Section 1 – Language & Figures of Speech

Alliteration

the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words

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

Anaphora

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

Apostrophe

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

Conceit

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

Euphemism

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

Figurative language

language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)

Hyperbole

intentional exaggeration to create an effect

Imagery

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

Metaphor

a direct comparison of two different things

Metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it

Onomatopoeia

a word formed from the imitation of natural sounds

Oxymoron

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