| Expression | Description |
| Adynaton | Adynaton (plural adynata) (from Greek: a-: without and dynasthai: to be powerful) is a figure of speech in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility. I cannot speak enough of this content It stops me here; it is too much of joy. —Shakespeare, Othello 2.1.196-97 |
| Allegory | As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor. A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice. Justice to break her sword ! One more, one more.
(3318- Act 5, Scene 2) |
| Alliteration (Alliteration Stabreim) | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of neighbouring words alliteration: links words by the initial letter (“the wind whistles”) Effect: sound device, musical effect Example: O wild west wind, …; Full fathoms five thy father lies,.. |
| Allusion (Anspielung) | Allusion (Anspielung) A reference to a famous person or event; may be literary, historical, biblical, … Example: Effect: emphasis, to give credibility, to show off one´s education Allusion [E`lu:Gn] (Anspielung):
a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event or idea in history or literature. Allusions require common reading and cultural experiences shared by the writer and the reader. (v. to allude to sth., n. an allusion to sth.)
The old man and the computer (allusion to The Old man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway) |
| alternate rhyme: | alternate rhyme: abab, envelope pattern: abba, tail rhyme: abcabc. |
| Ambiguity | Ambiguity [ÃmbI`gju:Eti] (Ambiguität, Zwei-/Mehrdeutigkeit):
the deliberate use of a word or phrase that has two or more relevant meanings.
Ambiguity is the basis for a lot of wordplay. (adj. ambiguous [Ãm`bIgjUEs])) |
| Anachronism | An accidental or deliberate inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other. |
| Anacoenosis | Posing a question to an audience, often with the implication that it shares a common interest with the speaker. "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could I have done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Isaiah 5:3-4 |
| Anacoluthon | An anacoluthon (pronounced /ænəkəˈluːθɒn/ AN-ə-kə-LOO-thon; from the Greek, anakolouthon, from an-: 'not' + akolouthos: 'following') is a rhetorical device that can be loosely defined as a change of syntax within a sentence. More specifically, anacoluthons (or "anacolutha") are created when a sentence abruptly changes from one structure to another. Grammatically, anacoluthon is an error; however, in rhetoric it is a figure that shows excitement, confusion, or laziness. "Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart." |
| Anadiplosis | Anadiplosis (pronounced /ænədɨˈploʊsɨs/, AN-ə-di-PLOH-sis; from the Greek: ἀναδίπλωσις, anadíplōsis, "a doubling, folding up") is the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. The word is used at the end of a sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next sentence. "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." —Yoda, Star Wars |
| Anangeon | Anangeon is the admission of a charge, but then excusing it by stating its necessity. Example Yes, I shot him, but it was kill or be killed. Indeed I kissed her, but if I had turned away it would have embarrassed the poor thing. Sorry about the noise but I need to get to work. |
| anapaest: | two unstressed –stressed (xx/, “marguerite”) |
| Anaphora (Anapher) | Anaphora (Anapher) The same word or expression is repeated at the beginning of 2 or more lines or sentences Example: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee? Effect: emphasis |
| Anastrophe | Anastrophe is a figure of speech involving an inversion of a language's ordinary order of words; for example, saying "smart you are" to mean "you are smart". In English, with its settled natural word order, departure from the expected word order emphasizes the displaced word or phrase: "beautiful" is emphasized in the City Beautiful urbanist movement; "primeval" comes to the fore in Longfellow's line "This is the forest primeval." Where the emphasis that comes from anastrophe is not an issue, "inversion" is a perfectly suitable synonym. Yoda from the Star Wars series commonly uses anastrophe. "Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Now matters are worse." "Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." |
| Antanaclasis | antanaclasis: A form of pun in which a word is repeated in two different senses In rhetoric, antanaclasis ("reflection") is the stylistic trope of repeating a single word, but with a different meaning each time. Antanaclasis is a common type of pun, and like other kinds of pun, it is often found in slogans. "Put out the light, then put out the light." —Shakespeare's Othello "She is nice from far, but far from nice!" – popular saying |
| anthimeria: | In rhetoric, anthimeria, traditionally and more properly called antimeria is the use of a word as if it were a member of a different word class (part of speech); typically, the use of a noun as if it were a verb. "The thunder would not peace at my bidding". (Shakespeare, King Lear, IV, vi.) "I'll unhair thy head." (Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, II, v.) |
| anthropomorphism: | Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to animals or non-living things, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Examples include animals and plants and forces of nature such as winds, rain or the sun depicted as creatures with human motivations, and/or the abilities to reason and converse. Example: a smiling moon, a jovial sun In "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath, for example, the mirror--the "I" in the first line--is given the ability to speak, see and swallow, as well as human attributes such as truthfulness. I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel, only truthful[...] |
| Anticlimax | Anticlimax Often surprising descent from the important to the unimportant, normally in a series of statements Example: He pawned his life, his watch and his word. Effect: surprise, humour |
