ap lit flashcards

Simile

A comparison using like or as
Ex. Her smile shone like sun.

Personification

Gives human traits to nonhuman things
Ex. The wind whispered softly.

Apostrophe

Addresses absent or nonhuman thing directly
Ex. O death, spare me.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for effect
Ex. I've told you a million times.

Onomatopoeia

Word imitates a natural sound
Ex. Bees buzzed near flowers.

Euphemism/Understatement

Uses weaker words than expected
Ex. He died in a car crash, passing away peacefully.

Paradox

An apparent contradiction that is still true
Ex. Less is more.

Oxymoron

Pairs contradictory terms for effect
Ex. Deafening silence filled room.

Puns

Wordplay using double meanings
Ex. I used to be a baker.

Allusion

Reference to another literary work
Ex. He met his Waterloo.

Anastrophe

Inverts normal word order for emphasis
Ex. Strong was the storm.

Anaphora

Repeats opening word or phrase in clauses
Ex. I came, I saw, I stayed.

Polysyndeton

Uses many conjunctions for emphasis or rhythm
Ex. We laughed and sang and danced.

Asyndeton

Omits conjunctions in a series
Ex. I came, saw, conquered.

Synecdoche

Uses part for whole or whole for part
Ex. All hands on deck.

Metonymy

Uses related thing to stand for another
Ex. The crown made decisions.

Alliteration

Repeats beginning consonant sounds
Ex. Wild winds whipped westward.

Assonance

Repeats vowel sounds in stressed syllables
Ex. Go slow over road.

Consonance

Repeats consonant sounds within nearby words
Ex. Blank and think.

Juxtaposition

Places two things side by side for contrast
Ex. Fire beside ice.

Enjambment

Sentence continues into next poetic line
Ex.
The sun sets
and shadows arise