Devices Flashcards
Terms free from limitations or controls
Absolutes
A proverb or wise saying
Aphorism
A literary work with two meanings
Allegory
A reference to a literary or other work
Allusion
The extended comparison of two things
Analogy
A brief retelling of a speakers own opinion
Anecdote
Contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangement
Antithesis
Addressing an inanimate object as though it were human
Apostrophe
Omission of conjunctions
Asyndeton
A sentence where words and phrases are set against eachother to emphasize a contrast
Balanced sentence
A sentence consisting of two parallel parts in which the second is structurally reversed
Chiasmus
A sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by successive modifying clauses
Cumulative sentence
Intending to instruct or teach excessively
Didactic
A term used to point out a characteristic of a person, can become part of their name
Epithet
Using words to convey their opposite meaning
Irony
Use of parallel structures the same length in successive clauses
Isocolon
Understatement in which the affirmative is stated in a negative way
Litotes
Mistaken use of one word for another that sounds similar
Malapropism
A term substituted for another with which it is closely related
Metonymy
An inference that does not follow logically from the premises
Non séquitos
An apparently contradictory statement that contains some truth
Paradox
Using the same pattern of words or structure
Parallelism
Quality of work that prompts the reader to feel pity
Pathos
A sentence in which the main clause is at the end
Periodic
Overuse of conjunctions
Polysyndeton
A passionate or strongly worded speech
Polemic
A significant alteration of diction, syntax, or point of view in a work
Rhetorical shift
A seductive reasoning system involving two premises that lead to a conclusion
Syllogistic reasoning
Related to metonymy, an actual part is substituted for a whole
Synecdoche
Discerning ones sensory experiences in terms of another
Synesthesia
Needless repetition adding no information
Tautology
Everyday speech of a particular country or region often involving nonstandard usage
Vernacular