| antimetabole: | In rhetoric, antimetabole (pronounced /æntɨməˈtæbəli/ AN-ti-mə-TAB-ə-lee) is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order (e.g., "I know what I like, and I like what I know"). It is similar to chiasmus although chiasmus does not use repetition of the same words or phrases. "Eat to live, not live to eat" - Attributed to Socrates "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961. "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, the rock was landed on us." Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet, Washington Heights, NY, March 29, 1964. "With my mind on my money, and my money on my mind." Snoop Dogg "Fair is foul and foul is fair." The witches, Macbeth |
| antiphrasis | An antiphrasis is a figure of speech that is a word used to mean the opposite of its usual sense, especially ironically. The use of a word or phrase in a sense contrary to its normal meaning for ironic or humorous effect, as in a mere babe of 40 years. |
| Antithesis (Gegenüberstellung zweier Gedanken | Antithesis (Gegenüberstellung zweier Gedanken) Contrasting statements are balanced against each other. Example: To err is human, to forgive divine. Effect: to create emphasis |
| antonomasia | antonomasia: Substitution of a phrase for a proper name or vice versa |
| aphorism | aphorism: Tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion, an adage aphorism: Tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion, an adage |
| apophasis | apophasis: Invoking an idea by denying its invocation*apostrophe: |
| Aporia | Aporia (Ancient Greek: ἀπορία: impasse; lack of resources; puzzlement; doubt; confusion) denotes, in philosophy, a philosophical puzzle or state of puzzlement, and, in rhetoric, a rhetorically useful expression of doubt. |
| Aposiopesis | Aposiopesis (pronounced /ˌæpəsaɪ.əˈpiːsɪs/ from Classical Greek, ἀποσιώπησις, "becoming silent") is a rhetorical device wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. An example would be the threat "Get out, or else—!" This device often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty. To mark the occurrence of aposiopesis with punctuation an em dash or an ellipsis may be used. |
| archaism | archaism: Use of an obsolete, archaic, word(a word used in olden language, e.g. Shakespeare's language) |
| Assonance | Assonance (Gleichklang) The repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within stressed syllables or neighbouring words Example: fate and lake Effect: musical Assonance [`ÃsEnEns] (Assonanz):
the repetition of internal vowel sounds in neighbouring words that do not end the same.
sweet dreams / fertile - birth |
| Asyndeton | Asyndeton (unverbundene Reihung von Satzgliedern) Words are not linked by conjunctions; they are separated only by commas Example: .. another poster, torn at one corner, flapped fitfully in the wind, … covering… Effect: staccato-like |
| Auxesis | Form of hyperbole, in which a more important sounding word is used in place of a more descriptive term |
| Cacophony | (Missklang )) Cacophony is the claim or study of inherent pleasantness or beauty (euphony) or unpleasantness (cacophony) of the sound of certain words and sentences. Poetry is considered euphonic, as is well-crafted literary prose. Important phonaesthetic devices of poetry are rhyme, assonance and alliteration. Closely related to euphony and cacophony is the concept of consonance and dissonance |
| caesura | A comma, colon or full stop within a line indicates a pause (caesura).“To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine.” (Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Criticism”) |
| catachresis | Mixed metaphor (sometimes used by design and sometimes a rhetorical fault) (Katachrese, Bildbruch) Using a word in a sense radically different from its normal sense. "'Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon's purse" — Shakespeare, Timon of Athens Using a word to denote something for which, without the catachresis, there is no actual name. "a table's leg" Using a word out of context. "Can't you hear that? Are you blind?" Creating an illogical mixed metaphor. "To take arms against a sea of troubles..." – Shakespeare, Hamlet Misuse of a word out of a misunderstanding of its meaning. Justice to break her sword ! One more, one more.
(3318- Act 5, Scene 2) |
| Chiasmus (Überkreuzung) | Chiasmus (Überkreuzung) The syntactic structure is criss-crossed; inversion in second phrase of order in first phrase Example: to stop too fearful, and too faint to go Effect: emphasis |
| circumlocution | circumlocution: "Talking around" a topic by substituting or adding words, as in euphemism or periphrasis Addressing a thing, an abstraction or a person not present |
| Cliché/ Generalization | A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, "played out", rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event. It is likely to be used pejoratively. But "clichés" are not always false or inaccurate; a cliché may or may not be true. Some are stereotypes, but some are simply truisms and facts. A cliché may sometimes be used in a work of fiction for comedic effect. |
| Climax | Words are arranged according to the value of their importance; the most important word is the climax. Example: We strive for the good, aim for the better, and seize the best. Effect: to increase tension, emphasize importance |
| commiseration: | commiseration: Evoking pity in the audience |
| Contradictio in adjecto | Contradictio in adjecto is Latin for a contradiction in itself or a contradiction in terms. It is "the characteristic that is denoted by the adjective stands in contrast to the noun." It is a kind of oxymoron, for example, "There was a deafening silence in the room." |
| Contrast | In literature, an author writes contrast when he or she describes the difference(s) between two or more entities. For example, in the first four lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, Shakespeare contrasts a mistress to the sun, coral, snow, and wire.My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red ; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. |
| consonance | Consonance [`---] (Konsonanz):
the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of neighbouring words which have different vowel sounds.
