Syntax/Figurative Language

Study resource for the AP Language and Composition exam.

Anadiplosis

refers to the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. The word is used at the end of a sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next sentence.

“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering"

anadiplosis

Epistrophe/Antistrophe/Epiphora

refers to the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. It is an extremely emphatic device because of the emphasis placed on the last word in a phrase or sentence

“I'm tired of this job. I'm over this job. I'm done with this job!”

epistrophe

Anaphora

The opposite of epistrophe, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”

anaphora

Parallelism/Parallel Structure

refers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a sentence. It involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased

“He was walking, running, and jumping for joy.”

parallelism/parallel structure

Juxtaposition

a poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit

“The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black bough”

juxtaposition

Repetition

is a device in which words, sounds, and ideas are used more than once for the purpose of enhancing rhythm and creating emphasis

Hypophora

is a device in which a question is asked, and then answered.

Antithesis

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

“Sink or swim”

antithesis

Simile

is a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words like or as. It is definitely a stated comparison, where the poet says one thing is like another

“The warrior fought like a lion”

simile

Metaphor

is a comparison without the use of like or as. The poet states that one thing is another. It is usually a comparison between something that is real or concrete and something that is abstract

Personification

is a kind of metaphor which gives inanimate objects or abstract idea human characteristics

“The wind cried in the dark”

personification

Hyperbole

is a deliberate, extravagant and often outrageous exaggeration. It may be used for serious or comic effect

“The shot that was heard ‘round the world”

hyperbole

Understatement (Meiosis)

is the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony which deliberately represents something much less than it really is

“I could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars per year”

understatement (meiosis)

Paradox

is a statement which contradicts itself. It may seem almost absurd. Although it may seem to be at odds with ordinary experience, it usually turns out to have a coherent meaning and reveals a truth which is normally hidden

“The more you know the more you don’t know”

paradox

Oxymoron

is a form of paradox which combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression. The combination usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness

“Sweet sorrow, jumbo shrimp, original copy”

oxymoron

Pun

is a play on words which are identical or similar in sound but which have sharply diverse meanings

When Mercutio is bleeding to death in Romeo and Juliet, he says to his friends, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”

pun

Irony

is the result of a statement saying one thing while meaning the opposite, usually used to criticize

“It is simple to stop smoking. I’ve done it many times”

irony

sarcasm

is a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something while he is actually insulting the thing, intending to injure/hurt it

“As I fell down the stairs head-first, I heard her say, “look at that coordination”

sarcasm

Apostrophe

is a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if the present, and the inanimate as if animate, all addressed directly

“The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind”

apostrophe

Allusion

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

“He met his Waterloo”

allusion