Fiche de Vocabulaire Anglais : les Figures de Style

Metaphor = A comparison that directly refers to one thing as another, showing similarities between them (without using “like” or “as”).

Simile = A figure of speech comparing two different things using “like” or “as”.

Alliteration = The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Antithesis = The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses.

Oxymoron = A combination of two contradictory or opposite words placed next to each other.

Hyperbole = A deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect.

Anaphora = The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Metonymy = A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it.

Synecdoche = A type of metonymy where a part is used to represent the whole, or the whole for a part.

Personification = Attributing human characteristics to non-human things or abstract ideas.

Periphrasis = The use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter expression or a common word.

Chiasmus = A rhetorical device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Litotes = An understatement made by using double negatives or, in other words, a positive statement expressed by negating its opposite.

Euphemism = A mild or indirect word or expression used in place of a more direct or harsh one.

Paronomasia = A play on words; a pun that exploits similar-sounding words with different meanings.

Enumeration = Listing details or mentioning a number of things one by one.

Irony = Expressing meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, often for humorous or emphatic effect.

Antiphrasis = The use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite to its usual meaning for ironic or humorous effect.

Assonance = The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Parallelism = The repetition of similar grammatical structures in a sentence or consecutive sentences.

Anacoluthon = A sudden break in syntax or grammar within a sentence; an unexpected change in structure.

Gradation = The arrangement of words or phrases in order of increasing or decreasing intensity.

Ellipsis = The omission of words that are understood from the context but that must be supplied to make a sentence grammatically complete.

Hypallage = A reversal or transference of the natural relations of two elements in a sentence.

Pleonasm = The use of more words than necessary to convey meaning; redundancy.

Allegory = An extended metaphor in which characters, events, and details symbolize deeper meanings or abstract concepts.

Paradox = A statement that seems self-contradictory or illogical but reveals an underlying truth.

Onomatopoeia = The use of words that imitate the sound they denote.

Polyptoton = The stylistic repetition of the same root word in different grammatical forms or cases.

Rhetorical question = A question asked for effect or to emphasize a point, not meant to be answered.

Epiphora = The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Tautology = The unnecessary repetition of an idea using different words.

Zeugma = A figure in which a word applies to more than one noun, blending together grammatically and logically different ideas.

Climax = The arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in order of increasing importance or emphasis.

Antimetabole = The repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order.

Polysyndeton = The use of several conjunctions in close succession, often more than is strictly necessary.

Asyndeton = The deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.

Aposiopesis = A sudden breaking off in the middle of a sentence, leaving the statement unfinished.

Prolepsis = The anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance, or the representation of future events as if they are presently existing.

Parataxis = The placing of clauses or phrases one after another, without words to indicate their relationship.