ap lang cards

Metaphor:  

Definition: An implied comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as." 

Example: "The world is a stage." 
 

Simile:  

Definition: A direct comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as." 

Example: "He's as brave as a lion." 

Analogy:  

Definition: An extended comparison between two things, often used to explain a complex idea by relating it to a simpler one. 

Example: "Just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, so too can a person undergo significant change." 

Personification:  

Definition: Giving human qualities or characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. 

Example: "The wind whispered through the trees." 

Synecdoche:  

Definition: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole for a part. 

Example: "Wheels" to refer to a car. "The crown" refers to a monarch.    

Metonymy:  

Definition: A figure of speech in which something is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it. 

Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword" (pen representing written words, sword representing force). 

Allegory:  

Definition: An extended metaphor in which characters, events, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. 

Example: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, which allegorically represents the Russian Revolution 

Alliteration:  

Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. 

Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." 

Assonance:  

Definition: The repetition of vowel sounds within words. 

Example: "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain." 

Consonance:  

Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words. 

Example: "He struck a streak of bad luck." 

Onomatopoeia:  

Definition: Words that imitate the sounds they describe. 

Example: "Buzz," "crash," "boom." 

Rhyme:  

Definition: The repetition of similar sounds in two or more words, usually at the end of lines in poems or songs. 

Example: "Cat" and "hat." 

Hyperbole:  

Definition: Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. 

Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." 

Understatement (Litotes):  

Definition: Deliberately making something seem less important or significant than it is. 

Example: "It's just a scratch" (when referring to a serious wound). Litotes uses negative wording to create an understatement. "He is no ordinary man." 

Irony:  

Definition: A contrast between what is said and what is meant (verbal irony), what is expected and what occurs (situational irony), or what a character knows and what the audience knows (dramatic irony).    

Example: A fire station burning down (situational irony). "Oh, fantastic!" after failing an exam (verbal irony). 

Paradox:  

Definition: A statement that seems self-contradictory but may contain a deeper truth. 

Example: "Less is more." 

Oxymoron:  

Definition: A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear side by side. 

Example: "Living dead," "bittersweet." 

Anaphora:  

Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. 

Example: "We shall not fail. We shall not falter. We shall not yield." 

Epistrophe:  

Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. 

Example: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." 

Antithesis:  

Definition: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in parallel structure. 

Example: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." 

Chiasmus:  

Definition: A reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases. 

Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."    

Parallelism:  

Definition: The use of similar grammatical structures to express related ideas. 

Example: "She likes cooking, jogging, and reading." 

Asyndeton:  

Definition: The omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. 

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered." 

Polysyndeton:  

Definition: The use of many conjunctions. 

Example: "We have ships and men and money and stores." 

Climax:  

Definition: The arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in order of increasing importance or intensity. 

Example: "He came, he saw, he conquered 

Rhetorical Question:  

Definition: A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer. 

Example: "Can anyone deny that this is a problem?" 

Apostrophe:  

Definition: Addressing an absent person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea as if it were present and capable of understanding. 

Example: "O death, where is thy sting?" 

Euphemism:  

Definition: A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt. 

Example: "Passed away" instead of "died." 

Anachronism:  

Definition: The placing of a person, thing, or event in a time where it does not belong. 

Example: A digital watch in a movie set in ancient Rome. 

Aphorism:  

Definition: A concise statement of a general truth or principle. 

Example: "The simplest answer is usually the correct one."