Common Terms Flashcards
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phases for clauses for rhetorical or poetic effect
Antithesis
a figure of speech in which a thought is balanced with a contrasting thought in parallel arrangements “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
Consonance
repetition of consonant sounds with differing vowel sounds in words near each other in a line or lines of poetry
Diction
the author’s choice of words (simple, sophisticated, colloquial, formal, informal)
Euphony
quality of style marked by pleasing harmonious sounds, the opposite of cacophony
Figurative Language
writing or speech not meant to be taken literally figure of speech, states something that is not literally true in order to create an effect. Includes: smilies, metaphors, personification, metonymy, synecdoche, synestheia, apostrophe, oxymoron, and hyperbole.
Apostrophe
speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an abstraction or inanimate object
Hyperbole
exaggeration for effect, overstatement
Idioms
expressions that do not translate exactly into what a speaker means, culturally relevant, ex: “rain cats and dogs, see the light, once in a blue moon”
Imagery
devices that appeal to the senses (visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, kinetic) create a mental picture
Irony
the contrast between reality and expectation includes sarcasm
Metaphor
comparison between two unlike quantities (WITHOUT “like” or “as”)
Onomatopoeia
using words to imitate sounds
Oxymoron
seeming self-contradiction (cruel kindness, make haste slowly)
Personification
where inanimate objects are given qualities of humans or of speech/movement
Polysyndeton
repetition of a number of conjunctions in close succession as in “We have men and arms and planes and tanks”
Rhetorical Device
a device used to produce effective speaking or writing
Simile
a figure of speech comparing two things USING “like” or “as”
Synesthesia
perception or description of one kind of sense impression in words normally used to describe a different sense, ex: “sweet voice”, “velvety smile”
Syntax
arrangement of words in a sentence, the grammar of a sentence including punctuation
Theme
“what is work about?” works message or contains a general idea of work or an aspect of the work
Tone
created through syntax and diction, expresses the author’s attitude towards their subject
