Rhetorical Terms Flashcards
Tropes
figures of speech with an unexpected twist in the meaning of words
Analogy
a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
Simile
a comparison using “like” or “as”
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable
Litotes
a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite
Apostrophe
a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person
Synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
Metonymy
the use of a word or phrase, when you refer to something using the name of something else that it is closely related to
Euphemism
an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
Understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is
Antonomasia
a substitution trope where a descriptive phrase is substituted for a proper name
Schemes
word order is altered from the usual or expected
Chiasmus
a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed (ABBA pattern)
Analepsis
flashback; depiction of earlier story points after later events have been revealed
Parallelism
similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
Antithesis
the direct opposite, a sharp contrast
Anadiplosis
repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause
Polyptoton
repetition of words derived from the same root
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds (AEIOU)
Consonance
repetition of consonant sounds
Anastrophe
inversion of the natural or usual word order
Apposition
a word or phrase placed next to another word in order to define or identify it
Zeugma
use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different meanings
Asyndeton
omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words
Polysyndeton
the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions
Aphorism
a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life
Ambiguity
an event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way
Connotation
all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
Denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
Diction
a writer or speaker’s choice of words
Mood
feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader
Tone
attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character
Parable
a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase
Paradox
a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
Syntax
the sentence structure
