2949264143 | Allusion | An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historically, Biblical, or mythology | 0 | |
2949264144 | Anaphora | A rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated in (and usually at the beginning of) successive lines, clauses, or sentences. | 1 | |
2949264145 | Antithesis | A balancing of two opposite or contrasting words, phrases, or clauses. Ex(Speech is silver, but silence is gold.) "i would rather be ashes than dust, would rather that my spark should burn out...." | 2 | |
2949264146 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present and could reply (ex. O Julius Caesar thou almighty yet; thy spirit walks abroad" or "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll") | 3 | |
2949264147 | Asyndeton | A series of words separated by commas (with no conjunction), e.g. "I came, I saw, I conquered." The parts of the sentence are emphasized equally; in addition, the use of commas with no intervening conjunction speeds up the flow of the sentence. "He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a manic" | 4 | |
2949264148 | Catharsis | The process by which an unhealthy emotional state produced by an imbalance of feelings is corrected and emotional health is restored (when Romeo commits suicide after finding a lifeless Juliet. People cry.) | 5 | |
2949325883 | Chiasmus | Arrangement of repeated thoughts in the pattern of XYYX. often short and summarizes a main idea. "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country" | 6 | |
2949408564 | Elliptical | A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." | 7 | |
2949431133 | Epithet | A descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something "snot green tea" | 8 | |
2949431134 | Euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant. "he is at rest" instead of "he is dead" | 9 | |
2949432275 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor | 10 | |
2949433110 | Inversion | The reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. | 11 | |
2949433111 | Litotes | A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. "It wasn't my best day" | 12 | |
2949434851 | Dead Metaphor | is a metaphor that has been used so often that the comparison is no longer vivid: "The head of the house", "the seat of the government", "a knotty problem" are all dead metaphors. | 13 | |
2949434859 | Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 14 | |
2949436861 | Mixed Metaphor | is a metaphor that has gotten out of control and mixes its terms so that they are visually or imaginatively incompatible. "The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas." | 15 | |
2949436862 | Metonomy | A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty"). "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." | 16 | |
2949437942 | Motif | A recurring theme, subject or idea | 17 | |
2949438972 | Onomatopoeia | A word that imitates the sound it represents. | 18 | |
2949438973 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "wise fool" | 19 | |
2949441119 | Paradox | A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. "War is peace, Freedom is slavery," | 20 | |
2949441120 | Periodic Sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. "Across the stream, beyond the clearing, the lion emerged" "in a hole on the ground, lived a rabbit" | 21 | |
2949459391 | Personification | A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes | 22 | |
2949466165 | Polysyndeton | Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. Hemingway and the Bible both use extensively. Ex. "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy" | 23 | |
2949472901 | Simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" | 24 | |
2949584341 | Synecdoche | A figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole. | 25 | |
2949584342 | Zeugma | A trope in which one word, usually a noun or the main verb, governs two other words not related in meaning. They covered themselves in dust and glory" Ex. "We were partners, not soul mates, two separate people who happened to be sharing a menu and a life." | 26 |
AP Literature Flashcards
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