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AP Literature (Literary Techniques) Flashcards

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6492605935MetonymyUsing something loosely associated with what it's intended to represent0
6492615957SynecdocheUsing a part of the thing to mean the whole thing itself1
6492619109ParadoxAn apparent contradiction that actually may contain a universal truth2
6492626509MotifA recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation that appears throughout the same work3
6492635679Apostrophedirect address or calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place, inanimate object, or idea4
6492641717PathosThe quality in a work that arouses emotion of pity, sorrow, or sympathy from the reader5
6492649313SymbolThing that has meaning of its own but also stand for an idea beyond itself6
6492653486HyperboleStatement of exaggeration7
6492686200LitotesUnderstatement in which the truth is expressed by negating its opposite8
6492690738EuphemismA mild pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant of offensive9
6492697000AllusionReference to a well-known historical or literary figure or event10
6492701014ParallelismShowing that words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures are comparable in content and importance by placing them side by side and making them similar in form11
6492716410OnomatopoeiaThe use of words whose sound imitates meaning12
6492723877ChiasmusGrammatically balanced statement of contradictory ideas; an inverted relationship between parallel phrases13
6492735084SynesthesiaAn image of sense evoked by a sense besides the one being stimulated14
6492738713EllipsisLeaving out unnecessary words...for the phrase to be better understood15
6492744785ColloquialA familiar, informal style or expression16
6492747790DenotationThe exact, dictionary meaning of a particular word17
6492753803ConnotationEmotional word associations usually based on individual experience, regional experience, or universal implications18
6492760741OxymoronTwo contradictory words or phrases are combined in a single expression, giving the effect of a condensed paradox19

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