Figurative Language/Literary Devices

Question 0

What is allusion

Answer 0

Reference to a well-known work of art including literature song film etc. or historical person or event to drop comparison

Ex
Hey, Einstein, why don’t you think things through more carefully next time?

Question 1

What is alliteration

Answer 1

The repetition of the consonant sound at the beginning of a series of words
Example
This sunny Sunday is so enjoyable.

Question 2

What is anaphora

Answer 2

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines enter

Ex
To be young, to be free, to be happy— these are all the things the gecko dreams of.

Question 3

What is epistrophe

Answer 3

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or lines

Ex
We battle for love.
We die for love.
We do it all for love.

Question 4

What is hyperbole

Answer 4

Exaggeration to create an effect or emphasize a point

Ex
This day blazed with the heat of a thousand burning suns.

Question 5

What is personification

Answer 5

Giving human attributes to a nonhuman entity

Ex
The gecko sacrificed himself for the good of the whole — he knew it was his fate when he saw Shane Lusk’s drawing.
The tree leaves danced in the wind, relishing the cool night air.

Question 6

What is a simile

Answer 6

Comparing two unlike things using like or as

Ex
Her eyes are as bright as the sun.

Question 7

Synecdoche

Answer 7

The use of a part to refer to the whole, or a reference to the whole, to refer to a part

example: Kleenex to refer to all tissue papers

Question 8

metonymy

Answer 8

substituting something associated with another concept for that other concept itself

example: Hollywood to refer to the entire American film industry

Question 9

assonance

Answer 9

repeated bowel sounds within consecutive words

example: she’s long gone on a journey now

Question 10

consonance

Answer 10

repeated consonant sounds in the middle of words within consecutive words

example: I will bake a cake for you to take home

Question 11

Apostrophe

Answer 11

when a writer or speaker addresses an imaginary character or concept

example: referring to love as a person

Question 12

asyndeton

Answer 12

author purposely leaves out conjunctions in the sentence, while maintaining the grammatical accuracy of the phrase

example: reduce, reuse, recycle

Question 13

polysyndeton

Answer 13

use of unnecessary conjunctions for emphasis

example: we bought bacon and burgers and oranges and chicken

Question 14

enjambment

Answer 14

where a thought carries over to the next line without a syntactical break (comma or period)

Question 15

litotes

Answer 15

understatement by negation or double negatives

example: it’s not unattractive

Question 16

ethos

Answer 16

sources credibility the speakers or authors authority

example: ethical appeal
outside resources from trustworthy sources

Question 17

logos

Answer 17

logic used to support the claim, relate to with facts/statistics used to support argument

example: logical appeal

Question 18

pathos

Answer 18

emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details

example: emotional appeal, passion

Question 19

motif

Answer 19

any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature

Question 20

slippery slope

Answer 20

A chain reaction of a dire consequence will happen but there’s not enough evidence

example: animal experimentation will lead to the end of civilization

Question 21

hasty generalization

Answer 21

makes a assumption about a whole group that is inadequate

example: stereotypes: all blondes are stupid

Question 22

post hoc

Answer 22

assuming that because B comes after a, a caused b

example: Pres. Jones raise taxes and then the rate of crime up. therefore Jones caused the rate of crime

Question 23

weak analogy

Answer 23

analogy between non a like things. It is a week and analogy

example: guns and hammers are both metal tools, and they can kill a person but you can’t outlaw hammers, so why guns?

Question 24

false dichotomy

Answer 24

sets up a situation so it looks like there are only two choices, and eliminates a choice so there’s only one

example, Caldwell Hall is in bad shape. We should tear it down or risk students safety. We can’t risk their students of safety, so we must tear it down

Question 29

allegory

Answer 29

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

example: a simple thing like fire to represent destruction and chaos