Figurative Language Test

Aliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Apostrophe

address to an absent or imaginary person or thing

Chiasmus

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Connotation

All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

iambic pentameter

a rhythmic pattern that consists of ten syllables per line, with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables

Imagery

language that appeals to the senses

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality

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.

Mood

How the reader feels about the text while reading.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Oxymoron

a combination of two words that appear to contradict each other

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Simile

A comparison of two things using like or as

Theme

Central idea of a work of literature

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Quatrain

4 line stanza

rhyeme scheme

the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.

Sonnet

a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem

Volta

the shift or point of dramatic change in a poem/sonnet attitude

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds