Literary Terms Flashcards
Alliteration
The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
Allegory
Device of using a character and or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning
Allusion
A direct or indirect reference to something that which is presumably commonly known
Analogy
A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them
Antecedent
The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
Anithesis
The opposition or contrast of ideas, the direct opposite
Aphorism
A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle
Apostraphe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction
Didatic
Words that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles
Euphamism
More agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept
Figurative language
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to imaginative and vivid
Hyperbole
A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
Irony
The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant
Litotes
A form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite
Metaphor
A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it
Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words
Oxymoron
Figure of speech in which the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox
Paradox
A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity
Parallelism
Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure
Parody
A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule
Pedantic
An adjective that describes the words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic or bookish
Satire
A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or diciule
Syllogism
A deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises
Synechdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally the whole is used to represent a part. For example the President as the White House
Synesthesia
When one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another
