sugardeath

Time to Educate Y’all

I just finished this up.  Twelve sets of five literary terms each.  And, yes, the word appositive was on the list twice.  I know I know.. some of these examples are just horrible, but whatever.  This will raise my grade from a 82.83% to a high A.  Can't wait.

Alliteration - The recurrence of initial consonant sounds.
The sorry state of the situation only saddened the sorrow felt by the singing sows.

Allusion – A short, informal reference to a famous person or event.
Don't be afraid of ridicule, the Spanish Inquisition went after Galileo due to his belief that the Earth orbited the Sun, not the other way around.

Amplification – The repetition of a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over. 
This food, this huge portion of food, was the most delicious food I had ever tasted.

Anacoluthon – The practice of finishing a sentence with a different grammatical structure from that with which it began.
I must warn you about the implications of your act—but look at the time, I should really get going.

Anadiplosis - Repetition of the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next.
The candle got progressively brighter, brighter than the light even.

Analogy – Comparison of two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to some familiar one.
Going to school and not doing anything can be somewhat enjoyable.  But so can eating cake.  The sickness afterwards, however, is quite unpleasant.

Anaphora – The repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
I would not go to the store, I would not go to the restaurant.  I would not even go to the school.  I would not leave home though.

Antanagoge – The placing of a good point or benefit next to a fault criticism, or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point.
I may not be the most knowledgeable of guys, but at least I do my best to help out.

Antimetabole – Reversal of the order of repeated words or phrases to intensify the final formulation, to present alternatives, or to show contrast.
I'd rather not go to the store and then the restaurant, nor would I rather go to the restaurant then the store.

Antithesis – Establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them.
If walking is so tiresome, running will be your death.

Appphasis – Assertion of emphasis of something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it.
I'd rather not talk about her negative qualities as such.

Aporia – The expression of doubt about an idea or conclusion.
I'm not sure if I will go to the dance or not, dances just don't seem like my kind of thing.

Aposiopesis – And abrupt stop, leaving a statement unfinished.
If he hurts her even a tiny bit, why I'll--

Apostrophe – Interruption of the discussion or discourse that addresses directly a person or personified thing, either present or abesent.
Oooh that Rob gets on my nerves.  I don't ever want to see you again Rob!

Appositive – A noun or noun substitute placed next to another noun to be described or define by the appositive.
I think the opening band, the one that no one knew, played the best.

Appositive - A noun or noun substitute placed next to another noun to be described or defined by the appositive.
I might as well do another example, one different from that last.

Assonance - Similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words containing different consonants.
Many men did net several wrens.

Asyndeton – Omition of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses.
The dinner was made up of rolls, salads, meats, cakes.

Catachresis – An extravagant, implied metaphor using words in an alien or unusual way.
He felt the anger of the fire when he touched it.

Chiasmus – A,B structure followed by B,A structure.
She walks to school, while from abuse runs.

Climax – The arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences in an order of increasing importance, weight, or emphasis. 
He pulled the switch and the lights started to turn on.  One row at first, then two, then three.  Before long, the entire room was lit up.  It was a magnificent sight.

Conduplicato – Repetition of a keyword from the previous phrase, clause, or sentence at the beginning of the next.
I was so excited, having finally bought a computer.  A computer better than everyone else's, and not because it's mine and mine alone.

Diacope – Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase.
I will not go, oh no, I will not.

Dirimens Copulatio – Mention of a balancing or opposing fact to prevent the argument from being one-sided or unqualified.
She's a nice girl, really.  She's cute, funny, smart.  But if you so much as look at her wrong..

Distinctio – An explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity.
I should hope that I do not become lazy these last few months, and by lazy I mean not doing my homework.

Enthymeme – An informally stated syllogism which omits either one of the premises or the conclusion.
I have recently turned eighteen, so I was required to register for the Selective Services.

Enumeratio – The detailing of parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly.
The house, the rooms, the windows, the doors, the tables, and even the chairs were all destroyed in the storm.

Epanalepsis – Repetition of the beginning word or clause of a sentence at the end.
Children are innocent, for they are children.

