figures of speech Flashcards
anaphora
repetition of word/expression at the beginning of successive phrases
ex: “we cannot dedicate, we cannot concentrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”
antithesis
direct opposite of something, contrast/opposition, parallelism
ex: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins”
“beggars can’t be chasers”
“man proposes, God disposes”
irony
contrary to what is expected, expectation vs reality
“it’s so nice of you to to tell my secrets”
“the bad news is that everybody got perfect is yesterday’s best”
Litotes
negative statements used to affirm a positive statement
“he’s no tool”
“it’s not rocket science”
chiasmus
concepts repeated in reverse order abba order
“Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds”
oxymoron
contradictory terms appear in conjunction combines 2 opposite qualities
“awfully good” “freezer burn” “only choice”
paradox
contradicts itself
“solve money by spending it”
“this is the beginning of the end”
understatement
makes a situation less important
“its just a flesh wound”
“it’s just a little tired”
mistonymy
word for one thing need to refer to something related
“a bunch of suits” = business people
“i need to hit the books” = study
bynecdoche
used to represent the whole
“jack got some new wheels” = new car
“i cant wait to get back on the waves” = on the ocean
alliteration
begin with same consonant sound
“Dun’s dog dove deep in the dam”
assonance
repetition of vowel sounds within words
“the cat in the hat”
onomatopoeia
mimics the sound
“tremendous whooshing noise”
“crashing waves and snapping twigs”
apostrophe
addresses the absent/dead/non-human as if they were present
“hello darkness my old friend”
