tropes

(Substitutions of meaning or concepts to create a special effect)

Allusion

A reference to another work, person, or event outside of the text.

Anthimeria

The substitution of one part of speech for another, often turning a noun into a verb.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or dramatic effect.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality, where the outcome is opposite of what is expected.

Metaphor

Directly comparing two things without using like or as.

Metonymy

Substituting the name of one thing with the name of something closely associated.

Oxymoron

Two contradictory terms placed together to create a paradoxical effect.

Paradox

A statement that seems self-contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth.

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human things.

Pun

A play on words where two words with different meanings sound the same or similar.

Simile

Comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'.

Synecdoche

A part of something represents the whole, or the whole represents a part.

Understatement (litotes)

Deliberately minimizing something to emphasize its opposite.