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Figurative Language Terms
The tools writers use to say more than the literal meaning.
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48 cards
- simileTermA comparison using like or as: fast as lightning
- metaphorTermA comparison saying one thing is another: time is a thief
- personificationTermGiving human traits to non-human things: the wind whispered
- hyperboleTermExtreme exaggeration: I have a million things to do
- idiomTermA phrase with a meaning different from its words: break the ice
- onomatopoeiaTermA word that sounds like its meaning: buzz, boom
- alliterationTermRepeating a starting consonant sound: Peter Piper picked
- assonanceTermRepeating vowel sounds inside words: the rain in Spain
- consonanceTermRepeating consonant sounds inside or at the end: pitter-patter
- imageryTermWords that appeal to the senses: the sweet smell of bread
- symbolismTermUsing an object to stand for an idea: a dove for peace
- ironyTermWhen the opposite of what you expect happens or is said
- verbal ironyTermSaying the opposite of what you mean: Lovely weather! (in a storm)
- situational ironyTermWhen the outcome is the reverse of what was expected
- dramatic ironyTermWhen the audience knows something the characters do not
- oxymoronTermTwo opposite words together: deafening silence
- paradoxTermA statement that seems false but contains truth: less is more
- allusionTermA reference to a well-known person, event or work
- punTermA joke using a word with two meanings or similar sounds
- understatementTermMaking something seem less important than it is
- euphemismTermA gentle word for something unpleasant: passed away
- clichéTermAn overused phrase: only time will tell
- foreshadowingTermHints about what will happen later
- flashbackTermA scene that goes back to an earlier time
- analogyTermA comparison to explain or clarify an idea
- anaphoraTermRepeating words at the start of lines or sentences
- apostropheTermSpeaking to someone absent or a thing: O Death, be not proud
- juxtapositionTermPlacing two things side by side for contrast
- metonymyTermNaming something by something linked to it: the crown for the king
- synecdocheTermA part standing for the whole: all hands on deck
- toneTermThe writer's attitude toward the subject
- moodTermThe feeling a reader gets from a text
- repetitionTermUsing the same word or phrase for emphasis
- hyperbatonTermChanging normal word order for effect
- antithesisTermPutting opposite ideas in balanced phrases: to err is human; to forgive, divine
- chiasmusTermReversing the order of words in two phrases: ask not what your country can do for you
- rhetorical questionTermA question asked for effect, not for an answer
- sarcasmTermSaying the opposite of what you mean to mock or tease
- satireTermUsing humor to point out foolishness in society
- parodyTermA funny imitation of a work
- colloquialismTermInformal everyday language
- dialectTermA way of speaking particular to a region or group
- connotationTermThe feelings a word suggests beyond its dictionary meaning
- denotationTermThe dictionary meaning of a word
- literal languageTermWords that mean exactly what they say
- figurative languageTermWords used in a way that goes beyond the literal meaning
- mixed metaphorTermCombining two metaphors in a confusing way
- extended metaphorTermA metaphor carried through many lines
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