strength - earth – birth / home - same |
| correctio: | Linguistic device used for correcting one's mistakes, a form of which is epanorthosis |
| dactyl: | stressed – two unstressed (/xx, “damnable”) |
| denominatio: | Another word for metonymy |
| double negative: | Grammar construction that can be used as an expression and it is the repetition of negative words |
| dysphemism: | Substitution of a harsher, more offensive, or more disagreeable term for another. Opposite of euphemism |
| Ellipsis/ Clipping | Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission") is a mark or series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word in the original text. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis) (apostrophe and ellipsis mixed). When placed at the end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing. The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech. The most common form of an ellipsis is a row of three periods or full stops (...) or pre-composed triple-dot glyph (…). The usage of the em dash (—) can overlap the usage of the ellipsis. |
| end rhyme: | in the shape of a couplet: aabb alternate rhyme: abab envelope pattern: abba tail rhyme: abcabc (Schweifreim) |
| end-stopped line: | end-stopped line: “Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.[...]” (William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 73”) |
| Enjambment | Enjambment (Zeilensprung) A sentence runs across 2 lines Example: I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high oér vales and hills Effect: fluent, flowing |
| Elegy | |
| Enumeration | Enumeration (Aufzählung):
the listing of words or phrases. It can stress a certain aspect e.g. by giving a number of similar or sy nonymous adjectives to describe something.
Today many workers find their labor mechanical, boring, imprisoning, stultifying (lähmend), repe titive, dreary and heartbreaking. |
| epanados: | Repetition in a sentence with a reversal of words. Example: |
| epanorthosis: | Immediate and emphatic self-correction, often following a slip of the tongue |
| Epiphora | Repetition of one or more words at the end of two or more lines or sentences Example: Whirl your pointed pines, Splash your great pines Effect: emphasis (front and end positions are always emphasized) A fine woman! a fair woman! a sweet woman! (Othello) |
| erotema: | Synonym for rhetorical question (not commonly used) |
| Euphemism | Euphemism (Euphemismus) A direct, unpleasant statement is replaced by an indirect, more pleasant one to avoid bluntness. Example: to put an animal to sleep, instead of: to kill it because it is ill Effect: to avoid bluntness, to be polite euphemism: Substitution of a less offensive or more agreeable term for another |
| Exemplum | An exemplum (Latin for "example", pl. exempla, exempli gratia = "for example", abbr.: e.g.) is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point. |
| Exergasia | Exergasia is used to make a point or bring home a powerful idea. Repetition is a good way of making a point, but without the restatement of the idea it tends to become boring. As such, it is used by many great writers and orators. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his "I Have a Dream" Speech says Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy; now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice; now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood; now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children. |
| eye-rhyme: | eye-rhyme: looks similar but sounds different (“move – dove”) |
| feminine rhyme: | feminine rhyme: astressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (“gender – bender”) |
| Figura etymologica | Figura etymologica is a rhetorical figure in which words with the same etymological derivation are used adjacently. Note that to count as a figura etymologica, it is necessary that the two words be genuinely different words, and not just different inflections of the same word. For example, the sentence Once I loved, but I love no more is not a figura etymologica since, although love and loved are obviously etymologically related, they are really just inflections of the same word. An example of a figura etymologica can be found in Romans (1:25) - "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator". |
| Forshadowing | Foreshadowing is a literary technique used by many different authors to provide clues for the reader to be able to predict what might occurlater on in the story. It is a literary device in which an author drops hints about the plot and what may come in the near future. It suggests certain plot developments will come later in the story. It gives hints about whats going to happen next in your story. |
| Glittering generality | Glittering generalities (also called glowing generalities) are emotionally appealing words so closely associated with highly-valued concepts and beliefs that they carry conviction without supporting information or reason. Such highly-valued concepts attract general approval and acclaim. Their appeal is to emotions such as love of country and home, and desire for peace, freedom, glory, and honor. They ask for approval without examination of the reason. They are typically used by politicians and propagandists |
| Grapevine (gossip) | The usual implication is that the information was passed person to person by word of mouth, perhaps in a confidential manner among friends or colleagues. It can also imply an overheard conversation or anonymous sources of information. For instance "I heard through the grapevine that Brad was getting fired." |
| Greguería | A greguería is a short statement, usually one sentence, in which the author expresses a philosophical, pragmatic, or humorous idea in a witty and original way. A greguería is roughly similar to an aphorism or a one-liner joke in comedy. It is a rhetorical and stylistic device used in Spanish and Latin American literature. |
| Hendiadys | Hendiadys (pronounced /hɛnˈdaɪ.ədɨs/, a Latinized form of the Greek phrase ἓν διὰ δυοῖν, hèn dià duoîn, "one through two") is a figure of speech used for emphasis — "The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination". The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction to express a single complex idea. English names for hendiadys include two for one and figure of twinnes. The typical result of a hendiadys is to transform a noun-plus-adjective into two nouns joined by a conjunction. For example, "sound and fury" (from act V, scene 5 of Macbeth) seems to offer a more striking image than "furious sound". In this example, as typically, the subordinate idea originally present in the adjective is transformed into a noun in and of itself. Another example is Dieu et mon droit, present in the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. In fact, hendiadys is most effective in English when the adjective and noun form of the word are identical. Thus "the cold wind went down the hall" becomes "the cold and the wind went down the hall." |
