Figures of speech Flashcards
Tropes
-figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression
Figurative language
-metaphorical language
-meaning that goes beyond literal meaning
Simile
comparing things that are essentially unlike
-uses connecting words “like” or “as”
“I slept like a log”
Metaphor
comparing things that are essentially unlike
-comparison is implied, doesn’t use a connecting word
“She cried a river of tears”
dead metaphor -> used to be a metaphor in the past but now isn’t
“Life is no bed of roses”
Personification
human characteristics are given to animals/objects
“My flowers were begging for water”
Synecdoche
part of something is substituted for the whole
“All hands” signify “everyone”
Metonymi
one word is used to replace another
“I read Shakespeare”
Irony
shift of meaning, shows contrast between reality and expectation
Sarcasm
ironic remark, bitter irony meant to mock
Somebody broke their leg and you say: “You are a born athlete”
Hyperboly
deliberate exaggeration
“I’m so hungry i could eat a horse”
Euphemism
use of nicer, gentle words
not “she died” but “she passed”
Symbol
symbolizes an action, object, connected with something
a cross, a dove…
Allusion
brief and indirect reference to a famous historic character
Periphrasis
use of excessive language, saying something in “roundabout” way
Figures of sound
Devices that help the reader “hear the poem”
-they rely on the repetition of the sound
