ABCs Flashcards

1
Q

What is alliteration?

A

Repeating the same or similar SOUNDS at the beginnings of words.

Example: She sells seashells by the sea shore.

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2
Q

What is an allusion?

A

A casual reference to something, usually a work of popular culture.

Example: Finishing his memoir was his white whale (allusion to Moby Dick).

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3
Q

What is an analogy?

A

A comparison between two similar things, typically using figurative language.

Example: Life is like a box of chocolates.

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4
Q

What is anaphora?

A

The repetition of a word or words at the start of phrases, clauses, or sentences.

Example: I came, I saw, I conquered.

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5
Q

What is an anecdote?

A

A brief story about something that happened to the speaker or someone else, usually something funny or interesting.

Example: Five years ago, I met some clowns.

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6
Q

What is antithesis?

A

Using parallel sentences or clauses to make a contrast.

Example: No pain, no gain.

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7
Q

What is an aphorism?

A

A short sentence that presents truth or opinion, usually in a witty or clever manner.

Example: A penny saved is a penny earned.

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8
Q

What is an apostrophe?

A

Directly addressing an absent person, a concept, or an inanimate object.

Example: You have made a fool out of me for the last time, washing machine!

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9
Q

What is assonance?

A

The repetition of the same vowel sound with different consonants.

Example: She and Lee see the bees in the tree.

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10
Q

What is asyndeton?

A

The removal of conjunctions from a sentence.

Example: Get in, cause a distraction, get out.

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11
Q

What is chiasmus?

A

Reversing the grammatical order in two otherwise parallel phrases or sentences.

Example: Dog owners own dogs and cats own cat owners.

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12
Q

What is cacophony?

A

The act of purposefully using harsh sounds.

Example: The gnashing of teeth and screeching of bats.

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13
Q

What is climax?

A

Ordering words so that they build up in intensity.

Example: It’s a bird! A plane! Superman!

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14
Q

What is colloquialism?

A

An instance of informal language or a local expression.

Example: Here in Philly, we love to eat hoagies.

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15
Q

What is connotation?

A

Using words to suggest a social or emotional meaning rather than a literal one.

Example: This is a house, but I want a home.

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16
Q

What is consonance?

A

A repetition of consonants or consonant sounds.

Example: Mike likes Ike’s bike.

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17
Q

What is an epithet?

A

A nickname or descriptive term used to refer to someone.

Example: Clueless Kevin.

18
Q

What is an eponym?

A

A word based on or derived from a person’s name, or an allusion to a famous person.

Example: He is the LeBron James of chess.

19
Q

What is euphemism?

A

Using alternative language to refer to explicit or unpleasant things.

Example: The baseball struck him in a sensitive area.

20
Q

What is an expletive?

A

An interrupting word or phrase used for emphasis.

Example: The eggs were not, in any sense of the word, delicious.

21
Q

What is hyperbole?

A

An intentional exaggeration.

Example: The plate exploded into a million pieces.

22
Q

What is irony?

A

Using words to mean the opposite of their literal meaning.

Example: Ashley said it was a beautiful day while drying off from the rain.

23
Q

What is meiosis?

A

Using euphemism to minimize the importance or significance of something.

Example: Peculiar institution for slavery.

24
Q

What is metanoia?

A

Any instance of self-correction, including retracting or amplifying a previous statement.

Example: Let’s make that Monday.

25
Q

What is a metaphor?

A

A comparison in which something is said to figuratively be something else.

Example: He was a wolf among sheep.

26
Q

What is metonymy?

A

When the name of something is replaced with something related to it.

Example: From the cradle to the grave.

27
Q

What is onomatopoeia?

A

A word that imitates the sound it refers to.

Example: The thunder boomed.

28
Q

What is an oxymoron?

A

A figure of speech that uses two opposite words together.

Example: Violent peace.

29
Q

What is a paradox?

A

A statement that seems self-contradictory but actually makes sense.

Example: Youth is wasted on the young.

30
Q

What is parallelism?

A

Using grammatically similar phrases or sentences together.

Example: Fool me once, shame on you.

31
Q

What is parenthesis?

A

An interruption used for clarity.

Example: The audience, or at least the paying members, enjoyed the show.

32
Q

What is parody?

A

An imitation of something with the intent to poke fun at it.

Example: If Poe had written this speech.

33
Q

What is personification?

A

Giving human elements to non-human things.

Example: The valley spread its arms.

34
Q

What is a pun?

A

Humorously using words with multiple meanings or similar sounds.

Example: The farmer tried to get his cows to get along.

35
Q

What is a rhetorical question?

A

A question that isn’t intended to be answered, aimed to provoke thought.

Example: Can we know our place in the universe?

36
Q

What is sarcasm?

A

Using irony to mock something or show contempt.

Example: Oh, yeah, he is a great guy.

37
Q

What is satire?

A

Using humor to criticize public figures.

Example: Numbers don’t lie.

38
Q

What is a simile?

A

A comparison in which something is said to figuratively be like something else.

Example: It was as hot as a desert.

39
Q

What is syllogism?

A

An argument based on deductive reasoning using generalizations.

Example: Dogs are mammals, Biscuit is a dog, therefore Biscuit is a mammal.

40
Q

What is synecdoche?

A

When a part of something is used to refer to a whole.

Example: An army of 10,000 swords.

41
Q

What is understatement?

A

Using language to intentionally lessen a major thing or event.

Example: The erupting volcano was a little problem.