AP Lang 50 Devices

Symbolism

Using symbols to represent a greater idea

“Using a bird to represent innocence and freedom”

Synecdoche

A part represents the whole

“Saying Eagles won the Superbowl instead of saying The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team won“

Metonymy

Substituting a characteristic for a whole thing

“Crown for a kingdom“

Alliteration

Same sound at the beginning of words

“Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore“

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound between words

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plains“

Consonance

Repetition of similar sounds at the end of the word

“Easy peasy lemon squeezy“

Onomatopoeia

A word that represents a sound

““Thwip!”“Boom!” “Kabam!” “Shapaboozy!”“

Interjection

An abrupt remark

““Oh! Guess we have to buy the barn now!”“

Metaphor

Comparing 2 unlike things without like or as

“He’s a walking encyclopedia“

Implied Metaphor

A phrase that describes a metaphor without stating it directly

“He stalked his prey“

Extended Metaphor

Takes a metaphor and expands upon it even more

“Some say he lives in a 300 ring circus, but recently, there have only been 299 rings.“

Simile

Comparing 2 thing with like or as

“Dead as a doornail”

Personification

Give non-human things human descriptions

“The wind screamed into my ear“

Hyperbole

A very exaggerated sentence

“My homework’s a mile high“

Idiom

a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words

“That ship has sailed“

Literary Allusion

Referring events that occur in books and stories

“Stress is his Achilles Heel“

Historical Allusion

Referencing a person or event in history

“Aaron Burr was referred to as the embryo Caesar“

Contemporary Allusion

Referencing something related to pop culture

“That movie was her red pill“ (Matrix)

Religious Allusion

Referencing religious stories

“That landscaper’s backyard is second only to the Garden of Eden“

Epistrophe

Repetition of words at the end of the sentence or phrase

“A government of the people, by the people, for the people” - Abe Lincoln

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence

“I have a dream… I have a dream…” -MLK Jr.

Parallelism

Repetition of a specific sentence structure

“I came, I saw, I conquered“ -Caesar

Chiasmus

Repetition, but the phrase is reversed

"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" -JFK

Epimone

Repeating a phrase numerous times

“We need change, and we need it now, not tomorrow, but now“

Literal Imagery

Using straightforward descriptions to describe things

“The freshly baked bread“

Figurative Imagery

Using figurative language to make a description

“Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago.” -Moby Dick

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself

“All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others” -Animal Farm

Oxymoron

When two opposites words are placed right next to each other

“Parting is such sweet sorrow“ -Shakespeare

Juxtaposition

When 2 contrasting items are close to each other or being compared to each other

“The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t” -Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Antithesis

Two phrases that are opposites of each other

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” -Charles Dickens

Periodic Sentence

The independent clause comes at the end of the sentence

“After a long day, filled with challenges and obstacles, he finally found peace in his garden“

Loose Sentence

The independent clause comes first

The sun set behind the mountains, casting a warm orange glow across the sky and signaling the end of a long day

Polysyndeton

The use of many conjunctions

“We ate roast beef and squash and biscuits and potatoes and corn and cheese and cherry pie”

Asyndeton

The lack of conjunctions

“Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!” -Sam Gamgee

Concession

Yielding to the other’s argument

“…however, the opponents to this deal do make a good point of…“

Ellipses

The omission of words or events from the text

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth…the proposition that all men are created equal“ -Abe Lincoln

Antecedent

A word or phrase that a pronoun refers to

“The students were asked to leave the classroom, but they left ten minutes earlier (“students” and “they”)“

Digression

Going on a departure from the main subject

“We were at dinner last night, and the service was just terrible. It reminded me of a time in Paris—oh, the food was spectacular, but the waiter was so rude... but I digress. What I mean to say is, the service last night was so bad that we almost left“

Inductive Reasoning

Using specific details to make a larger guess

“The sun has risen every day of my life; therefore, the sun will always rise every day“

Deductive Reasoning

Using general statements to make a specific conclusions

“All fruits have seeds. Apple is a fruit. Therefore apples have seeds“

Anecdote

A short and amusing flashback of events

“When I was younger, I dropped my cake“

Zeugma

When one word is used with 2 different meanings

“John and his license expired last week“

Pun

A play on words for humor

“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt” -Mark Twain

Litotes

Using multiple negatives in the same sentence

“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you“ - Catch 22

Euphemism

Substituting a word or phrase to represent something quite blunt or negative

“I’m sorry to say this, but your father’s belongings have lost their lifetime warranty“ (dad died)

Verbal Irony

Saying something, but meaning the opposite

After getting a flat tire on the way to school: “That’s just great!”

Rhyme

Similar sounds at the ending of words, usually at the end of lines

“Don’t be shocked when your history book mentions me.

I will lay down my life if it sets us free.

Eventually, you’ll see my ascendancy,” -Hamilton

Feet

A repeating rhythmic unit of unstressed and stressed syllables

“To be, or not to be, that is the question” -Shakespeare (the “to be” is one individual feet)

Meter

The collection of feets that make a line

“Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily / life is but a dream” -Row Row Row Your Boat

Syllables

A singular sound the mouth can make at one time

1-cow, math, foot

2-alpha, candle, fiery

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