1. Literary and Rhetorical Terms
understatement
tone
Literary and Rhetorical Terms
allusion
motif
euphemism
apostrophe
oxymoron
asyndeton
rhetoric
connotation
polysyndeton
antithesis
hyperbole
parallelism
colloquialism
ethos
pathos
logos
juxtaposition
paradox
foil
diction
personification
metaphor
mood

3. Introduction: Figurative Language Review
Simile: comparison using like or as
Metaphor: comparison NOT using like or as
Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration
Personification: giving human qualities to something nonhuman

4. Figurative Language in pop culture

5. alliteration
repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together.
EXAMPLE: Why not waste a wild weekend at Westmore Water Park?

6. assonance
the repetition of similar vowel sounds in words that are close together
Example: “Men sell the wedding bells.”

7. oxymoron
a figure of speech that combines opposite terms in a brief phrase
“Jumbo shrimp”
“Pretty ugly”
“Bitter-sweet”

8. allusion
reference to someone or something that is known from history, the Bible, or literature
Example: “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.” Scrooge was an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol.
Allusions in songs

9. paradox
a statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth

10. Irony: discrepancy between appearances and reality

11. Three types of irony
Situational irony: the opposite of what one expects to occur
Verbal irony: sarcasm; saying the opposite of what one means
Dramatic irony: the audience/reader knows something that one or more characters does not know

12. pun
a humorous “play on words” based on the multiple meanings a word

13. More puns
Did you hear about the butcher who backed into his meat grinder & got a little behind in his work?
What is the difference between a well dressed man and a dog? The man wears a suit, the dog just pants.
Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was a salted.
There were two ships. One had red paint, one had blue paint. They collided. At last report, the survivors were marooned.
Sir Lancelot once had a very bad dream about his horse. It was a knight mare.
Zucchini: a two-piece bathing suit for animals.

14. euphemism
a substitution of a more pleasant expression for one that is rude or offensive

15. anaphora
Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row
Ex: Each woman stood on the steps of her house. Each woman clapped. Each one held her breath as the men rode into town.

16. Colloquial language
Common, everyday language – not to be used in formal writing [slang]
Example: “He’s out of his head if he thinks I’m gonna go for such a stupid idea.

17. connotation

18. diction speaker or writer’s choice of words

19. idiom
An expression that cannot be taken literally

20. mood
An atmosphere created by a writer’s diction and the details selected

21. tone
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work

22. Parallel structure
(parallelism) the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.

23. Point of view
Point of View – the standpoint from which a story is told
First Person Point of View – told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns “I” and “we”
Second Person Point of View – it’s all about “you”
Third Person Limited Point of View – the narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one character
Third Person Omniscient Point of View – “god-like” the narrator can tell us the thoughts and feelings of ALL of the characters in a story

24. Symbol/symbolism
a person, place, thing, or event stands for something more than itself
Examples:
a wedding ring represents???
the Statue of Liberty represents??????

25. theme The lesson about life learned from a work
Examples:
Overcoming challenges/obstacles; perseverance
Love/friendship conquers all
Be happy with yourself
Compassion for others
Courage in the face of defeat

26. understatement
a statement that says less than what is meant; opposite of hyperbole

27. rhetoric
the art of persuasion in speaking or writing

28. Three methods of persuasion
ethos: the writer’s character or image; using a person’s credibility to convince audience (think: “ethics”)
pathos: playing on the emotions of the audience (think: “sympathy”)
logos: logical arguments; use of logic, claims, and evidence to convince an audience (think: “logic”)