rhetoric vocab Flashcards
antimetabole
repetition of the exact same word or phrase in successive clauses, but flipped around (order)
antanaclasis
repitition of the same word/phrase in 2 different senses, word means smth different each time it appears
apostrophe
addressing a person, object, or abstraction that isn’t there and CAN’T physically be there
assonance
similar vowel sounds followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words
auxesis
magnifying the importance of something by giving it a disproportionate/more sophisticated name
allegory
a continued metaphor, a symbolic narrative.
literal meaning + hidden meaning
alliteration
repetition of the 1st or middle consonants in 2 or more words (usually in a row)
anaphora
repitition of the same word/group of words at the beginning of successive clauses
anastrophe
inverted word order like yoda
antithesis
juxtaposition of contrasting ideas that display exact opposition (often in parallel structure)
chiasmus
reversal of grammatical structures in successive clauses/phrases, often without repeating words. the second part of the phrase is a mirror image of the first.
ellipsis
…
leaning out a sequence of events in order to let the reader fill in the narrative gaps
erotema
another name for a rhetorical question
hyperbole
the use of exaggerated terms for emphasis/heightened effect
irony
use of a word of phrase in order to convey a meaning opposite the literal meaning, usually sarcastic
isocolon
elements are similar in word or syllable count
litotes
deliberate use of understatement for effect, not to deceive someone but to enhance the irony of what we say
metaphor
an implied comparison between 2 things of unlike nature that have something in common, but DOES NOT use “like” or “as”
metonymy
a substitution (that people will get) of some attributing or suggestive word for what is actually meant
onomatopoeia
use of words whose sound echoes the sense of the word
oxymoron
the combining of two terms that are ordinarily contradictory
parable
an anecdotal narrative designed to teach a moral lesson
paradox
a seemingly absurd and contradictory statement that when investigated or explained may prove a measure of truth.
similar to an oxymoron but is often a whole statement as opposed to a few words.
personification
abstractions or inanimate objects with human qualities
pun
a play on words. a joke using the different meanings of a word or the fact that words sound alike but have different meanings.
simile
an explicit comparison between two things of unlike nature that yet have something in common, using “like” or “as” or “than”
synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part or element of the word or phrase stands for the whole
