AP LANG Figurative Language

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds of several consecutive or neighboring words

allusion

a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place or thing

antithesis

involves a direct contrast of structurally paralleled word groupings, generally for the purpose of contrast

apostrophe

a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if present

assonance

the repetition of accented vowel sounds in a series of words

consonance

the repetition of a consonant within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect

flashback

a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event

foreshadowing

the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action

hyperbole

a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration

verbal irony

the result of a statement saying one thing while meaning the opposite

situational irony

when a situation turns out differently from one would normally expect though often the twist is oddly appropriate

dramatic irony

occurs when a character says or does something that has more or different meanings form what he thinks it means, though the audience and/or other characters do understand the full ramifications of the speech or action

metaphor

a comparison without the use of like or as; usually a comparison between something that is concrete and something that is abstract

onomatopoeia (imitative harmony)

the use of words in which the sounds seem to resemble to sounds they describe

oxymoron

a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single unusually expression

paradox

when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth

personification

a kind of metaphore that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics

prodsody

the study of sound and rhythm in poetry

pun

a play of words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse meanings

sarcasm

a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it

sensory detail

an appeal to the senses

shift or turn

a change in movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization, or insight gained by the speaker, character, or the reader

simile

symbols

any object, person, place, or action that has both meaning in itself and that stand for something larger than itself, such as quality, attitude, belief, or value

synecdoche (metonymy)

a form of metaphor. apart of something is used to signify the whole

synethesia

sense mixing

understatement (meiosis, litotes)

the opposite of hyperbole; a king of irony that deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is

figurative language

using words or phrases in a non-literal way to create an effect