| Hendiatris | Hendiatris (from the Greek: ἓν διὰ τριῶν, hèn dià triôn, "one through three") is a figure of speech used for emphasis, in which three words are used to express one idea. For example, the phrase "wine, women and song" uses three words to capture the concept of hedonistic life. If the units involved are not single words, and if they are not in any way synonyms but rather "circumnavigate" the one idea expressed, the figure may be described more correctly, precisely, and succinctly as a triad. Tripartite motto is the conventional English term for a motto, a slogan, or an advertising phrase in the form of a hendiatris. Perhaps equally well-known throughout the world are Julius Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici" (an example of a tricolon) and the motto of the French Republic: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, also "Peace, Order and Good Government" is used as a guiding principle in the parliaments of the Commonwealth of Nations. "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" |
| hermeneia: | hermeneia: Repetition for the purpose of interpreting what has already been said |
| Homeoptoton | The homeoptoton (from the Greek homoióptoton, «similar in the cases»), is a figure of speech, characteristical of the flexive languages, consisting in ending the last words of single parts of the speech with the same cases: for instance, in Latin, two consecutive and correlated sentences ending both in accusative. "Hominem laudem egentem virtutis, abundantem felicitates" ("Am I to praise a man abounding in good luck, but lacking in virtue?"). |
| Homeoteleuton | Homeoteleuton, also spelled as homoeoteleuton and homoioteleuton, (from the Greek ὁμοιοτέλευτον, homoioteleuton, "like ending") is the repetition of endings in words. Homeoteleuton is also known as near rhyme. |
| Hook (rhetoric) | A hook in rhetoric is a rhetorical device that gets the attention of the audience and makes them want to listen to the rest of the speech. Hooks can often be metaphors, playing on emotional appeal, and they can also be a series of intriguing questions, a statistic, a fact, or any other rhetorical device that captures a listener's attention. |
| Hypallage | Hypallage (pronounced /haɪˈpælədʒiː/, from the Greek: ὑπαλλαγή, hypallagḗ, "interchange, exchange") is a literary device that is the reversal of the syntactic relation of two words (as in "her beauty's face"). One kind of hypallage, also known as a transferred epithet, is the trope or rhetorical device in which a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. The word whose modifier is thus displaced can either be actually present in the sentence, or it can be implied logically. The effect often stresses the emotions or feelings of the individual by expanding them on to the environment. For example: "On the idle hill of summer/Sleepy with the flow of streams/Far I hear..." (A.E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad) — idle hill... sleepy is a hypallage: it is the narrator, not the hill, who exhibits these features. "The plowman homeward plods his weary way, / And leaves the world to darkness and to me" (Thomas Gray, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard") — Weary way is a hypallage: it is the plowman, not the way, that is weary. "Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time" -Wilfred Owen, Dulce et Decorum est "restless night" — The night was not restless, but the person who was awake through it was. "happy morning" — Mornings have no feelings, but the people who are awake through them do. "female prison" — Prisons do not have genders, but the people who are inside them do. "condemned cell" — It is not the cell that is condemned, but the person who is inside it. "careless error" — The error is not careless, but the person who commits it is. "distracted driving" — The driving is not distracted, but the person doing it |
| hyperbaton: | hyperbaton: Words that naturally belong together are separated from each other for emphasis or effect (HYPALLAGE (high-PAL-uh-jee) A type of hyperbaton involving an interchange of elements in a phrase or sentence so that a displaced word is in a grammatical relationship with another that it does not logically qualify, as in: Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
--- Shakespeare, Othello, IV.ii ) |
| hyperbole: | Hyperbole (Übertreibung) Example: Sue is extremely rich. She is rolling in money. I haven´t seen you for ages! Effect: used for exaggeration; to attract the reader´s attention; to emphasize statements hyperbole: Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis |
| Hypocatastasis | Hypocatastasis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions are available. (November 2006) Hypocatastasis is a figure of speech that by implication declares or implies a resemblance, representation or comparison. It differs from a metaphor, because in a metaphor the two nouns are both named and given; while, in hypocatastasis, only one is named and the other is implied, or as it were, is put down underneath out of sight. Hence hypocatastasis is an implied resemblance or representation: that is an implied simile or metaphor. A hypocatastasis has more force than a metaphor or simile, and expresses as it were a superlative degree of resemblance. Bullinger gives the following example: one may say to another, “You are like a beast.” This would be simile, tamely stating a fact. If, however, he said, “You are a beast” that would be metaphor. But, if he said simply, “Beast!” that would be hypocatastasis, for the other part of the simile or metaphor (“you”), would be implied and not stated. This figure, therefore, is calculated to arouse the mind and attract and excite the attention to the greatest extent. |
| hypophora: | Answering one's own rhetorical question at length |
| hysteron proteron: | hysteron proteron: Reversal of anticipated order of events; a form of hyperbaton |
| iamb: | iamb: unstressed - stressed (x/, “above”) |
| identical rhyme: | identical rhyme: includes the consonants before the vowel (“know – no”) |
| impure rhymes: | impure rhymes: less “perfect” than pure or true rhymes (“loads – lids or foam – moan”) |
| innuendo: | Having a hidden meaning in a sentence that makes sense whether it is detected or not |
| internal rhyme: | internal rhyme: (“East,West,home’s best.”) |
| Inversion | Inversion (Umstellung von SPO) Example: away they fly; up go the windows, out run the people, … Effect: to emphasize or dramatize an event Inversion (Inversion):
a change of the ususal word order (subject-verb-object).
