Figurative language Ap Lit

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally

Allusion

Indirect reference to a person, place, event, etc. that is not mentioned but assumed by the audience

Analogy

Comparison that highlights a similarity between two different things

Alliteration

Repetition of the same sound at the start of sentences

Satire

Use of exaggeration to criticize corruption

Irony

What is expected vs what actually happens

Personification

Human characteristics or behavior given to non human things

Synecdoche

Part of something is used to refer to the whole or the whole is used to refer to a part

Allegory

Story, poem, or picture that often has hidden meaning

Ambiguity

Open to more then one interpretation

Anaphora

Repetition at the beginning of a sentence

Aphorism

Concise statement of a principle

Archetype

Recurrent motif

Asyndeton

Create emphasis by deliberately omitting junctions

Apostrophe

• speaker directly addresses an absent person, an inanimate object, or an abstract concept as if it were present and capable of understanding

• Example : Twinkle twinkle little star , how I wonder what you were

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds within words

Conceit

Metaphor that makes a complex comparison

Consonance

Repeats the same consonant sounds in adjacent words

Deus ex machina

Unsolvable conflict suddenly is resolved due to plot

Hubris

Excessive pride leads to own downfall

Juxtaposition

Two separate ideas near each other to highlight difference

Imagery

Describing something to create images in head

Metonymy

One word is substituted for another that is closely associated with it

Motif

Recurring idea, object, or phrase that repeats in the story

Onomatopoeia

Word that sounds like the actual noise it describes

Paradox

Statement that contradicts itself, has deep meaning

Parallelism

Similar words used to create rhythm and emphasis

Parody

Humorous imitation of a specific piece of literature

Point of view

Perspective that the story is told from

Pun

Plays with words that have multiple meanings

Symbolism

Something represents another thing ; abstract and deep

Syntax

Arrangement of words in a sentence to create meaning

Oxymoron

Figure of speech combining 2 contradictory words