Schemes and Tropes

Schemes and Tropes test coming up next week. Preparation is needed.

scheme

deviation from the ordinary pattern or arrangement or words

juxtaposition

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

parallelism

the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms

oxymoron

an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined

paradox

an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

antithesis

a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced and directly opposed

ellipsis

the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context (Some people prefer cats; others, dogs)

asyndeton

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

parenthetical (parenthesis)

a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain

polysyndenton

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences

isocolon

when parallel elements are similar not only in structure, but also in length (creates rhythm)

climax

when words/phrases/clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance

appositive

placing side-by-side two co-ordinate elements, the second of which serves as an explanation of the first

epistrophe

repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses (creates parallelism)

anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause

antimetabole

repetition of words in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order

allusion

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

analogy

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

simile

a comparison of two unlike things using "like," "as," or other specifically comparative words

metaphor

a direct comparison of two different things

personification

endowing non-human objects or creatures with human qualities or characteristics

imagery

the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses

pun

a play on words, often achieved through the use of words with similar sounds but different meanings

euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it ("The pen [writing] is mightier than the sword [war/fighting]

symbol

an object that is used to represent something else

synecdoche

using one part of an object to represent the entire object (referring to a car simply as wheels)

apostrophe

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction

archetype

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

verbal irony

the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs

periphrasis

a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things

details

an individualized description of a particular instance

motif

a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

trope

deviation from the ordinary or primary significance of the word

listing

series of items in meaningful sequence

transition/segue

a statement that improves flow from one paragraph to the next

epanalepsis

repetition at the end of a clause or sentence of the word or phrase with which it began

rhyme

a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines or phrases

alliteration

repetition of vowel or consonant sounds in a succession of words

consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds in a succession of words

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in a succession of words

sibilance

the repetition of hissing sounds (s, sh, th, ch, z, f, x, and soft c) in a succession of words

hyperbole

using overstatement/exaggeration for effect

litote

understatement by using double negatives, or, in other words, a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions. Ironic.

meiosis

intentional understatement used to belittle a person or event

portmanteau

two or more words joined together to coin a new word or blending parts of two or more words to refer to a single concept

tautology

repetitive use of phrases or words which have similar meanings; expressing the same thing two or more times in different ways

rhetorical question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer

aposiopesis

suddenly stopping in the middle of a speech for emphasis

double entendre

a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which might be risqué or indecent.

sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey contempt