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Alliteration:
Repetiton of an initial sound at the beginning of consecutive words
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Allusion:
An indirect reference, often to another text or an historical, mythical, or biblical event.
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Analogy:
An extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things.
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Anaphora:
The repetition of words at the beginning of successive clauses.
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Anecdote:
A short account of an interesting event.
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Aphorism:
A short, astute statement of a general truth.
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Apostrophe:
A type of soliloquy where nature is addressed as though human.
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Assonance:
a partial rhyme made by repetition of a vowel sound
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Asyndeton:
deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, and clauses.
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Cacophony:
Harsh, jarring sound; discord
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Colloquialism:
An informal or conversational use of language.
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Consonance:
Repetition of consonants
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Euphemism:
An indirect expression of unpleasant information in such a way as to lessen its impact.
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Euphony:
A pleasant combination of agreeable sounds.
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Hyperbole:
Exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.
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Imagery:
Vivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses or rich emotional experiences.
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Juxtaposition:
Placing two things side by side for emphasis.
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Malapropism:
Absurd and therefore humorous misuse of one word for another, especially one similar in sound.
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Metaphor:
A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison.
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Metonymy:
Use of an aspect of something to represent the whole; referring to an entity by one of its attributes or associations.
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Onomatopoeia:
A literary device in which the sound of a word is related to its meaning.
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Oxymoron:
A figure of speech that juxtaposes two contradictory terms.
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Paradox:
A statement that seems contradictory but is actually true.
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Personification:
Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.
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Polysyndeton:
The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.
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Rhetorical Question:
One posed by the author when he or she does not expect an explicit answer but rather wants to prompt consideration of an idea.
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Simile:
A figure of speech that uses 'like' or 'as' to compare two things.
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Synecdoche:
A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole.
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Understatement:
Lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.
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