Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Apostrophe
A figure of speech in which a person thing or abstract quality is addressed as a present calling out to the imaginary dead or absent person
Assonance
The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds usually in successive or proximate words
Cliché
An idea expression that has become tired and trite from overuse its freshness and clarity have worn off
Euphemism
Substitution of them out there and less direct express in for one that is harsh or blunt for example using passed away for dead.
Hyperbole
An overstatement characterized by exaggerated language
Jargon
The special language of a profession or group
Litote
Form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis and intensity for example she is not a bad cook
Metonymy
The rhetorical or metaphorical substitution of one thing for another based on their association or proximity example a monarch is not the same thing as a crown but we often refer to the monarch as the crown because the two are associated
Onomatopoeia
A word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes such as buzz or hiss
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements as in jumbo shrimp
Pun
The usual humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar and sound
Simile
Explicit comparison between two things using like or as
Syllogism
A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them example all tragedies end unhappily and hamlet is a tragedy so hamlet ends unhappily
Theme
The central or dominant idea or concern of a work the main idea or meaning
Understatement
The opposite of exaggeration one says less than intended