A lady with a dulcimer (Hackbrett) / In a vision once I saw |
| invocation: | Apostrophe to a god or muse |
| Ipse-dixitism | An ipse-dixitism is an unsupported or dogmatic assertion; it is a term sometimes used to point out a missing argument. Someone guilty of perpetrating an ipse-dixitism does not explicitly define it as an axiom, and certainly not as a premise, but often appears presented in syllogistic form, as: "The economy needs more scientists, so expansion of science education will boost the future economy". The proposition rests on an ipse-dixitism unless the speaker gives reasons why "the economy needs more scientists". |
| irony: | Irony A meaning is expressed that is the opposite of the intended one. Example: the noble Brutus Effect: ridicule; often didactic irony: Use of word in a way that conveys a meaning opposite to its usual meaning |
| Isocolon | Isocolon is a figure of speech in which parallelism is reinforced by members that are of the same length. A well-known example of this is Julius Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came; I saw; I conquered), which also illustrates that a common form of isocolon is tricolon, or the use of three parallel members. It is derived from the Greek ἴσος (ísos), "equal" and κῶλον (kôlon), "member, clause". [edit]Examples "They have suffered severely, but they have fought well." Winston Churchill Speech to the House of Commons June 18, 1940 "Let each man search his conscience and search his speeches." Winston Churchill Speech to the House of Commons June 18, 1940 "I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse." Charles V "Many will enter. Few will win" Nabisco "No ifs, ands, or buts." English Proverb "With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage" Claudius, Act 1 Scene 2 of Hamlet |
| kataphora: | Repetition of a cohesive device at the end |
| litotes: | Understatement, often ironical, expressing an affirmative by the negative of its contrary Example: she is not stupid (= she is quite clever) Effect: emphasis Emphasizing the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite Understatement (Untertreibung): the opposite of hyperbole; the deliberate presentation of something as being much less important, valuable etc. than it really is.
“These figures are a bit disappointing” instead of “… are disastrous (katastrophal).”
"He was quite upset” instead of “He went into a terrible rage” |
| malapropism: | A malapropism (also called a Dogberryism or acyrologia) is the substitution of a word for a word with a similar sound, in which the resulting phrase makes no sense but often creates a comic effect. It is not the same as an eggcorn, which is a similar substitution in which the new phrase makes sense on some level. Occasionally a phrase, rather than a single word, replaces the original word, for example Stan Laurel said "What a terrible cat's after me!" malapropism: Using a word through confusion with a word that sounds similar Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream: Bottom says he will "aggravate" his voice when he really means he will "moderate" it. (Act 1 Scene II) |
| masculine rhyme: | masculine rhyme: similarity of the last syllables stressed in two lines (“man – fan”) |
| meiosis: | Use of understatement, usually to diminish the importance of something |
| merism: | In rhetoric, a merism is a figure of speech by which a single thing is referred to by a conventional phrase that enumerates several of its parts, or which lists several synonyms for the same thing. |
| metalepsis: | Metalepsis is a figure of speech in which one thing is referred to by something else which is only remotely associated with it. Often the association works through a different figure of speech, or through a chain of cause and effect. Often metalepsis refers to the combination of several figures of speech into an altogether new one. Those base figures of speech can be literary references, resulting in a sophisticated form of allusion. A synonym for metalepsis is transumption, derived from the Latin transsumptio invented by Quintilian as an equivalent for the Greek. [edit]Examples "I've got to go catch the worm tomorrow." "The early bird catches the worm" is a common maxim in English, advocating getting an early start on the day to achieve success. The subject, by referring to this maxim, is compared to the bird; tomorrow, the speaker will awaken early in order to achieve success. |
| metaphor: | Metaphor A figure of speech that implies more of a comparison than a direct impression (Without “as” or “like”!!) Example: You are the wind beneath my wings. Effect: emphasis; appeals to our imagination; creates a vivid picture in the reader´s mind |
| metonymy: | Metonymy A word is substituted by another with which it is associated. Example: crown stands for monarchy Effect: visual effect |
| neologism: | Neologism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For Wikipedia policy on neologisms, see Wikipedia:Avoid neologisms A neologism (pronounced /niˈɒlədʒɪzəm/); from Greek νέος (neos 'new') + λόγος (logos 'speech') is a newly coined word or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event. The term neologism is first attested in English in 1772, borrowed from French néologisme (1734). In psychiatry, the term neologism is used to describe the use of words that only have meaning to the person who uses them, independent of their common meaning. This is considered normal in children, but a symptom of thought disorder (indicative of a psychotic mental illness, such as schizophrenia) in adults. People with autism also may create neologisms. Use of neologisms may also be related to aphasia acquired after brain damage resulting from a stroke or head injury. In theology, a neologism is a relatively new doctrine (for example, rationalism). In this sense, a neologist is one who proposes either a new doctrine or a new interpretation of source material such as religious texts.