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. 

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Polyptoton
The repetition of a word, or its root, with a different grammatical application each time.   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
 
Predicate
The part of a sentence that includes the verb and the other elements that modify the verb, for example sat on the sofa in Sophia and her friends sat on the sofa.   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
 
Prelims
Introductory pages which precede the main text itself, including a title page, copyright page, preface or foreword.
Preposition
Word that introduces a prepositional phrase or completes a phrasal verb, for example, to, for or with. Prepositions express relationships between words.   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
 
Press release
A statement that is distributed to the media announcing upcoming book launches and events, so that the book or event may be referred to in articles or reviews.