List 2 Flashcards
chiasmus
two or more clauses balanced against each other through the reversal of structure
ex. bad men live to eat and drink while good men eat and drink to live
zeguma
figurative speech in which a word (verb/adj) that applies to more than one noun, blending together ideas that are different grammatically and logically
litotes
when the affirmative is expressed through negation of the contrary, employs understatement with the use of double negatives
ex. it was no ordinary city (the word ordinary is negated, suggesting the city is grand or special)
ellipsis
device used to omit certain words or phrases, but allows readers to fill in the gaps using context clues (…)
inverted syntax (inversion)
when the typical order of a sentence is reversed
ex. what they talked of all evening long, no one remembered the next day
diacope
repetition of a word or phrase after another intervening word or phrase
ex. we will do it, I tell you, we will do it
antithesis
establishment of a contrasting relationship between two phrases or clauses by joining them together often in parallel structure
ex. the short and easy trip made a lasting and profound change
parenthesis
word, clause or sentence inserted as an afterthought or explanation after another passage that is grammatically correct without it, ()
parallel syntactic structure
the same part of speech or syntactic structure being used in each element of a series, before and after coordinating conjunctions, or after a pair of correlative conjunctions
ex. over the hill and through the woods to grandmothers house we go
it was the best of times and it was the worst of times
the vegetable is both rich in vitamins and low in calories
polysyndeton
the repetition of conjunctions to create an artistic effect
ex. “Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big
houses and schools and lawns …let the have their whiteness.”
asyndenton
omission of conjunctions between words phrases or clauses
ex. the villain who deceived you, who cheated you, who betrayed you
periodic sentence structure
a sentence written so that the full meaning can only be understood until the end
ex. to believe your own thought, to believe what is true to you…that is genius
parable
a short story where a moral or spiritual lesson may be drawn
ex. the boy who cried wolf
anaphora
repetition of a word, phrases or clauses at the beginning of successive clauses usually in conjunction with climax and parallelism.
ex. to think on death…/to think on life…/to think…/to think
syntax
the organization and patterns of formations of sentences and phrases from words
