What's in a Name?
When a sound is repeated over 3 or more adjacent or closely positioned words.
Alliteration
"Coffee really has it rough around our house...
It gets mugged every morning."
Pun
Cliche
A phrase or opinion that is overused and reflects a lack of original thought.
A word from a sound associated with what is named.
Onomatopoeia
Diction
An author's choice of words that sets the tone of a piece.
A technique in which an author gives clues about something that will happen later in the story.
Foreshadowing
"I just had to climb millions of stairs to get to my seat."
Hyperbole
Irony
When what is expected is the opposite of what actually happens.
A particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.
Dialect
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear next to each other.
A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear next to each other.
Oxymoron
"Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights, I call it a draw
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off."
Anaphora
Rhetorical Question
A question that isn't meant to be answered aloud. It prompts through and makes arguments stronger.
Something that shows how two things are alike, but with the ultimate goal of making a point about this comparison.
Analogy
Symbolism
Something that stands for or suggests something else; it represents something beyond literal meaning.
A pithy observation that contains a general truth.
Aphorism
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Parallelism
Allusion
Referring to another object, event, or person without explaining the reference. It helps give the text deeper meaning.
A phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation.
Idiom
Metaphor
A figure of speech comparing one thing to another in non-literal terms. Unlike a simile, metaphors do not use the words 'like' or 'as'.
A mild word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt, unpleasant, or embarrassing.
Euphemism
“Mankind must put an end to war– or war will put an end to mankind.”
Chiasmus
Tone
Reflects the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter or audience of a literary work.
A statement or idea that seems to contradict itself, but actually expresses potential truth.
Paradox
Synesthesia
Refers to an author's blending of human senses to describe an object.