Figurative Language Flashcards
Chiasmus
A sequence of two phases parallel in syntax, reversing the order of their construction
Apostrophe
Direct address to a person or abstract entity
Conceit (metaphysical conceit)
A striking, extended metaphor with complex logic which governs an entire poem
Hyperbole
Intentional exaggeration for effect
Metaphor
A direct association of two different things: a word or phrase, that, literally meaning one thing, is applied to another thing
Metonymy
Substitution of a word or phrase to signify another with which it is associated
Personification
Treatment of an inanimate object or abstract concept as though it were endowed with human attributed
Pun
A play on words that are identical in sound but different in meaning
Rhetorical question
A question asked to introduce a topic, to emphasize a point, not to evoke an actual, prosaic reply
Simile
A comparison or association of two different things, brining them together- usually through “like” or “as”
Synecdoche
Substitution of a part to signify the whole
Understatement
Intentional diminishment for effect
Zeugma
For Greek “yoking” a phrase in which on word stand in relation to two quite different things or concepts
