Figurative Language Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for key terms related to figurative language and figures of speech.

Figurative Language

Language using figures of speech that cannot be taken literally (or should not be taken literally only).

Figures of Speech

A way of saying one thing and meaning another; consists of simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, understatement, apostrophe, alliteration, assonance, rhyme, irony, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox, pun, allusion, dysphemism, and euphemism.

Simile

A stated comparison (usually formed with 'like' or 'as') between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in common (e.g., 'as busy as a bee').

Metaphor

An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common (e.g., 'time is a thief').

Personification

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities (e.g., 'The moon winked at me through the clouds above').

Hyperbole

An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect (e.g., 'I am so hungry I could eat a horse').

Understatement

A writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is (e.g., 'It is a bit cold today,' when the temperature is 5 degrees below freezing).

Apostrophe

Breaking off discourse to address some absent person or thing, some abstract quality, an inanimate object, or a non-existent character. (Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!) (Penutur bercakap kepada bintang, iaitu objek tidak bernyawa.)

Alliteration

The repetition of an initial consonant sound (e.g., 'Mike’s microphone made much music').

Assonance

Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words (e.g., 'Tyger, Tyger burning bright'). which is the repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words, often used for poetic or rhythmic effect.

Irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to (e.g., 'splash').

Oxymoron

Incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side (e.g., 'pretty ugly').

Paradox

A statement that appears to contradict itself (e.g., 'I must be cruel to be kind').

Pun

A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

Allusion

A literary device that makes indirect reference which quickly stimulates different ideas and associations using only a couple of words. It relies on the reader being able to understand the allusion and being familiar with the meaning hidden behind the words.

Dysphemism

The use of a harsh, more offensive word instead of one considered less harsh.

Euphemism

Used to express a mild, indirect, or vague term to substitute for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term.

Imagery

Used to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses and often with the aid of figures of speech.