Schemes and Tropes

Scheme

n artful arrangement/ change in

standard word order or pattern

(structure/syntax)

Trope

The artful use of a word, phrase, or

image in a way not intended by its normal

meaning

Idiom

trope - group of words used to create a meaning

that is not deducible from those of the

individual words

Consonance

scheme - The repetition of consonant

sounds in nearby words (other

than the beginning)

Verbal Irony

Trope - Saying one thing but meaning the

opposite. (Might sound like

Sarcasm)

 Ex. She replied, “How nice!” when I said I

had to work all weekend.

Situational Irony

Trope - an outcome of events contrary to

what was, or might have been,

expected. (the opposite of what you

think is going to happen).

 Ex. The firefighter accidentally burnt

his house down while playing with matches

Dramatic Irony

Trope- The reader/audience knows

something that a character does not

know.

Oxymoron

A trope that connects two

contradictory terms to create a unique meaning

Example: “Bill is a cheerful pessimist.”

Paradox

A trope where a statement or idea

contradicts itself but creates a deeper truth

Example: “Less is more.”

Analogy

Trope - a kind of extended comparison

(metaphor/simile) which a is made between

two things for the purpose of furthering a

line of reason or drawing an inference

Understatement

Trope - Act or an instance of stating something in

“restrained” terms (or as less than it is) “Babe Ruth was a pretty good baseball

player.”

Parallel Structure

a scheme

that uses the same pattern of

words to show that two or more

ideas have the same level of

importance. *The usual way: join parallel

phrases/clauses with the use of

coordinating conjunctions “and”

or “or”.

Ex. I like chocolate and vanilla.

Juxtaposition

Scheme - The placing of two elements close for a

contrasting effect

EX. The beautiful bird sat on the rusty

wire.

Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell

Antithesis

Scheme- A type of juxtaposition

when a sentence (or one of

its parts) is placed against

another but is the

opposing ideas form a

balanced contrast of ideas.

Ex: “Give me liberty or give

me death.”

Rhetorical question

Scheme - a statement constructed as a question

that is not intended to be answered

Hypophora

Scheme - a scheme in which a writer poses

and then answers a question

Affirmative pattern

A scheme that presents a series of

questions meant to make your

audience say yes

Imperative

Scheme - a syntactical structure using the

command form of a verb“Run, Forrest. Run!”

If-then clause

If-then clause – a structure used to

emphasize the potential outcomes “If you insist on going, then we will go with

you.”

Negative Definition

a trope that

creates definition/explanation as

“what a thing is NOT” rather than

what it is

Anaphora

scheme in which the

same word or phrase is repeated

at the beginning of successive

phrases, clauses, or sentences “I will fight for you. I will fight to save Social

Security. I will fight to raise the minimum

wage.”

Epistrophe

a scheme in which the

same word is repeated at the end of

successive phrases, clauses, or

sentences “There is no Southern problem. There is

no Northern problem. There is only an

American problem.”

Apostrophe

a scheme in which a

person or an abstract quality is

directly addressed, whether

present or not “Oh last piece of pizza, why do

you taunt me and my diet?”

Anastrophe

a scheme

in which normal word

order is changed for

emphasis “The dark side I sense in you.”

Litotes

a trope in which one

makes a deliberate use of negative

wording to express something

positive (Negative To positive neg def) “You’re not wrong.”

Periphrasis

trope in which more

words than are necessary are used

to describe something “I have decided to visit the sister

of my mother the day after

Saturday.”

Zeugma

a trope in which one

verb governs several words, or

clauses, each in a different

sense Has a parallel structure but joins a literal and

figurative meaning

“I grew carrots and courage over

the summer.”

Polysyndeton

a scheme in

which several conjunctions are

used in close succession

between words, phrases, or

clauses “She decided she wanted a new life and a

place to call her own and the right to choose

for herself and that is what she is going to

do.”

Asyndeton

a scheme in

which conjunctions are

intentionally left out (causing a

hurried rhythm or intensity)

“The dollar buys a nickel’s worth; banks are

going bust; shopkeepers keep a under the

counter; punks are running wild in the street.”