Literary Terms Flashcards
What is an alliteration?
the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words
What is an allusion?
reference to a well-known person, place, event, saying
What is an anaphora?
repetition at the beginning of successive clauses
What is an antithesis?
the contrast of opposites for effect
What is a bathos?
an anti-climax or comically deflating change of tone
What is a contrast?
the presentation of strikingly different images or ideas
What is emotive language?
powerful words or phrases to provoke a response
What is figurative language?
metaphor, simile, personification - the opposite of literal
What is a hyperbole?
exaggeration for effect
What is imagery?
visually descriptive language - often figurative
What is irony?
saying one thing but meaning the opposite
What is juxtaposition?
the deliberate placing together of words or ideas
What is a metaphor?
an imaginative comparison made for effect
What does monosyllabic mean?
made up of words of one syllable
What is onomatopoeia?
when words sound like what they describe
What is a oxymoron?
a phrase made from two opposing words
What is personification?
when an object or idea is described as if it were a person with emotions
What does polysyllabic mean?
comprising words of multiple syllables
What is a refrain?
an often repeated word or phrase
What does repetition mean?
repeating words or phrases for deliberate effect
What is a rhetorical question?
a question asked for effect
What is a semantic field?
a group of words with similar associations
What is sibilance?
the alliteration of ‘s’ or ‘sh’ sounds
What is a simile?
an imaginative comparison made with ‘like’ or ‘as’
What is symbolism?
when an object, animal, etc. represents something else
What does tone mean?
the emotional mood of a piece of writing
What is a tricolon?
three powerful repetitions
