Stylefigures Flashcards
Asyndeton
Omissions of conjuctions between parts of a sentence
“I rode a bike, ate a pretzel, had a picnic…”
Polysyndeton
The use of multiple conjunctions in close succession
“I like to spend time with my friends and my family and my neighbour.”
Anaphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a successive clause
“In every street, every shop, every square, I’ll see your face.”
Epiphora
The repetition of words at the end of successive clauses
“He is boring, you are boring, this is boring.”
Anadiplosis
Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next
“When I give, I give myself”
Antithesis
Placing opposing ideas next to each other
“I loved her, I hated her.”
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds
“The cat ran after the man”
Chiasmus
Two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the revearsal of their structure
“Pleasure’s a sin and sin’s a pleasure.”
Climax
Arranging words in orde rof importance, like a staircase
“A good, a best, an incredible man.”
Polyptoton
Repetition of words derived from the same root
“I am the decider, and I decide what’s best.”
Oxymoron
Two seemingly contradictory terms appear together
“This icecream is wonderfully evil”
Metaphor
Implies a comparison between two unlike things
“This exam is a nightmare”
Hyperbole
Exaggeration of statement not to be taking seriously
“I’ve been here forever”
Metonymy
The substitution of the name of an attribute
“Could you give me a hand.”
Synecdoche
When the whole is made to represent a part
“England lost against Spain in the match last Saturday”
Litotes
Ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary
“I cannot dissagree with the fact that I am going to fail this exam.”
Erotema
Rhetorical question, an answer is not expected
“How could I have been so stupid?”
Paralipsis
The emphasis of a point by seeming to pass over it
“I’m not saying that I care if you bring a cat, but I’m allergic.”
Enargeia
Vivid detailed description which makes the listener feel as if they are experiencing the scene
“The grass was a bright green, almost as bright as the sun that shone above it. The smell reminded of hay in summer, sweet and earthy.”
Paranomasia
Wordplay/pun
“I’d like to be cremated, since it is my last hope at finally getting a hot body.”
