Literary terms Flashcards
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one:
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Anachronism
chronological inconsistoncy
Anaphora
a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of a sentance
Anthropomorphism
a nonhuman thing acts human
Asyndeton
a writer leaves out conjunctions
colloquialism
use of slang
epigraph
author inserts a famous quote or text at the beginning of a chapter
Epistrophe
a repeated word or phrase at the end of of successive statements
Euphism
when a mild or indirect word is used in place of another – usually with negative connotation
juxtaposition
the contrasting of two opposite ideas near each other in a text
metonym
a word or phrase is subbed for the actual thing (the pen is mightier than the sword) written language=pen sword=war
onomonopea
words that represents the sound they stand for
oxymoron
two words together that have oposite meaning, {deafening silence}
paradox
statement that appears illogical at first but has some meaning
Personification
when a non human figure is described as having human characterisitcs
synecdoche
a part of smth is used to represent a whole
Syntax
The structure of a sentence
Appositive Phrase
a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun that comes directly before it. Appositives are used to explain or further identify a noun.
Prepositional phrase
starts with a preposition and provides extra information. Sometimes, a prepositional phrase can answer questions such as How?, When?, and Where?
Gerund
is verb form used as a noun that always ends in -ing.
participle
a participle is a verb form that can act as an adjective.
extended metaphor
a figurative comparison that lasts through multiple sentences or paragraphs.
conceit
A particularly striking or fanciful simile or metaphor, often extended and elaborate.
synesthesia
A combination of sensory feelings resulting from a single sensory stimulus.
