Elements of Style Flashcards
The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, at the beginning of words
Alliteration
A breaking-off of speech, usually because of rising emotion or excitement.
Aposiopesis
A direct address to an absent or dead person, or an object, quality, or idea.
Apostrophe
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words.
Assonance
An informal expression or slang, especially in the context of formal writing.
Colloquialism
An elaborate parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things.
Conceit
An adjective or phrase that describes a prominent feature of a person or thing
Epithet
The use of decorous language to express vulgar or unpleasant ideas, events, or actions
Euphemism
An excessive overstatement or conscious exaggeration of a fact
Hyperbole
The substitution of one term for another that generally is associated with it. “Suits” for “businessmen”
Metonymy
The use of words to describe sounds, “Hiss”, “pop”
Onomatopeia
The association of two contrary terms
Oxymoron
A statement that seems absurd or even contradictory but often expresses a deeper truth
Paradox
The use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two sentences or phrases to suggest a comparison or contrast between them.
Parallelism
The use of one kind sensory experience to describe another.
Synaesthesia
A form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole. “my wheels” for “my car”
Synecdoche
occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. This could be a character who appears in a different time period than when he actually lived, or a technology that appears before it was invented. are often used for comedic effect.
Anachronism
is when a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple sentences throughout a piece of writing. It’s used to emphasize the repeated phrase and evoke strong feelings in the audience.
Anaphora
is when the writer leaves out conjunctions (such as “and,” “or,” “but,” and “for”) in a group of words or phrases so that the meaning of the phrase or sentence is emphasized. It is often used for speeches since sentences containing; can have a powerful, memorable rhythm
Asyndeton
A kind of hero found in several of the works of Lord Byron. Like Byron himself, a Byronic hero is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed by a terrible wrong he committed in the past.
Byronic hero
is when an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text (e.g., a book, chapter, etc.)
Epigraph
is similar to anaphora, but in this case, the repeated word or phrase appears at the end of successive statements. Like anaphora, it is used to evoke an emotional response from the audience.
Epistrophe
a word humorously misused
Malapropism
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
Soliloquy
