Glossary / 431anecdote a short, entertaining story of some happening, usually personal or bio-
graphical, useful in introductions, both oral and written, as well as in supporting
examples in less formal situations.
announcement a written, printed, or oral notice.
antagonist a character in a drama, novel, or story who opposes or fights with the
protagonist. [See protagonist in the Glossary.]
antecedent the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. Example: Sue
likes frills, and she often trims her sleeves with lace. (The pronouns she and her
refer to Sue, the antecedent.)
apostrophe a punctuation mark (’) used to show 1. omitted letters in a word, or
- the possessive case. [See Chapter 45, Punctuation.]
appositive a word, phrase, or clause that functions as a noun and explains
another noun. Example: Mr. Jetson, the mechanic, is a wizard at repairing cars.
(The mechanic explains the noun Mr. Jetson and is an appositive.) [See Chapter 45,
Punctuation, for punctuating appositives.]
Arabic numerals the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.
articles the words a, an, and the. The is a definite article; a and an are indefinite
articles.
assonance 1. likeness of sound, especially of vowels, as in a series of words or
syllables. 2. a partial rhyme in which the stressed vowel sounds are alike but the
consonant sounds are not, as in late and make.
attention-getter an introductory device that gains the reader’s or listener’s atten-
tion. Common devices include 1. asking a question or questions, 2. making an
unusual statement, 3. describing a scene, 4. repeating a conversation, 5. telling
a brief story, 6. giving surprising or alarming statistics, 7. referring to an event,
either historical or current, 8. showing a controversy or contradiction, 9. using a
quotation, adage, or proverb, 10. stating an unusual opinion.
autobiography the story of one’s own life. [See Chapter 17, Autobiography.]
auxiliary verb a verb that helps form the tense, mood, or voice of another verb:
have, be, may, can, do, shall, and so on. Example: She must work harder. (Must is
an auxiliary verb accompanying the main verb work.) [See Chapter 42, Classifica-
tion of Words, and verb in the Glossary.]
bias a mental leaning for or against someone or something; partiality; prejudice;
bent.
bibliography a list of books, articles, electronic media, and so on, referred to by
an author. The list follows one of several formats. [See Chapter 34, Research Paper,
for form.]