Tropes/Figurative devices/Sound devices

Question 1

Ambiguity

Answer 1

Use of words with multiple meanings or interpretations; may create a play on words

Ex: “Brave men run in my family”

Question 2

Analogy

Answer 2

A comparison that focuses on similarities between two situations or processes

Ex: comparing braking a habit to climbing a mountain because both are so difficult to achieve

Question 3

Aphorism

Answer 3

A general or observation about life, usually stated concisely and pointedly

Ex: “a penny saved is a penny earned”

Question 4

Colloquialism

Answer 4

Use of slang, informal language; often related to dialect (language unique to a specific region)

Ex: “dumping” a girlfriend or boyfriend

Question 5

Euphemism

Answer 5

Using an indirect phrase to replace an upsetting or offensive direct term

Ex: garbage man= “sanitation engineer”; died= “passed away”

Question 6

Invective

Answer 6

Use of insulting or angry language; often used in satire

Ex: “thou knave, thou naughty knave!”

Question 7

Irony

Answer 7

Technique that contrasts appearance & reality, expectation & result, or meaning & intention

Question 8

Dramatic irony

Answer 8

Contradiction between what a character thinks & what the audience knows

Ex: in horror movies, victims tend to go to the exact place where the killer is waiting

Question 9

Situational irony

Answer 9

An outcome directly contrasts with expectations; sometimes to humorous effect

Ex: a mail bomber gets the address wrong, and his BOMB is returned to his own address

Question 10

Verbal irony

Answer 10

A type of irony in which words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant

Ex: saying “that’s just great” when u get a cruddy grade. (It’s not great!)

Question 11

Jargon

Answer 11

Specialized language used by a specific group; may be pretentious when used when the wrong audience

Ex: teachers attend inservices to help them learn new methods of differentiation

Question 12

Metonymy

Answer 12

Figure of speech; the name of one thing is substituted with the name of something closely associated

Ex: can u give me a hand with this? (Hand=help)

Question 13

Paradox

Answer 13

A statement or situation that seems contradictory or absurd but that expresses the truth

Ex: “those who speak the most often say the least.” “…so ugly that it’s cute.”

Question 14

Parody

Answer 14

Imitation of a writers or artists style for humorous effect (and sometimes to comically pay tribute)

Question 15

Rhetorical shift

Answer 15

A shift in tone or style meant to distinguish an important point

Question 16

Satire

Answer 16

The use or humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and critique society’s flaws

Question 17

Synesthesia

Answer 17

A sensory image described using another sense unexpectedly

Ex: red as a “noisy” color; the number six described as “soft”

Question 18

Synecdoche

Answer 18

A form of metaphor in which a part of something is used to stand for the whole thing

Ex: “may I have your hand in marriage?” (Hand= whole person)

Question 19

Allegory

Answer 19

Text that has hidden symbolic meaning, often incorporating archetypes

Ex: Animal Farm as an allegory for Russian Revolution