Literary Devices--AP English Language Flashcards

6677184390	Alliteration	The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines in a poem.	0
6677184391	Allusion	A reference to a person, place or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of that idea.	1
6677184392	Ambiguity	A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations.	2
6677184393	Analogy	A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things; a passage that points out several similarities between two unlike things is called an extended analogy.	3
6677184394	Anaphora	A repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences.	4
6677184395	Anecdote	A brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point.	5
6677184396	Antecedent	A word to which a pronoun refers.	6
6677184397	Antithesis	A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement or words, clauses, or sentences, as in the following:	7
6677184398	Apostrophe	A speech that addresses a person or inanimate object not present.	8
6677184399	Assonance	The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words in prose or poetry.	9
6677184400	Clause	A structural element of a sentence, consisting of a grammatical subject and a predicate.	10
6677184401	Connotation	The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase. Contrast with denotation.	11
6677184402	Consonance	The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a unit of speech or writing.	12
6677184403	Deductive Reasoning	A method of reasoning by which specific definitions, conclusions, and theorems are drawn from general principles.	13
6677184404	Denotation	The dictionary definition of a word. Contrast with connotation.	14
6677184405	Diction	The choice of words in oral and written discourse.	15
6677184406	Euphemism	A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term. Example: pass away is a euphemism for die.	16
6677184407	Extended metaphor	A lengthy comparison between two unlike objects.	17
6677184408	Fallacy	An incorrect belief or supposition based on faulty data, defective evidence, or false information.	18
6677184409	Figure of speech	Figurative language In contrast to literal language, figurative language implied meanings.	19
6677184410	Genre	A term used to describe literary forms, such as novel, play, and essay.	20
6677184411	Hyperbole	Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect.	21
6677184412	Image	A word or phrase representing that which can be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or felt; imagery is the use of images in speech and writing.	22
6677184413	Inductive Reasoning	A method of reasoning in which a number of specific facts or examples are used to make a generalization.	23
6677184414	Irony	A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated, often implying ridicule or light sarcasm	24
6677184415	Metaphor	A figure of speech that compares unlike objects.	25
6677184416	Metonymy	A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Example: "The White House says..."	26
6677184417	Onomatopoeia	The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning. Example: bubbling, murmuring brooks.	27
6677184418	Oxymoron	A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect. Examples: loud silence, jumbo shrimp.	28
6677184419	Paradox	A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true.	29
6677184420	Parallel Structure	Using the same pattern of words to show that two or more words or ideas are of equal importance	30
6677184421	Personification	A figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics.	31
6677184422	Pun	A humorous play on words, using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings.	32
6677184423	Rebuttal or Refutation	The part of discourse wherein opposing arguments are anticipated and answered.	33
6677184424	Rhetoric	The language of a work and its style; words, often highly emotional, used to convince or sway an audience.	34
6677184425	Rhetorical Question	A question to which the audience already knows the answer; a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected.	35
6677184426	Sarcasm	A sharp, caustic attitude conveyed in words through jibes, taunts, or other remarks; sarcasm differs from irony, which is more subtle.	36
6677184427	Satire	A literary style used to poke fun at, attack, or ridicule an idea, vice, or foible, often for the purpose of inducing change.	37
6677184428	Simile	A figurative comparison using the words like or as.	38
6677184429	Symbolism	The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object.	39
6677184430	Synecdoche	A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole or the whole signifies the part	40
6677184431	Syntax	The organization of a sentence.	41
6677184432	Tone	The author's attitude toward the subject being written about; the spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence.	42