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Literature Quiz / Literary Devices (Rhetorical Terms)

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Can you name the Literary Devices (Rhetorical Terms)?

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DefinitionLiterary TermExample
repetition of the same sound beginning several words in sequenceLet us go forth to lead the land we love.
opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.Brutus: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
repetition of the same sound in words close to each other.Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power. Often the last emphatic word in one phrase or clause is repeated as the first emphatic word of the nextOne equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasantpassed away (as opposed to 'died')
exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effectI ate the whole cow.
expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean anotherYet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man.
implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to itThe streets were a furnace, the sun an executioner.
use of words to imitate natural sounds; accommodation of sound to senseBang! Pop!
apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one anotherI must be cruel only to be kind.
an assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in itWhat a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.
attribution of personality to an impersonal thingThe sun kissed my cheek
an explicit comparison between two things using 'like' or 'as'He was as busy as a bee
a play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different wordsTime flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
a figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it isIt's just a flesh wound (The Black Knight)
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