Literary Terms

Participle

Participle

a word based off of a verb that expresses a state of being, ending in -ing

Metonymy

substituting a name for a related word

Litotes

ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary

aphorism

memorable expression of a general truth or principle

synecdoche

when a part of something is used to refer to a whole

conceit

a fanciful expression or elaborate metaphor

antithesis

a pair that contradict each other

parallelism

repetition of grammatical elements in a piece of writing to create a harmonious effect

anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases

synesthesia

blending of human senses to describe an object

polysyndeton

a list or series of words, phrases, or clauses that is connected with the repeated use of the same conjunction

asyndeton

the omission of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (ex passive aggressive)

epithet

added before a name or noun which defines the noun (ex. Valiant othello)

Chiasmus

two part sentence or phrase where the second part is a reversal of the first

apostrophe

when a speaker adresses something that is not able to respond

magnanimous

generous

euphemism

a mild or indirect expression substitute for one considered too harsh

placate

make less angry

foil

a character who contrasts with another character

polysyndeton

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom”

parallelism

“Easy come, easy go”

apostrophe

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Juliet believes she is alone and addresses Romeo, thinking that he is absent.

chiasmus

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”

conceit

“a broken heart is like a damaged clock”

synesthesia

a “loud dress” or a “chilly gaze”

metonymy

Referring to the American technology industry as “Silicon Valley”

antithesis

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” (not aphorism)

chiasmus

“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” (not aphorism)