Figures Of Speech

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Alliteration

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The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants ,at the beginning of words

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Aposiopesis

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a breaking-off of speech, usually because of rising emotion

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Apostrophe

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a direct address to an absent or dead person,or to an object,quality,or idea.

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assonance

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the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words.

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cacophony

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the clash of discordant or harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase.

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chiasmus

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two phrases in which the syntax is the same but the placement of words is reversed

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cliche

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an expression such as "turn over a new leaf" that has been used to frequently it has lost its expressive power.

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colloquialism

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an informal expression or slang, especially in the context of formal writing.

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conceit

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an elaborate parallel between two seemingly dissimilar objects or ideas.

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epithet

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an adjective or phrase that describes a prominent feature of a person or thing.

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euphemism

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the use of decorous language to express vulgar or unpleasant ideas,events,or actions

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euphony

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a pleasing arrangement of sounds. Many consider "cellar door" one of the most euphonious phrases in English.

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hyperbole

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an excessive overstatement or conscious exaggeration of fact: "I've told you about it a million times already."

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Idiom

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a common expression that has acquired a meaning that differs from its literal meaning, such as "its raining cats and dogs" or " a bolt from the blue"

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Litotes

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a form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite: "He is not unfriendly"

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Meiosis

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International understandment,as,for example, in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when Mercutio is mortally wounded and says it is only " a scratch".

Meiosis is the opposite of hyperbole and often employs litotes to ironic effect.

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Metaphor

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the comparision of one thing to another that does not use the terms "like" or "as".

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Metonymy

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the substitution of one term for another that generally is associated with it.

ex. "suits" instead of "businessmen"

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Onomatopoeia

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the use of words, such as "pop", "hiss", and "boing", that sound like the thing they refer to.

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Oxymoron

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the association of two contrary terms, as in the expressions, "same difference" or "wise fool"

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paradox

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a statement that seems absurd or even contradictory on its face but often expresses a deeper truth.

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paralipsis

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AKA praeteritio, the technique of drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it.

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Parallelism

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the use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two sentences or phrases to suggest a comparison or contrast between them.

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pathetic fallacy

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the attribution of human feeling or motivation to a nonhuman object, especially an object found in nature.

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periphrasis

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an elaborate and roundabout manner of speech that uses more words than necessary.

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personification

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the use of human characteristics to describe animals,things,or ideas.

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Pun

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a play on words that exploits the similarity in sound between two words with distinctly different meanings.

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rhetorical question

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a question that is asked not to elicit a response but to make an impact or call attention to something. ex: "Isn't she great?"

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Sarcasm

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a simple form of verbal irony in which it is obvious from context and tone that the speaker means the opposite of what he or she says.usually,but not always, expresses scorn.

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simile

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a comparison of two things through the use of "like" or "as"

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Synaesthesia

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the use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another, such as in the line "Heard melodies are sweet"

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Synecdoche

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a form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole.

ex: "my wheels" for , " my car"

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Trope

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a category of figures of speech that extend the literal meanings of words by inviting a comparison to other words ,things, or ideas.

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Zeugma

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the use of one word in a sentence to modify two other words in the sentence, typically in two different ways.