1-20 Flashcards
adage
a saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language
Ad Hominem argument
appeals to emotion and prejudice rather than reason or logic; personal attack on ones character
allegory
a piece of art or literature in which people, things, or happenings have hidden or symbolic meanings
alliteration
occurs when a series of words in a row have the same consonant sound
allusion
a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person or something that happened
anadiplosis
the repetition of a word or words is successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of a previous clause
ambiguity
a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning
analogy
a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it
anaphora
the deliberate repetition of the first part of a sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect
anecdote
a short and interesting story or an amusing event often proposed to support or demonstrate some point and make readers listen and laugh or ponder
antecedent
the word or phrase to which a pronoun refers
antithesis
a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect
aphorism
a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. Often applied to philosophical, moral, and literary principles
apostrophe
a figure of speech in which a person, thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present
appositive
a noun, noun phrase, or series of nouns placed next to another word or phrase to identify or rename it
asyndeton
the act of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list, it gives a more extemporaneous effect and suggest the list maybe incomplete
bathos
when a writer or a poet falls into a inconsequential and absurd metaphors, descriptions or ideas in an effort to be increasingly emotional or passionate
chiasmus
figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of parallel clauses is reversed in the second
cliche
refers to an expression that has been overused to extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty. May also refer to actions or events which are predictable because of some previous events
colloquial/colloquialism
the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing
