1. Alliteration: The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
Example: She sells
seashells by the seashore.
2. Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses or verses. Example: Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time on the wrong day.
3. Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced
phrases. Example: As Abraham Lincoln said, "Folks who have no vices have
very few virtues."
4. Apostrophe: Directly addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate object
as though it were a living being. Example: "Oh, you stupid car, you never work
when I need you to," Bert sighed.
5. Assonance: Identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in
neighboring words. Example: How now, brown cow?
6. Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is
balanced against the first but with the parts reversed. Example: The famous
chef said people should live to eat, not eat to live.
7. Euphemism: The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered
offensively explicit. Example: "We're teaching our toddler how to go potty," Bob
said.
8. Hyperbole: An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the
purpose of emphasis or heightened effect. Example: I have a ton of things to do
when I get home.
9. Irony: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Also,
a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or
presentation of the idea. Example: "Oh, I love spending big bucks," said my dad,
a notorious penny pincher.
10. Litotes: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. Example: A million dollars is
no small chunk of change.
11. Metaphor: An implied comparison between two dissimilar things that have
something in common. Example: "All the world's a stage."
12. Metonymy: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for
another with which it is closely associated; also, the rhetorical strategy of
describing something indirectly by referring to things around it. Example: "That
stuffed suit with the briefcase is a poor excuse for a salesman," the manager said
angrily.
13. Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the
objects or actions they refer to. Example: The clap of thunder went bang and
scared my poor dog.
14. Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms
appear side by side. Example: "He popped the jumbo shrimp in his mouth."
15. Paradox: A statement that appears to contradict itself. Example: "This is the
beginning of the end," said Eeyore, always the pessimist.
16. Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or
abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities. Example: That kitchen
knife will take a bite out of your hand if you don't handle it safely.
17. Pun: A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and
sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words. Example: Jessie
looked up from her breakfast and said, "A boiled egg every morning is hard to
beat."
18. Simile: A stated comparison (usually formed with "like" or "as") between two
fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain qualities in
common. Example: Roberto was white as a sheet after he walked out of the
horror movie.
19. Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the
whole. Example: Tina is learning her ABC's in preschool.
20. Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately
makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is. Example: "You could
say Babe Ruth was a decent ballplayer," the reporter said with a wink.
Irony is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.
Similarly, irony may be a statement or situation where the meaning is
contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. example("Great.
Another rainy day. How wonderful.")
A caesura is a complete stop in a line of poetry. A caesura can be anywhere in
a metrical line—it is called an initial caesura if it occurs at or near the
beginning of the line, a medial caesura if it is found in the middle of the line,
and a terminal caesura if it occurs near the end of the line. The definition of
caesura can be further classified either as masculine or feminine, depending
on the syllable following the caesura. A stressed syllable following a caesura
denotes a masculine caesura, whereas a feminine caesura is followed by an
unstressed syllable. Caesurae are usually marked by a pair of parallel lines
(“||”), called a “double pipe” sign. However, some caesura examples—usually
more contemporary ones—are marked with other forms of punctuation.
Eaxample Hey Jude || don’t make it bad
Take a sad song || and make it better
—“Hey Jude” by The Beatles
Allusion
An allusion is when a person or author makes an indirect reference in
speech, text, or song to an event or figure. Often the allusions made are
to past events or figures, but sometimes allusions are made to current
famous people or events.
The allusion does not give much detail about the reference-it does not
describe things in detail. Rather, because these events are momentous-
significant historically, culturally, or politically-the speaker or author
expects that people in general would understand the allusion without
explanation.
Allusions are often used within a metaphor or simile. The comparison
alludes to an event or person of significance that everyone should
understand.
Allusions often make reference to previous works of literature, especially
references to the Bible and Greek or Roman mythology.
Examples of Allusion:
Examples of Allusions:
1. Your backyard is a Garden of Eden. (Biblical allusion)
2. I guess I should see this message about a new job as my burning
bush. (Biblical Allusion)
3. When you feel betrayed by a friend, you can say, "You too, Brutus?"
(allusion to Julius Caesar-Brutus betrayed Caesar)
4. You're a regular Einstein. (allusion to a historical figure)
5. When your parents learn about your new plan to raise money, it's
going to sink like the Titanic. (allusion to a historical event)
6. You are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. (reference
to Atlas in myth)
Litotes definition: Litotes is a literary term for a figure of speech that uses
negative terms to express a positive statement.
What is Litotes?
Litotes is a figure of speech. Its meaning is not intended to be taken
literally. Litotes is a type of understatement that uses negative words to
express the contrary.
Litotes is a way to state the affirmative without actually stating the
affirmative.
Litotes Examples
Litote definition That’s not too bad.
In this sentence, the negative terms are “not” and “bad.”
The meaning of this sentence is that “that” is actually “good.”
However, it’s not really good; or else the speaker would have said that.
The speaker is trying to state a positive without being too complimentary,
because the speaker does not really want to be complimentary.
A paradox is a statement that may seem contradictory but can be true (or at least
make sense). This makes them stand out and play an important role in literature and
everyday life. Beyond that, they can simply be entertaining brain teasers.
Take the statement "Less is more." This statement uses two opposites to contradict
one another. How can less be more? The concept is that something less
complicated is often more appreciated. Let's talk a little bit more about this rhetorical
device and enjoy a handful of examples of paradox.
Ready to flex your mental muscles? Some of these statements may make you pause and
think. Here are some thought-provoking paradox examples:
Save money by spending it.
If I know one thing, it's that I know nothing.
This is the beginning of the end.
Deep down, you're really shallow.
I'm a compulsive liar.
"Men work together whether they work together or apart." - Robert Frost
"What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young." - George Bernard Shaw
"I can resist anything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde
A paradox can be thought-provoking but they're also fun to consider. Here are some
paradoxes with a witty bent:
Here are the rules: Ignore all rules.
The second sentence is false. The first sentence is true.
I only message those who do not message.