Epistrophe – Repetition of a word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
I druther not live in houses rundown, with people rundown, in a neighborhood rundown.

Epithet – An adjective or adjective phrase appropriately qualifying a subject by naming a key or important characteristic of the subject.
The laughing grin on his face told me that he knew something I did not.

Epizeuxis – Repetition of one word for emphasis.
After the competition, we were all tired.  She was tired, he was tired, I was tired, even the car seemed tired!

Eponym – Substitution for a particular attribute with the name of a famous person recognized as such.
I felt like Atlas himself, with the whole weight of the world upon my shoulders.

Exemplum – Citation of an example using an illustrative story, either true or false.
Here's why your plan won't work: In the late 3000's, Captain Zap Branigan tried to fight the Space Gators on his own, but he ended up dead in no time.

Expletive – A single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal syntax, used to lend emphasis to the words immediately surrounding the expletive.
It was not, in fact, a happy occasion.

Hyperbaton – Includes departure from normal word order and a sort of “delayed” epithet.
It was a problem most insurmountable.

Hyperbole – Deliberate exaggeration of conditions for emphasis or effect.
It is known by everyone and their grandma that the sky is blue.

Hypophora – The raising of one or more questions and then the answering of them, usually at some length.
Why do I always seem to fail when it comes to relationships?  Perhaps it is because I am not aggressive, I get too hopeful and thus create a situation where this none, or even for the basic fact that I am quite shy by nature.

Hypotaxis – The use of subordination to show the relationship between clauses or phrases.
When I am near the fire, I feel the warmth of the fire.

Litotes – A form of understatement that is generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used.
I would not dislike a trip to the park.

Metabasis – A brief statement of what has been said and what will follow.
I have already told you why I do the things I do, but now you must know the consequences of my doings.

Metanoia – Qualification of a statement by recalling it and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way.
He was the meanest guy I had ever seen, no, perhaps the meanest person.

Metaphor – Comparison of two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other.
To relieve me from ticket tearing at the theater, Scotty told me to go “play in the water.”

Metonymy – A form of metaphor in which the thing chosen for the metaphorical image is closely associated with the subject with which it is to be compared.
I can't eat all those carbs!  I gotta watch my figure!

Onomatopoeia – Usage of words whose pronunciation imitates the sound the word describes.
I heard the clanging of chains and the banging of metal as I walked through the factory.

(this is AM's favorite Rhetorical Device)

Oxymoron – A paradox reduced to two words.
He slowly ran to the threshold.

Parallelism – Recurrent syntactical similarity.
I walked out the door, along the road, through the intersection, and into the school.

Parataxis – Successive independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions or no conjunctions.
I packed myself a lunch, and I ate it at school.

Parenthesis – Consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence.
I looked everywhere—even places I didn't know existed—but found nothing!

Personification – A metaphor that represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes or qualities.
My computer whined due to the stress of the difficult task I assigned it.

Pleonasm – Use of more words than required to express an idea.
He was burned alive in a raging fire!

Polysyndeton – The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton.
I thought and deliberated and tried and succeeded.

Procatalepsis – Anticipation of an objection and the answering of it, thus permitting an argument to move forward while taking into account points or reasons opposing.
Despite the fact that most of his ideas are not realistic, he is a man of much respect.

Rhetorical Question – A question that is left unanswered by the writor.
How can I expect to do anything if everywhere I go there are roadblocks?

Scesis Onomaton – Emphasis of an idea by expressing it in a string of generally synonymous phrases or statements.
I lost, I failed, I did not reach my goal.

Sententia – The quoting of a maxim or wise saying to apply a general truth to the situation.
As Mark Twain pointed out, “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

Simile – Comparison of two different things that resemble each other in at least one way.
In that classroom I was like a prisoner in his cell.

Symploce – One word or phrase that is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Going away and can be quite an adventure, but going away and then coming home can also be an adventure.

Synecdoche – A type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole.
He plays the keys quite well, if I say so myself.

Understatement – Deliberate expression of an idea as less important than it really is.
After she told me off, I was only slightly upset.

Zeugma – A subject with two or more verbs, a verb with two more direct objects, two or more subjects and one verb, etc.
I preferred apples, she oranges.