[citation needed] Neologism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For Wikipedia policy on neologisms, see Wikipedia:Avoid neologisms A neologism (pronounced /niˈɒlədʒɪzəm/); from Greek νέος (neos 'new') + λόγος (logos 'speech') is a newly coined word or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event. The term neologism is first attested in English in 1772, borrowed from French néologisme (1734). In psychiatry, the term neologism is used to describe the use of words that only have meaning to the person who uses them, independent of their common meaning. This is considered normal in children, but a symptom of thought disorder (indicative of a psychotic mental illness, such as schizophrenia) in adults. People with autism also may create neologisms. Use of neologisms may also be related to aphasia acquired after brain damage resulting from a stroke or head injury. In theology, a neologism is a relatively new doctrine (for example, rationalism). In this sense, a neologist is one who proposes either a new doctrine or a new interpretation of source material such as religious texts.[citation needed] |
| Nimism | In aesthetics, nimism is a particular kind of trope or symbol characterized by exaggeration. The term is derived from Latin (nimis), "too much" and (nimietas), excess. Unlike a hyperbole or paradox, it is not applied to linguistic or rhetorical phenomena only, but usually refers to other forms of disparity, e.g. disproportions in sculptures and paintings, or certain sorts of discrepancies in appearance or behaviour (in theatre plays, movies etc.). Thus nimism, by means of symbolic parallels or analogies, is meant to help the reader, viewer etc. to see the truth. A negative nimism hints at something bad (a weakness, vice, sin, crime etc.), the less frequently used positive nimism indicates something good (a virtue or something heroic). [edit]Examples King Duncan’s cloak, too wide for his murderous successor Macbeth. (Shakespeare) The feet of the two haughty stepsisters, too big (and bloody) to fit Cinderella’s tiny shoe, hence an obvious evidence of their wrong claim. (Brothers Grimm) Elizabeth Bennet’s look at the nude male sculptures in Darcy’s art gallery, cast much too long to conceal her sexual awakening. (Jane Austen) |
| onomatopoeia: | Onomatopoeia (Lautmalerei) Word whose sound tries to imitate its meaning Example: hum, buzz, crash, swish, cuckoo, shhhh, hush Effect: sound device, creates an especially vivid impression |
| oxymoron: | Oxymoron (scheinbarer Widerspruch) Two contradictory terms are used together in a phrase. Example: sweet death; wise fool; cruel love Effect: provokes thoughts; emphasis
- a condensed (komprimiert) form of paradox in which two contradictory words
(mostly adjective and noun) are used together.
sweet sorrow / wise fool / bittersweet
“O hateful love! O loving hate!” (Romeo and Juliet) |
| parable: | Extended metaphor told as an anecdote to illustrate or teach a moral lesson |
| paradiastole: | Extenuating a vice in order to flatter or soothe |
| paradox: | Paradox A statement which is obviously absurd or contradictory, but has a deeper meaning. A statement that seems to be self-contradictory (widersprüchlich) or opposed to common sense. On closer examination it mostly reveals some truth. Example: The King is dead! Long live the King! So fair and foul a day I have not seen. Effect: thought-provoking (The child is father of the man. (Wordsworth)
It is awfully hard work doing nothing. (Oscar Wilde) |
| paralipsis: | Drawing attention to something while pretending to pass it over |
| parallel irony: | An ironic juxtaposition of sentences or situations (informal) |
| Parallelism | Parallelism Arrangement of phrases, sentences or paragraphs, so that structure and/or meaning are similar; a form of repetition Example: Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered. |
| Paraphrase | Rewriting a phrase (sentence, literary piece) in your own words. E.g. Donald began to feel shaky, his lips began to tremble and he sank to the ground thanking God that he finally reached the homeland which he had believed to be lost forever. Paraphrased: Donald was emotionally overwhelmed when he learned that he had eventually returned to his native country and he kneeled down in a thankful prayer. |
| paraprosdokian: | paraprosdokian: Phrase in which the latter part causes a rethinking or reframing of the beginning |
| Parisosis | In rhetoric, parisosis occurs when clauses have very similar lengths, as measured by syllables. It is sometimes taken as equivalent to isocolon. |
| paronomasia: | paronomasia: A form of pun, in which words similar in sound but with different meanings are used |
| pathetic fallacy: | pathetic fallacy: Using a word that refers to a human action on something non-human |
| pentameter: | pentameter: “When I do count the clock that tells the time” (William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 12”) |
| periphrasis: | periphrasis: Using several words instead of few |
| Personification | Personification (Vermenschlichung) Attributes a human quality to animals or inanimate things Example: Justice is blind; dancing daffodils Effect: to emphasize similarity |
| Pleonasm | Pleonasm is the use of more words or word-parts than is necessary for clear expression: examples are black darkness, burning fire, digital download or redundant pleonasm. Such redundancy is, by traditional rhetorical criteria, a manifestation of tautology. The term "tautology" is derived from two Greek words meaning It says this, i.e. the same thing. "This was the most unkindest cut of all." —William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar. "Beyond the garage were some decorative trees trimmed as carefully as poodle dogs." —Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep. "Let me tell you this, when social workers offer you, free, gratis and for nothing, something to hinder you from swooning, which with them is an obsession, it is useless to recoil ..." —Samuel Beckett, Molloy. |
