Multiple Choice Terms

a rhetorical device which can be defined as a disappointing situation or a sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a ludicrous or trivial one. At a specific point, expectations are raised, everything is built-up and then suddenly something boring or disappointing happens

Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order. Examples: You can take the gorilla out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the gorilla. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. - JFK (And from Betsy and Thoreau: "We do not ride upon the railroad; it rides upon us.")

A statement that expresses a general truth or a moral principle Example- "Truth is a funny thing; you never really know if you can trust someone, until you find out you can't."

a literary device in which someone directly addresses an inanimate object or someone who is either dead or simply not there. (Out, damned spot! Lament for Boromir)

takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. Examples: Men sell the wedding bells. We light fire on the mountain. I feel depressed and restless. Go and mow the lawn.

Repetition of ideas or grammatical structures in inverted order (not to be mistaken with antimetabole, in which identical words are repeated and inverted). Examples: But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er/ Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strong loves. (Shakespeare, Othello 3.3) "It is boring to eat; to sleep is fulfilling

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences (the opposite of anaphora)

The substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant. A ______ for stupid: A few fries short of a Happy Meal.

exaggeration for effect "I've told you a million times" "It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets" "She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company

a figure of speech in which terms with opposite meanings are combined. (Cold fire, fine mess, act naturally, jumbo shrimp, open secret, deafening silence, paid volunteer)

a statement that combines two contradictory ideas. It seems that both cannot simultaneously be true and yet they are. May also be a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities

A preposition describes location in time or the physical world. For example, after, during or before indicate location in time and between, under, behind indicate location in physical space. (For location, it may be helpful to think of any word that describes a mouse's movement around a box- is it UNDER the box? BENEATH the box? NEXT to the box? ABOVE the box? You get the idea.) To understand a prepositional phrase, it may be helpful to read the description of prepositional phrase at chompchomp.com. It includes examples. You may also practice playing a game called Fling the Teacher (which doesn't actually harm any teachers). http://www.cccs.k12.in.us/userfiles/10/Prepositions%20and%20Prepositional%20Phrases.swf

(or dependent clause) is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. Like all clauses, a subordinate clause has a subject and verb (remember that an independent clause stands alone and is a complete sentence). A subordinate clause will often begin with one of the following: after, until, although, if, unless, as (or as if), inasmuch, when, as long as, whenever. as much as, now that, as soon as, provided (that), as though, since, while, because, that (or so that), before, than, even if, even though, though.

DIDLS- diction imagery detail language syntax

a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses. Examples: John and his license expired last week. The farmers in the valley grew potatoes, peanuts, and bored. She opened her door and her heart to the orphan. He opened his mind and his wallet at the movies. She batted her eyelashes and third. He held his temper and her hand. She made her breakfast and the bed. The addict kicked the habit and then the bucket