AP Language Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

5925322960	Alliteration	Alliteration happens when words that start with the same sound are used close together in a phrase or sentence. The sound is usually a consonant and the words don't have to always be right next to one another. Ex. The big bad bear attacked all the little bunnies in the forest.	0
5925326813	Analogy	An analogy compares two things that are mostly different from each other but have some traits in common. Showing kids a connection between things can help them better understand the two things. Ex. Quiet is to mouse as loud is to thunder	1
5925330741	Antithesis	Establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure. Ex. To err is human; to forgive, divine.	2
5925337404	Anaphora	The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Ex. To think on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity,/ etc.	3
5925347596	Apostrophe	Interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or personified thing, either present or absent. Ex. "Ugh, cell phone, why won't you load my messages?	4
5925352499	Asyndeton	Asyndeton is a writing style where conjunctions are omitted in a series of words. phrases or clauses. It is used to shorten a sentence and focus on its meaning. Ex. Julius Caesar leaving out the word "and" between the sentences "I came. I saw. I conquered."	5
5925354535	Chiasmus	Might be called "reverse parallelism," since the part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order. Ex. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.	6
5925359484	Euphemism	The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt. Ex. Passed away vs. died	7
5925361646	Hyperbole	The counterpart of understatement, deliberately exaggerates conditions for emphasis or effect. Ex. It was so cold I saw polar bears wearing jackets. I am so hungry I could eat a horse.	8
5925365737	Irony	The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Ex. Situational- A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking tickets. Dramatic- Knowing something that the characters don't.	9
5925369905	Litotes	A particular form of understatement, is generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used. Ex. Heat waves are not rare in the summer.	10
5925372627	Metaphor	Compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other.	11
5925374386	Metonymy	A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. Ex. You can't fight city hall. The suits - in place of business people.	12
5925376035	Oxymoron	A figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect. Ex. Cruel kindness. To make haste slowly. Pain for pleasure.	13
5925377832	Paradox	A statement that appears to contradict itself. You can save money by spending it. Wise fool. Bittersweet.	14
5925380713	Parallelism	Is recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance.	15
5925380714	Personification	Metaphorically represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes.	16
5925383851	Polysyndeton	The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause. The opposite of asyndeton. Ex. And Joshua, and all of Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had.	17
5925388391	Simile	A comparison between two things using like or as.	18
5925388392	Symbol	The practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, place, person, word, or object can all have this meaning. Ex. Black is used to represent death or evil. Blue represents peacefulness and calm.	19
5925392071	Synecdoche	A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole. Ex. All hands on deck.	20
5925394581	Understatement	A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is. Contrast with Hyperbole. Ex. A soiled baby, with a neglected nose, cannot be conscientiously regarded as a thing of beauty.	21