AP Language and Composition Glossary of Rhetorical Devices

Which term fits the following definition? An expression that has a meaning that has little to do with the words that compose it (create it).

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Idiom

• Hyperbole

What is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two or more nearby words?

• consonance

• rhyme

• alliteration

• assonance

Which term fits the following definition? A word that sounds like the thing it describes.

• Onomatopoeia

• Idiom

• Rhyme

• Alliteration

repeated vowel sounds
They roam the lonesome roads and never go home.

• alliteration

• consonance

• assonance

• onomatopoeia

"You hit the nail on the head." is an example of -

• personification

• hyperbole

• a metaphor

• an idiom

A reference to something outside of a literary work, like a Bible story or verse.

• imagery

• allusion

• mood

• theme

Which figurative device is being used in this line? The salmon we caught was bigger than the boat!

• Idiom

• Hyperbole

• Simile

• Alliteration

Stating one thing is another to create a comparison: “He’s a sly fox.”

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• hyperbole

Which term fits the following definition? The use of the same sound at the start of several consecutive or nearly consecutive words.

• Alliteration

• Simile

• Hyperbole

• Rhyme

When he heard the scream, claws of fear tore at his scalp.

• literal language

• figurative language