Terms : Hide Images
| 189009810 | understatement | representing an idea, event, or situation less strongly than the facts suggest; an ironic minimizing of fact. For example "Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe now much it altered her appearance." (Jonathan Swift) | 0 | |
| 189009811 | metonymy | a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it. For example, substituting "crown" for "king" or "white house" for "President." Often confused with synecdoche. | 1 | |
| 189009812 | synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole thing. In the expression "I've got wheels," wheels stands for the whole vehicle. Often confused with metonymy. | 2 | |
| 189009814 | paradox | a statement that appears to be self-contradictory but actually reveals a truth. Often used for emphasis. For example, "Success is counted sweetest / By those who ne'er succeed." (Emily Dickinson) | 3 | |
| 189010092 | cliche | a trite phrase or expression; a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation; something that has become overly familiar or commonplace | 4 | |
| 189010093 | alliteration | the consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close to each other usually to create an effect, rhythm, or emphasis | 5 | |
| 189010094 | allusion | a reference in literature or in art to previous literature, history, mythology, the Bible, etc. | 6 | |
| 189010095 | aside | a short speech or remark made by an actor to the audience rather than to the other characters, who do not hear him or her | 7 | |
| 189010096 | blank verse | unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter | 8 | |
| 189010097 | cacophony | harsh, discordant sounds, unpleasant to the ear; sounds like | 9 | |
| 192895101 | catharsis | a release of emotional tension and feeling of relief | 10 | |
| 192895103 | couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme | 11 | |
| 192895104 | euphony | pleasant, harmonious sound | 12 | |
| 192895105 | foil | a character whose contrasting personal characteristics draw attention, enhance, or contrast with those of the main character | 13 | |
| 192895106 | foreshadowing | the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot | 14 | |
| 192895107 | hubris | excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy | 15 | |
| 192895109 | iambic pentameter | a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable | 16 | |
| 192895110 | in medias res | beginning in the middle of the action (in the middle of things) | 17 | |
| 192896641 | meter | the rhythmical pattern of a poem. Just as all words are pronounced with accented (or stressed) syllables and unaccented (or unstressed) syllables, lines of poetry are assigned similar rhythms. | 18 | |
| 192896642 | oxymoron | conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence') | 19 | |
| 192896643 | personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 20 | |
| 192896644 | soliloquy | in drama, a character speaks alone on stage to allow his/her thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience | 21 | |
| 192896645 | tragic flaw | the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall | 22 | |
| 196131773 | pathos | a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow) | 23 | |
| 2806279637 | tragedy | A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow | 24 |