| praeteritio: | praeteritio: Another word for paralipsis |
| Priamel | A priamel is a literary and rhetorical device found throughout Western literature and consisting of a series of listed alternatives that serve as foils to the true subject of the poem, which is revealed in a climax. For example, Fragment 16 by the Greek poet Sappho (translated by Mary Barnard) begins with a priamel: Οἰ μὲν ἰππήων στρότον οἰ δὲ πέσδων οἰ δὲ νάων φαῖσ᾽ ἐπὶ γᾶν μέλαιναν ἔμμεναι κάλλιστον ἔγω δὲ κῆν᾽ ὄττω τὶσ ἔπαται. Some say a cavalry corps, some infantry, some, again, will maintain that the swift oars of our fleet are the finest sight on dark earth; but I say that whatever one loves, is. Other examples are found in Horace, Villon, Shakespeare, and Baudelaire, as well as in the Bible: And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. |
| procatalepsis: | procatalepsis: Refuting anticipated objections as part of the main argument |
| prolepsis: | prolepsis: Another word for procatalepsis |
| proslepsis: | proslepsis: Extreme form of paralipsis in which the speaker provides great detail while feigning to pass over a topic |
| proverb: | proverb: Succinct or pithy expression of what is commonly observed and believed to be true |
| pun: | Pun (Wortspiel):
a play on words that have the same (or a similar) sound but different mean ings. There are a lot of puns in English because of its many homophones, i.e. words with the same sound as another. Homophones lose their am biguity as soon as they are written
At the drunkard’s fu neral, four of his friends carried the bier. (bier Totenbahre vs. beer Bier)
A word with the same form as another but with a different meaning is called homonym:
“Is life worth living?” – “It depends on the liver” (liver = sb. who lives vs. liver Leber) |
| repetition: | Repetition (Wiederholung) Words or phrases are repeated. Example: water, water everywhere Effect: to emphasize; can seem monotonous repetition: Repeated usage of word(s)/group of words in the same sentence to create a poetic/rhythmic effect |
| Rhetorical question | rhetorical question: Asking a question as a way of asserting something. Or asking a question not for the sake of getting an answer but for asserting something (or as in a poem for creating a poetic effect) Rhetorical question Asked for rhetorical effect, not expecting an answer Example: A simple child, … What should it know of death? Effect: emphasis |
| Rhyme | Rhyme Similarity or identity of vowels (several types: end-rhyme, cross-rhyme, embracing rhyme) Example: In the drinking-well Which the plumber built her Aunt Eliza fell, We must buy a filter. Effect: musical |
| Rhythm | The study of rhythm, stress, and pitch in speech is called prosody; it is a topic in linguistics. Narmour describes three categories of prosodic rules which create rhythmic successions which are additive (same duration repeated), cumulative (short-long), or countercumulative (long-short). Cumulation is associated with closure or relaxation, countercumulation with openness or tension, while additive rhythms are open-ended and repetitive. Richard Middleton points out this method cannot account for syncopation and suggests the concept of transformation. A rhythmic unit is a durational pattern which occupies a period of time equivalent to a pulse or pulses on an underlying metric level, as opposed to a rhythmic gesture which does not . |
| run-on line (same as enjambement) | run-on line: “Come let me write,‛And to what end?’ To ease A burthned hart, ‘How can words ease, which are [...]” (Sir Phillip Sidney, “Sonnet 34”) |
| satire: | satire: Use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. A literary genre comprising such compositions |
| Sarcasm” | Sarcasm [`sA:kÃzm] (Sarkasmus):
bitter and aggressive humour used to express mockery (Spott, Hohn) or dis approval (Ablehnung). It is a strong form of verbal irony used to hurt someone through mockery (Spott, Hohn) or disapproval (Ablehnung). (adj. sarcastic)
“We could easily solve the population problem if we simply stopped the habit of giving charity to Third World countries.” |
| simile: | Simile (Vergleich mit „like“ oder „as“) Example: ..ensnare as great a fly as Cassio.. (Act II, Scene 1 line: 957) Effect: conveys a vivid picture to the mind by linking up unrelated objects |
| snowclone: | Quoted or misquoted cliché or phrasal template A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants". An example of a snowclone is "grey is the new black", a version of the template "X is the new Y". X and Y may be replaced with different words or phrases – for example, "comedy is the new rock 'n' roll". Both the generic formula and the new phrases produced from it are called "snowclones". Don’t ask what your bank can do for you, but what you can do for your bank. (Instead of: Don’t as what your country…) May the money be with you. (Instead of: May the force be with you) |
| Sound bite | Before the actual term "sound bite" had been coined, Mark Twain described the concept as "a minimum of sound to a maximum of sense." It is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that deftly captures the essence of what the speaker is trying to say. Such key moments in dialogue (or monologue) stand out better in the audience's memory and thus become the "taste" that best represents the entire "meal" of the larger message or conversation. E.g. "The only thing we have to fear is - fear itself". (the most famous phrase in Franklin D. Roosevelt's first Inaugural Address in 1933) "Ich bin ein Berliner" John F. Kennedy at 26. June 1963. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Neil Armstrong from the Apollo 11 mission "Houston, we've had a problem." (said by James A. Lovell in the Apollo XIII mission) "Elvis has left the building" was an announcement often heard on the public address system after an Elvis Presley concert to disperse crowds lingering for an encore. |
