Terms : Hide Images
| 3779848814 | Alliteration | A number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series Ex: Fair is foul, foul is fair | 0 | |
| 3779862853 | Assonance | When two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds Ex: Men sell the wedding bells | 1 | |
| 3779901616 | Cacophony | Points to a situation where there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds. Words don't flow Ex: I detest war because cause of war is always trivial | 2 | |
| 3779920242 | Euphony | The use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create. Opposite of cacophony Ex: The tomorrow speech | 3 | |
| 3779943359 | Parallelism | The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter Ex: Like father, like son Ex: Lady Macbeth: "'Tis safer to be that which we destroy/Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy." | 4 | |
| 3779969122 | Chiasmus | A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect Ex: Fair is foul and foul is fair | 5 | |
| 3779979600 | Zeugma | A figure of speech in which a word, usually a verb or an adjective, applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas. Used to produce a dramatic effect Ex: John lost his coat and his temper | 6 | |
| 3780002906 | Trope | A figure of speech through which speakers or writers intend to express meanings of words differently than their literal meanings Ex: Hyperbole, litotes, irony | 7 | |
| 3780033737 | Metaphor | A figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics Ex: "Shall I Compare Thee to a summer's Day" -Shakespeare | 8 | |
| 3780058575 | Simile | A figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things using words "like" or "as" Ex: "Our soldiers are as brave as lions" | 9 | |
| 3780068398 | Extended Metaphor | A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem Ex: Banquo compares witches to "instruments of darkness" | 10 | |
| 3780111179 | Allusion | A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers Ex: The Bible | 11 | |
| 3780140786 | Allegory | A figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events Ex: Light signifies life. After Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth responds by saying "out, out brief candle." signifying her sudden death and short lived life | 12 | |
| 3784083824 | Conceit | A figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are linked together with the help of similes or metaphors Ex: Sleep is an example in Macbeth because it is often compared to death | 13 | |
| 3784112902 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. Often used to make a reader think over an idea in innovative way Ex: "When the battles lost and won" -witches | 14 | |
| 3784147791 | Meiosis | A witty understatement that belittles or dismisses something or somebody, particularly by making use of terms that gives impression that something is less important than it is or it should be Ex: "'tis but a scratch" -Romeo&Juliet | 15 | |
| 3784170585 | Litotes | A figure of speech which employs an understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions Ex: You will never not succeed | 16 | |
| 3784825392 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis Ex: "The crown does scar mine eye-balls" | 17 | |
| 3784862285 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect Ex: "Fair is foul and foul is fair" Ex: "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" | 18 | |
| 3784898729 | Epithet | A descriptive literary device that describes a place, a thing or a person in such a way that it helps in making the characteristics of a person, thing or place more prominent than they actually are Ex: "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife" -Romeo and Juliet | 19 | |
| 3784923964 | Metonymy | A figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated Ex: "Blood will have blood" -Macbeth stating that a killing will be revenged by another killing | 20 | |
| 3784944196 | Synecdoche | A literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part Ex: "Take thy face hence"-macbeth to servant meaning remove yourself from here/go away | 21 | |
| 3784983992 | Idiom | A set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words. The expression is not interpreted literally. The phrase is understood as to mean something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply Ex: "Dead as a door nail" -Shakespears Henry VI | 22 | |
| 3785015034 | Colloquialism | The use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing Ex: In mice and men, George refers to Curly as a "son-of-a-bitch" when telling Lenny to only fight if Curly socks him | 23 | |
| 3785062573 | Euphemism | Polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant Ex: Instead of directly telling Macbeth to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth tells him that Duncan "Must be provided for" | 24 | |
| 3785172398 | Cliché | An expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty Ex: "Happy Birthday" | 25 | |
| 3785191459 | Personficication | A figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. Ex: "My gashes cry for help" | 26 | |
| 3785214203 | Pathetic Fallacy | A literary device that attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature Ex: "Some say the Earth was feverous and did shake" | 27 | |
| 3785234863 | Synesthesia | A technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one senses like hearing, seeing, smell etc. at a given time Ex: "The taste of fears" | 28 | |
| 3785272022 | Aposiopesis | A rhetorical device that can be defined as a figure of speech in which the speaker or writer breaks off abruptly and leaves the statement incomplete, as if the speaker is not willing to state what is present in his mind due to being overcome by passion, excitement or fear Ex: "I'm so angry I could- I could-" | 29 | |
| 3785319840 | Apostrophe | Calling or yelling at someone/something that is not actually there Ex: In Act one when Lady Macbeth says "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" | 30 | |
| 3785357590 | Paralipsis | Explained through the use of this device that some points are too obvious to mention. A way of emphasizing a subject by apparently passing over it Ex: "I'm not going to bring up the fact that you guys haven't studied" | 31 | |
| 3785421288 | Periphrasis | A stylistic device that can be defined as the use of excessive and longer words to convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression or in a few words Ex: When Ross tells Macbeth that he is Thane of Cawdor and tells a huge speech for no reason | 32 | |
| 3785462775 | Onomatopeia | A word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting Ex: "The buzzing of a bee" | 33 | |
| 3786659869 | Pun | A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings Ex: I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me | 34 | |
| 3786663256 | Rhetorical Question | Asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected Ex: "Who knows?" | 35 |
