Unseen Poetry Flashcards
(21 cards)
Epizeuxis
Repetition of a word in a quick session.
Example: I went up, up and up.
Anadiplosis
The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of one sentence or clause and the beginning of the next.
Example: I ran out the door. The door was eerie.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.
Example: “Passed away” instead of “died.”
Chiasmus
A reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases.
Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
Cacophony
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Example: “The clashing, crashing sounds of the city.”
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something that the characters do not.
Example: In “Romeo and Juliet,” the audience knows Juliet is alive when Romeo does not.
Colloquilism
Informal language or slang is used in conversation.
Example: “Gonna” instead of “going to.”
Climatic Structure
Building tension towards a critical moment.
Example: The final act builds towards the sale of the orchard, culminating in emotional revelations.
Antithesis
Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses.
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Asyndeton
Omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence for speed or emphasis.
Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Polysyndeton
Use of multiple conjunctions in close succession for effect. Example: “We have ships and men and money and stores.”
Litotes
Understatement by negating the opposite.
Example: “Not bad” to mean “very good.
Tautology
Repetition of the same idea in different words.
Example: “Free gift” or “true fact.”
Zeugma
A single word (usually a verb or adjective) applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas.
Example: “She broke his car and his heart.
Epanalepsis
Repetition of the initial word or phrase of a sentence at the end of that same sentence. -Example: “The king is dead, long live the king!”
Antitimetabole
Repetition of words in reverse order in successive clauses. -Example: “Eat to live, not live to eat.”
Anacoluthon
A sudden break in the sentence structure, creating a shift in thought.
Example: “I will have such revenges on you both, that all the world shall— I will do things—”
Bdelygmia
A litany of abusive or negative descriptions.
Example: You are a foul, loathesome, evil villain.
Epanorthosis
Immediate rephrasing or correction of a statement for emphasis.
Example: “He is the best player—no, the greatest player of all time.”
Hyperphora
It is a figure of speech in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question. Example: You think ur the best? No I’m the best.
