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Alliteration : (Figure of Rhetoric). The repetition of the same letter at the beginning of successive words.
Anacoluthon : (Figure of Syntax). The lack of grammatical sequence; a want of harmony in the construction of different parts of the same sentence.
Anadiplosis : (Figure of Rhetoric). "Doubling back." The rhetorical repetition of a word that ends one clause at the beginning of the next.
Anaphora : (Figure of Syntax). The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines.
Anastrophe : (Figure of Syntax). Transposition of normal word involving prepositions and the words they govern. Anastrophe is a form of hyperbaton.
Antistrophe : (Figure of Syntax). Also called epiphora. Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Antithesis : (Figure of Rhetoric). The opposition, or contrast of ideas or words, usually in a balanced or parallel construction.
Antonomasia : (Figure of Rhetoric). The substitution of epithets for a proper name.
Aporia : (Figure of Rhetoric). Expression of doubt (sometimes feigned) by which a speaker (or thinker) appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do.
Aposiopesis : (Figure of Rhetoric). Also known as reticentia. A form of ellipse which interrupts a thought and leaves it incomplete. The speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion (fear, excitement, etc.) or modesty.
Apostrophe : (Figure of Rhetoric). A sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present.
Archaism : (Figure of Rhetoric). The use of an older or obsolete form of a word.
Assonance : (Figure of Rhetoric). The repetition of the same sound in words close to each other.
Asyndeton : (Figure of Syntax). The absence of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words. Asyndeton is a kind of ellipsis.
Brachylogy : (Figure of Syntax). A general term for abbreviated or condensed expression, of which asyndeton and zeugma are types. Ellipse is often used synonymously. The suppressed word or phrase can usually be supplied easily from the surrounding context.
Cacophony : (Figure of Rhetoric). A harsh sequence of sounds.
Catachresis : (Figure of Rhetoric). An incorrect use of a word or term. Chiasmus : (Figure of Syntax). Two corresponding noun-adjective pairs arranged in inverted order (a-b-b-a); so named from the shape of the Greek letter chi (X). This is a form of hyperbaton.
Circumlocution : see periphrasis. Climax : (Figure of Rhetoric). The arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power. Frequently the last emphatic word in one phrase or clause is repeated as the first emphatic word of the next.
Ellipsis : (Figure of Syntax). The omission of one or more words of a sentence.
Epiphora : See antistrophe. Euphemism : (Figure of Rhetoric). The use of mild or discreet language for unpleasant topics.
Hendiadys : (Figure of Syntax). The use of two nouns connected by a conjunction to express a single complex idea, instead of a noun with an adjective or genitive.
Hypallage : (Figure of Syntax). Also known as transferred epithet. The grammatical agreement of a word with another word which it does not logically qualify. A very common figure in poetry.
Hyperbaton : (Figure of Syntax). Transposition of words or clauses from their natural order. Within this broad category are included i) anastrophe, ii) hysteron proteron; iii) chiasmus; iv) tmesis.
Hyperbole : (Figure of Rhetoric). An exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect.
Hysteron Proteron : (Figure of Syntax). ("Later-earlier") An inversion of the natural sequence of events, often meant to stress the event which, though later in time, is considered the more important. This is a form of hyperbaton.
Irony : (Figure of Rhetoric). An expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; i.e. the use of a word or phrase for its opposite.
Litotes : (Figure of Rhetoric). An understatement in which an affirmation is expressed by its contrary, often used for emphasis (cf. the English expression "this is no laughing matter").
Metaphor : (Figure of Rhetoric). An implied comparison achieved through a figurative (rather than literal) use of words.
Metonymy : (Figure of Rhetoric). Substitution of one word for another which it suggests. [Poetic usage often involves divinities and their associated domains; e.g. Bacchus for wine; Ceres for food; Mars for war. Cf. synecdoche].
Onomatopoeia : (Figure of Rhetoric). The use of words to imitate natural sounds; accommodation of sound to sense.
Oxymoron : (Figure of Rhetoric). The apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposed use of words which seem to contradict one another.
Paradox : (Figure of Rhetoric). An assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that makes sense in context.
Paraprosdokian : (Figure of Rhetoric). A surprise or unexpected ending of a phrase or series.
Paronomasia : (Figure of Rhetoric). The use of words that are close in appearance or sound (often creating a play on words).
Periphrasis : (Figure of Rhetoric). Also known as circumlocution. An indirect or roundabout expression, usually using more words than are strictly necessary.
Personification : (Figure of Rhetoric). The attribution of personality to an impersonal thing.
Pleonasm : (Figure of Syntax). The use of full, redundant, or emphatic form of expression, often enriching the thought.
Polysyndeton : (Figure of Syntax). The repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses.
Praeteritio : (Figure of Rhetoric). Also known as apophasis and paraleipsis. A pretended omission for rhetorical effect. Prolepsis : (Figure of Syntax). The anticipation, in adjectives or nouns, of the result of the action of a verb; also, the positioning of a relative clause before its antecedent.
Reticentia : see aposiopesis. Simile : (Figure of Rhetoric). An explicit comparison between two things (usually using coordinated clauses, which are often introduced by ut ... sic).
Syllepsis : (Figure of Syntax). The application of one word to two others, though it is strictly appropriate to only one of them. Syllepsis is sometimes used interchangeably with zeugma.
Synecdoche : (Figure of Rhetoric). The use of a part for the whole, or the whole for the part, of the specific for the general, or the general for the specific. (Cf. metonymy.)
Synesis : (Figure of Syntax). Also known as constructio ad sensum, or construction according to sense. The agreement of words according to logic, and not by the grammatical form; a kind of anacoluthon.
Tautology : (Figure of Rhetoric). The repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence.
Tmesis : (Figure of Syntax). The separation of the parts of a compound word. This is a form of hyperbaton.
Zeugma : (Figure of Syntax). The use of one word which refers to two or more other words, but which is understood differently in the different contexts. The effect is often humorous (cf. "You held your breath - and the door for me." Alanis Morisette). Zeugma is sometimes used interchangeably with syllepsis.
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