Glossary

We’ve curated a glossary of terms regarding all things writing and publishing related. From commonly-used terms to abbreviations, our glossary will guide writers and people starting out in publishing, to cut through the jargon and gain a better understanding. 

Simile
Where one thing is said to be like another to invite comparison and emphasise a similarity.   A more extensive list of literary terms, with quotations from fiction and non-fiction sources showing the terms in use, is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)  © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021
 
Spoonerism
When the first consonant sounds of two or more words are swapped to create a new phrase for humorous effect.   A more extensive list of literary terms, with quotations from fiction and non-fiction sources showing the terms in use, is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)  © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021
 
Stock images
Licensed pre-existing images that cover a wide variety of scenes, items, people and places are often available through searchable online databases.
Sub-modifier
Adverb that indicates the intensity, degree or extent of an adjective or another adverb, for example, surprisingly in She drove surprisingly fast.   A more extensive list of grammatical terms is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)  © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021
 
Subject
The thing that a sentence is about. It can be represented by a noun, a noun phrase, a pronoun, or something that is nominalised by the use of punctuation. An example is The floating restaurant in The floating restaurant has re-opened.   A more extensive list of grammatical terms is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)  © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021