Figurative language Flashcards
Simile
A comparison between two things using the words “like” or “as”
“Life is like a box of chocolates”
Metaphor
A comparison between two things, in which one is said to be the other. (does not use “like” or “as”)
“Beth was drowning in sorrow”
Foreshadowing
Hints about what is to come later in the text
Personification
Giving human qualities or attributes to animals, objects, or abstract concepts
“The wind howled”
Apostrophe
Speaking to someone who is dead or absent, or to something abstract or non-human
“Stars, hide your fires…”
“Come thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell…”
Hyperbole
An extreme and intentional exaggeration
“I am starving!”
“I almost died laughing”
Imagery
Descriptive language that allows the reader to create images in his or her mind that appeal to the five senses.
Denotation
The literal or “dictionary” definition of a word
Think of the difference between “house” and “home” or between “cold” and “frigid”
Connotation
The applied or associated meaning of a word; often dependent on context
Think of the difference between “house” and “home” or between “cold” and “frigid”
Oxymoron
A combination of words (usually a short phrase) that contradict each other, but whose pairing expresses a truth, or has a dramatic effect
“old news”
“small crowd”
similar to paradox
Paradox
A statement (more extended than an oxymoron) which seems to be contradictory or absurd, yet turns out to make sense or be true in some sense
“Death is a part of life”
Mood
The predominant feeling evoked by a particular text; it is about the response experienced by the reader.
Tone
The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject and his or her quality of voice
Details, word choice, imagery, sound, and structure all contribute to a text’s tone
Meter
The rhythm of a poetic text / the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables
“But soft what light through yonder window breaks” (iambic pentameter)
“Double double toil and trouble” (trochaic tetrameter)
Metonymy
When an attribute or a suggestive word is substituted for the name of something, as in “The Crown” for the monarchy; “Hollywood” for the film industry”; “The kettle is boiling”
Synecdoche
When a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in “Check out my new set of wheels”; “nice threads”
Verbal Irony
A contrast between what is said and what is meant.
“I failed my test; awesome!”
Dramatic Irony
Occurs when the reader or audience has more information than a character.
When King Duncan calls Lady Macbeth “fair and noble hostess”
Situational Irony
An event contrary to that which is expected or appropriate.
“A fire station burning down”
Allusion
A brief direct or indirect reference made to a presumably familiar literary work, historical event, work of art, person, or place that adds more depth to the author’s meaning
“His nose was growing like Pinocchio’s”
Juxtaposition
A poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed side by side for effect
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
“Bang!”
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonants in neighbouring words
“Tic tac toe”
Symbolism
The use of symbols in order to represent an idea, quality, or concept
Symbolism enhances the meaning of a text because it enables the reader/viewer/audience to make assumptions, see connections, and develop greater understanding
