Devices Flashcards
Alliteration
repetition of the same letter at beginning of words or syllables
Anacoluthon
lack of grammatical sequence; a change in the grammatical construction within the same sentence.
Anadiplosis
the rhetorical repetition of one or several words; specifically, repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next.
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.
Anastrophe
inversion of usual word order
Antistrophe
repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Antithesis
opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.
Aporia
expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do.
Aposiopesis
breaking off in the middle of a sentence
Apostrophe
addressing a person who is not present
Archaism
Use of an older or obsolete form.
Asyndeton
omission of conjunctions
Assonance
repetition of the same sound in words close to each other
Brachylogy
a general term for abbreviated or condensed expression, of which asyndeton and zeugma are types. Ellipse is often used synonymously. The suppressed word or phrase can usually be supplied easily from the surrounding context.
Cacophony
Harsh joining of words
Catachresis
a harsh metaphor involving the use of a word beyond its strict sphere.
Chiasmus
“a-b-b-a” arrangement of words
Climax
arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power. Often the last emphatic word in one phrase or clause is repeated as the first emphatic word of the next.
Ellipsis
omission of words
Euphemism
substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.
Epiphora
like anaphora except at the end of a sentence
Hendiadys
use of two nouns together to express a noun modified by an adjective
Hypallage
(“Exchanging”) transferred epithet; grammatical agreement of a word with another word which it does not logically qualify. More common in poetry.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration
Hyperbaton
the arranging of words in a particular manner to produce an effect
Hysteron proteron
placing first what the reader might expect to come last
Litotes
use of a negative to express a strong positive
Irony
expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean another.
Metaphor
implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to it.
Metonymy
substitution of one word for another that it suggests
Onomatopoeia
use of words that sound like their meaning
Oxymoron
use of an apparent contradiction
Paradox
an assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it.
Paronomosia
use of similar sounding words; often etymological word-play.
Parallelism
two sentences have similar syntax.
Paraprosdokian
surprise or unexpected ending of a phrase or series.
Personification
attribution of human characteristics to something not human
Pleonasm
use of superfluous words
Polysyndeton
use of many conjunctions
Praeteritio (=paraleipsis)
pretended omission for rhetorical effect.
Prolepsis (anticipation)
use of a word sooner than it would logically appear
Simile
comparison using a word like sicut, similis, or velut
Syllepsis
use of a word with two others, with each of which it is understood differently.
Synchysis
Interlocked word order
Synecdoche
use of part to express a whole
Syneisis (=constructio ad sensum)
the agreement of words according to logic, and not by the grammatical form; a kind of anacoluthon
Tautology
repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence
Tmesis
the separation of a compound word into two parts
Tricolon crescens (ascending tricolon)
combination of three elements, increasing in size
Zeugma
use of one word in two different senses simultaneously