| spondee: | spondee: two stressed (//, “artwork”) |
| superlative: | superlative: Saying that something is the best of something or has the most of some quality, e.g. the ugliest, the most precious etc. |
| syllepsis: | Syllepsis (Zeugma) Form of pun, in which a single word is used to modify two other words, with which it normally would have differing meanings. One word modifies or governs others although it fits with only one. Example: He took leave and his hat. Effect: comical |
| Synaesthesia | Words describing different sensations (e.g. colour, smell, vision) Example: murmuring light; cold colour Effect: poetic; provokes thoughts; strikes as unusual |
| Symbol | A symbol is a word or object that stands for another word or object. The object or word can be seen with the eye or not visible. For example a dove stands for Peace. The dove can be seen and peace cannot. The word is from the Greek word symbolom. All language is symbolizing one thing or another. In Othello: The handkerchief is a symbol for Othello’s love for Desdemona |
| Symploce | In rhetoric, symploce is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used successively at the beginning of two or more clauses or sentences and another word or phrase is used successively at the end of the same. It is the combination of anaphora and epistrophe. It derives from the Greek word , meaning "interweaving". [edit]Examples "When there is talk of hatred, let us stand up and talk against it. When there is talk of violence, let us stand up and talk against it." Bill Clinton "Let England have its navigation and fleet—let Scotland have its navigation and fleet—let Wales have its navigation and fleet—let Ireland have its navigation and fleet—let those four of the constituent parts of the British empire be under four independent governments, and it is easy to perceive how soon they would each dwindle into comparative insignificance." |
| syncatabasis (condescension, accommodation): | adaptation of style to the level of the audience |
| Synchysis | Synchysis is an interlocked word order, in the form A-B-A-B; which often display change and difference. This poetry form was a favorite with Latin poets. They are often employed to demonstrate such change within the event in which they are situated; on occasion, there are synchyses within a poem which were not intended but happened to be written in such a way. A synchysis may be opposed to chiasmus, which is in the form A-B-B-A. |
| synecdoche: | Synecdoche Uses a part of something to refer to the whole Example: He was sent behind bars (= prison) Effect: vivid impression synecdoche: Form of metonymy, in which a part stands for the whole |
| Synesis | Synesis is a traditional grammatical/rhetorical term derived from Greek σύνεσις (originally meaning "unification, meeting, sense, conscience, insight, realization, mind, reason"). A constructio kata synesin (or constructio ad sensum in Latin) means a grammatical construction in which a word takes the gender or number not of the word with which it should regularly agree, but of some other word implied in that word. It is effectively an agreement of words with the sense, instead of the morphosyntactic form. Example: If the band is popular, they will play next month. Here, the plural pronoun they co-refers with the singular noun band. One can think of the antecedent of they as an implied plural noun such as musicians. |
| synesthesia: | synesthesia: Description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another. |
| tautology: | Tautology (synonyme Wortwiederholung) Superfluous repetition of words that does not clarify a statement Example: to divide into four quarters Effect: for emphasis Needless repetition of the same sense in different words |
| Tautophrase | A tautophrase is a phrase or sentence that repeats an idea in the same words. The name was coined by William Safire in The New York Times. Examples include: "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" (John Wayne) "If you want to fix the text, fix the text." (John R. Bolton) "A rose is a rose is a rose." (Gertrude Stein) "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." (Sigmund Freud) "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam!" (Popeye) "Let bygones be bygones." "What's done is done." "Facts are facts." "A deal is a deal is a deal." "Once it's gone it's gone." |
| Telling name: | a name that conveys certain character traits.
Darth Vader (dark + death, invader) / Lord Voldemort (“flight of death”) / Willy Loman (low man) |
| tetrameter: | tetrameter: “Goe and catche a falling starre” (John Donne, “Song”) |
| transferred epithet: | transferred epithet: Placing of an adjective with what appears to be the incorrect noun |
| tricolon crescens: | Combination of three elements, each increasing in size The children gathered in a round circle |
| tricolon diminuens: | Combination of three elements, each decreasing in size Combination of three elements, each decreasing in size |
| trimeter: | trimeter: “That I did always love” (Emily Dickinson, US, 1830-86) |
| triple rhyme: | triple rhyme: parallels three syllables (“glamorous – amorous”) |
| trochee: | trochee: stressed - unstressed (/x, “falling”) |
| truism: | truism: a self-evident statement |
| zeugma: | A figure of speech related to syllepsis, but different in that the word used as a modifier is not compatible with one of the two words it modifies |
| zoomorphism: | Applying animal characteristics to humans or gods |
