Definitions Of Literary Devices

Front 1

alliteration

Back 1

the repetition of the same letter, or sound at the beginning of words succeeding each other at short intervals

Front 2

anacoluthon

Back 2

ending a sentence with a different grammatical structure than that with which it began (non sequitur

Front 3

anaphora

Back 3

the repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses

Front 4

antithesis

Back 4

a contrast of ideas or words, often placed in contrasted pairs in like order

Front 5

asyndeton

Back 5

the omission of conjunctions

Front 6

chiasmus

Back 6

the arrangement of words in inverse order (named from the Greek letter "X" [ABBA]

Front 7

climax

Back 7

the arrangement of a series of ideas in a sentence with increasing force

Front 8

ellipsis

Back 8

the omission of one or more words, to be understood from the context

Front 9

euphemism

Back 9

the substitution of a mild expression for an unpleasant one

Front 10

hendiadys

Back 10

the expression of an idea by two nouns connected by a conjunction, instead of a noun modified by an adjective or by another noun in the genitive

Front 11

homoteleuton

Back 11

a series of words with the same ending (end-rhyme)

Front 12

hyperbole

Back 12

exaggerated or extravagant terms used for emphasis, and not intended to be understood literally

Front 13

hysteron-proteron

Back 13

an inversion of the natural order of events

Front 14

irony

Back 14

stating the opposite of what is meant, often with sarcastic intent

Front 15

litotes

Back 15

a deliberative understatement through the use of a negative

Front 16

metaphor

Back 16

an implied comparison (cf. simile)

Front 17

metonymy

Back 17

the use of one word for another that it suggests

Front 18

onomatopoeia

Back 18

a word or expression in which the sound itself is suited to the meaning

Front 19

oxymoron

Back 19

the use of contradictory terms

Front 20

personification

Back 20

the attribution of human qualities or personality to an impersonal thing

Front 21

pleonasm

Back 21

a redundancy or unnecessary fullness of expression, usually for emphasis

Front 22

polysyndeton

Back 22

the unnecessary repetition of conjunction

Front 23

praeteritio

Back 23

the pretense of omitting something in order to make it more emphatic

Front 24

rhetorical question

Back 24

a question for which no answer is expected or to which the answer is self-evident

Front 25

simile

Back 25

an explicit comparison using "like" or "as" (cf. metahpor)

Front 26

synecdoche

Back 26

a figure of speech in which a part stand for a whole (a sub-category of metonymy)

Front 27

synchysis

Back 27

interlocked word order [ABAB]

Front 28

sycopation (or syncope)

Back 28

the omission of a letter or syllable in the middle of a word

Front 29

synesthesia

Back 29

a cross-sensory metaphor

Front 30

tranferred epithet (hypallage)

Back 30

application of a modifier to one word though it logically applies to another (either expressed or implied)

Front 31

tricolon

Back 31

a set of three parallel clauses, often marked by anaphora

Front 32

tricolon

Back 32

a set of three parallel clauses, often marked by anaphora

Front 33

alliteration

Back 33

the repetition of the same letter, or sound at the beginning of words succeeding each other at short intervals

Front 34

anacoluthon

Back 34

ending a sentence with a different grammatical structure than that with which it began (non sequitur

Front 35

anaphora

Back 35

the repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses

Front 36

antithesis

Back 36

a contrast of ideas or words, often placed in contrasted pairs in like order

Front 37

asyndeton

Back 37

the omission of conjunctions

Front 38

chiasmus

Back 38

the arrangement of words in inverse order (named from the Greek letter "X" [ABBA]

Front 39

climax

Back 39

the arrangement of a series of ideas in a sentence with increasing force

Front 40

ellipsis

Back 40

the omission of one or more words, to be understood from the context

Front 41

euphemism

Back 41

the substitution of a mild expression for an unpleasant one

Front 42

hendiadys

Back 42

the expression of an idea by two nouns connected by a conjunction, instead of a noun modified by an adjective or by another noun in the genitive

Front 43

homoteleuton

Back 43

a series of words with the same ending (end-rhyme)

Front 44

hyperbole

Back 44

exaggerated or extravagant terms used for emphasis, and not intended to be understood literally

Front 45

hysteron-proteron

Back 45

an inversion of the natural order of events

Front 46

irony

Back 46

stating the opposite of what is meant, often with sarcastic intent

Front 47

litotes

Back 47

a deliberative understatement through the use of a negative

Front 48

zeugma

Back 48

the use of a verb with two words when it strictly applies to only one

Front 49

anadiplosis

Back 49

repetition of the last word of one line to begin the next

Front 50

polyptoton

Back 50

repetition of words from the same root but with different endings

Front 51

polyptoton

Back 51

repetition of words from the same root but with different endings

Front 52

polyptoton

Back 52

repetition of words from the same root but with different endings