

Melodrama

Metaphor

Misplaced Modifier

Modal Verb

Modifier

Mood (Grammatical)

Mood (Literary)

Motif

Myth

(N)

Narrative

Narrator

Nominative Case

Non-count Noun

Nonessential Clause

Nonrestrictive Clause

Noun

Noun Clause

(O)

Object

Objective Case

Object Complement

Object / Objective Pronoun

Ode

Onomatopoeia

Open-Ended Question

Ordinal Numbers

Oxymoron

(P)

Parable

Paradox

Parody

Paragraph

Parallel Structure

Parallelism

Participle

Passive Voice

Past Participle

Past Perfect Progressive Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Progressive Tense

Past Tense

Perfect Tense

Personal Pronoun

Personification

Phrasal verb

Phrase

Plot

Plural Form

Plural Noun

Poem

Poetic Justice

Possessive

Possessive Adjective

Possessive Noun

Possessive Pronoun

Predicate

Predicate Adjective

Predicate Nominative

Predicate Noun

Prefix

Preposition

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Progressive Tense

Present Progressive Tense

Present Tense

Progressive Tense

Pronoun

Proper Adjective

Proper Noun

Prose

Pun

(Q)

(R)

Red Herring

Relative Clause

Relative Pronoun

Resolution

Restrictive Clause

Riddle

Rising Action

Romance

Round Character

Run-on Sentence

(S)

Satire

Second Person

Semicolon

Sentence Fragment

Sentence Structure

Simile

Simple Aspect

Simple Predicate

Simple Subject

Simple Tense

Singular Form

Singular Noun

Situational Irony

Slang

Split Infinitive

Slant Rhyme

Soliloquy

Sonnet

Squinting Modifier

Stanza

Stream of Consciousness

Strong Verb

Subplot

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subject

Subject Complement

Subject / Subjective Pronoun

Subject-verb Agreement

Subordinate Clause

Suffix

Superlative Adjective

Surrealism

Syllable

Symbolism

Synecdoche

Syntax

(T)

Tense

Theme (Literary)

Thesis

Third Person

Tone

Tragedy

Transition

Transitive verb

Trope

(U)

Uncountable Noun

Uppercase Letters

(V)

Verb

Vernacular

Vocative Comma

Vowel

(W)

Weak Verb

(Z)

Zeugma

https://writingexplained.org/affect-vs-effect

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