Figures of Speech Flashcards
the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables
alliteration
'’You’ll never put a better bit of butter on you knife”
“I saw Susie sitting in a shoe sine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.”
Alliteration
repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses to achieve an effect
anaphora
“We shall go on to the end , we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight growing confidence and strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
anaphora
an opposition or contrast of ideas. Two ideas are put together to achieve a contrasting effect
antithesis
“Speech is silver, but silence is gold.”
Antithesis
when you speak up into an object, an idea, or someone who doesn’t exist as if it is a living person
apostrophe
“Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk to you again.”
Apostrophe
identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words
Assonance
“It beats as it sweeps as it cleans.”
assonance
a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed
chiasmus
“I flee who chases me, and chase who flees me.”
chiasmus
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or unpleasant
euphemism
“Pre-loved”
instead of saying second hand
euphemism
an extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect
hyperbole
“I have a million things to do before being successful.”
hyperbole
- the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning
- a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea
irony
where actions or events have opposite result from what is expected
situational irony
where someone says the opposite of what they really mean or intend
verbal irony
occurs when the audience or reader of the text knows something that the characters do not
dramatic irony
A pilot in the story with a fear of heights.
situational irony
Saying “Oh, you’re great!” after failing the exam.
verbal irony
In horror movies, the audience is aware that there is a killer in the house, but the characters in the story does not know.
dramatic irony
consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating
Litotes
If a person is very intelligent, someone might say “He’s not dumb.” or “He’s not unintelligent.”
Litotes
involves a comparison between two relatively unlike things without the use of “like” or “as”
metaphor
He has a heart of stone.
metaphor
a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it
metonymy
- Let me give you a hand.
- A pen is mightier than a sword.
metonymy
the formation or use of words that imitate sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
onomatopoeia
- “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.”
- The firecracker made a loud ka-boom!
Onomatopoeia
incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side
oxymoron
“A yawn may be defined as a silent yell.”
oxymoron
contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion. It s a statement that appears to be self-contradictory
paradox
- War is peace
- You can save money buy spending it.
Paradox
an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human abilities
personification
The stars dance playfully in the moonlit sky.
personification
a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words
pun
- When it rains, it pours.
- A horse is a very stable animal.
- Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
pun
stated comparison (usually formed with “like” or “as”) between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common
simile
My love is like a red, red rose.
Simile
a part is used to represent the whole, the whole for a part, the specific for the general, the general for the specific, or the material for the thing made from it
synecdoche
his parents both him a set of wheels
synecdoche
in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is
understatement
“I have to do this operation. This isn’t that serious. I have this tiny little tumor in his brain.”
understatement
