English Figure Of Speech Flashcards
Alliteration
a series of words beginning with the same consonant sound
Anaphora
repeating a specific word or phrase at the beginning of a line or passage
Antanaclasis
a single word or phrase is repeated, but in two different senses
Antithesis
two opposite ideas put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect
Apostrophe
Speaking directly to someone who is not present or is dead, or to an inanimate object
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds
Chiasmus
two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures
Consonance
the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text
Euphemism
to replace phrasing that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite, or unpleasant
Hyperbaton
inversion in the arrangement of common words
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration
Litotes
a form of understatement using negation
Metaphor
implicit comparisons without the express use of “like” or “as.
Metonymy
one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association
Onomatopoeia
a word which imitates the natural sounds of a thing
Oxymoron
pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory.
Paradox
a statement that appears at first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense
Parallelism
repetition of grammatical elements
Personification
an idea or thing is given human attributes and/or feelings
Pun
Play on word
Rhetorical question
question asked just for effect when no real answer is expected
Sibilance
a specific type of alliteration that uses the soft consonants - s, with sh, ch, and th, z, x, f an soft c
Simile
two dissimilar objects or concepts are expressly compared with one another through the use of “like” or “as”
Synecdoche
a part of something is used to signify the whole, or vice-versa
Tautology
repetitive use of phrases or words that have similar meanings
Understatement
intentionally making a situation seem less important than it really is.
Zeugma
A word, often a verb or an adjective, applying to more than one noun, blending logically different ideas
