Literary and Rhetorical Devices

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering literary, poetic, and rhetorical terms and definitions.

SIBILANCE

"s" sound

HYPERBOLE

Deliberate exaggeration

ONOMATOPOEIA

Words that imitate sounds

MICROCOSM

Small things that represent big ideas

MACROCOSM

Larger world as a whole

ENJABMENT

Sentence continues to next line without pause- flow

CAESURA

Pause at middle of a line

END STOPPED LINE

Usually ends with punctuation like semicolon, period

PERSONIFICATION

Human qualities given to non humans

ZOOMORPHISM

Animalistic qualities to humans/objects

METAPHOR

Saying something is something else

METAPHISCAL CONCEIT

Comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things

RELIGIOUS IMAGERY

Visual art, symbols, icons, and representations

SIMILIE

Comparing using "like" and 'as"

APOSTROPHE

Directly addressing someone absent or nonhuman

APORIA

Expressing doubt/confusion

ALLUSION

Reference to a well known thing

DRAMARIC IRONY

Reader knows more then the character

IRONY

Contrast between what is expected and what actually happens

JUXTAPOSITION

Two things put together to compare-THROUGHOUT

OXYMORON

2 opposite words placed together-PHRASE

PARADOX

Statement that seems contradictory but has truth in it

SEMANTIC FIELD

Set of words grouped by a subject/theme

ALLEGORY

Conveys a hidden meaning through symbolic characters and events

ANTHROPOMORPHISM

The attribution of human characteristics, emotions, behaviour, to animals or non human things

SYNECHDOCHE

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or opposite ("Police arrived"/"New Wheels")

SOLILOQUY

Speaking to themselves relating to their innermost thoughts and feelings

SYMBOLISM

Using physical objects, characters, colors, actions, or events to represent a deeper meaning

SLANT RHYME

Words share similar but not identical sounds, eg "pact" and "slicked" at ends of poetry lines

TONE

Expresses attitude, like sarcastic, cheerful

TAGIC HERO

Protagonist character, earns sympathy by not being fully good.

POLYSYNDENTON

Repetition of conjunctions- AND,BUT

ANADIPLOSIS

Repetition of last word of a sentence and ing of new sentence

ASYNDENTON

Using conjunctions in a list

POLYPTOTON

Repetition of sounds from the same root

DIACOPE

Repeat, word, repeat

REFRAIN

A repeated line

ANAPHORA

Repetition of words at the start of sentence

ASSONANCE

Repetition of vowel sound

EPIZEUXIS

Immediate repetition

ANTIMETABOLE

Repetition of phrase but the order is reversed after

ENPANALEPSIS

"The king is dead, long live the king"

EPISTROPHE

Words repeated at the end of sentence, clause, phrase. "Of the people, for the people, by the people"

ANTANACLASIS

Word/phrase is repeated in sentence but has a different meaning each time

ANTITHESIS

The direct opposite. "Small step for man, giant leap for mankind"

CACOPHONY

Words that sound harsh/unpleasant together

EUPHONY

Words that sound pleasant together, or are easy to pronounce

CATHARSIS

Release of pent up strong emotion

CLICHÉ

Overused phrase, lacking in originality

CLIMAX

Story's central turning point

COLLOQUIALISM

Use of informal words in casual conversation, they are understood by natives, "Bloke"

ENVOI

Concluding stanza that summarizes the poem/dedication

FORESHADOWING

A hint at plot development

HAMARTIA

Tragic flaw/error that leads to downfall

HUBRIS

Excessive pride or overconfidence, leading to overstepping limits and downfall

IDIOM

A phrase whose overall meaning cannot be understood by combining the literal definitions of its individual words

LINE BREAK

Termination of one line, beginning of new

METONYMY

A concept or object is called by the name of something closely associated with it, rather than by its own name, "White House"

MOTIF

Recurring element/idea

PATHETIC FALLACY

Human emotion attributed to weather, objects or animals

SATIRE

Use of humour, irony and sarcasm to ridicule or criticize something/one