allusion
A reference to another work of literature, person, or event
example: "it was a glass slipper ending
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
example: "we shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds
antithesis
the direct opposite, a sharp contrast - in a balanced parallel
example: "not that i loved ceasar less, but that i loved rome more"
"extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
appositive
a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it
example: "Henry, the boss of the operation, always wore a baseball cap
alliteration
repetition of sounds
example: "beaded bubbles"
"through thick & thin
asyndeton
omission of conjunctions between phrases, clauses, or words
example: "veni, vidi, vici"
"b/c you choose for yout instrument a boastful lustful, smutty, little boy.
hyperbole
exaggeration often extravagent
example: "I could eat a horse"
"There are millions of things to do
imagery
language that appeals to the senses - describes in detail
example: "Simon dropped the screen of leaves back into place the slope of the bars honey-colored sunlight decreased.
irony
implied discrpency between what's said and what it meant.
example: "at a restuarnt there is a fly floating in the soup, the lady turns around and says 'mmm insect soup, my favorite'.
juxtaposition
unassociated words or pharses are placed next to eachother
example: "my eyes remain closed cause my highs are lows, im feeling the blows of rain my pain is cold.
metaphor
a comparison without using like or as
example: "the furnace of affliction had softened his heart and purified his soul
onomatopoeia
a word that imitates the sound it represents.
example: "buzz, hiss, bang, murmur
oxymoron
a statement that contradicts itself
example: "sad, joy, a wise fool, the sound of silence
paradox
a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true
example: "stone walls do not make a jail, nor the iron bars a cage"
"he who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
parallelism
phrases or sentences of a similar construction/meaning placed side by side, balancing each other
example: "ferocious dragons breathing fire and wicked sorcerors casting their spells do their harm by night in the forest of darkness.
personification
a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
example: "the chair said hello"
"to many people, the senator personfies Washington D.C.
polysyndeton
deliberate use of many conjunctions
example: "the meal was huge- my mother fixed Okra and greenbeans andham and apple pie and green pickled tomatoes and ambrosia salad and all manner of fine country food-but no matter how i tried, I couldn't consume
rhetorical question
a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.
example: "how long will you abuse our patience"
"say's who
simile
a comparison using "like" or "as"
example: "the soul in the body is like a bird in the cage
symbol
a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
example: universal symbol - light = knowledge
skull = death
synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
example: "farmer jones has two hundred head of cattle and three hundred hands"
"If i had some wheels i's put on my best threads and ask fr janes hand in marriage
understatement
the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.
example: "you know I would be a little disapointed if you were to get hit by a drunk driver at 2 a.m., so I hope you get home soon.