Tropes/Schemes

Tropes

Speech or writing that departs from the literal meaning in order to achieve a special effect or meaning. Tropes are semantic in function. They are substitutions of terms where one term holds a place in a string of words for another which is usually not present.

Allusion

Definition: an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly

Example: Your backyard is a Garden of Eden

Anthimeria

Definition: rhetorical term for the creation of a new word or expression by using one part of speech or word class in place of another

Example: I could use a good sleep

Hyperbole

Definition: exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, not to be taken literally.

Example: "I've told you a million times to clean your room"

Irony

Definition: a literary device where there is a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant, what is expected and what actually occurs, or between appearance and reality.

Example:A fire station burns down.

Metaphor

Definition: a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things, suggesting that they are alike in some way.

Example: "Time is a thief."

Metonymy

Definition: is a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted with another with which it is closely associated.

Example: "The White House issued a statement." (Referring to the President or the presidential administration)

Oxymoron

Definition: is a figure of speech in which contradictory terms are combined to create a paradoxical effect.

Example: Virtual Reality

Paradox

Definition: a statement that appears self-contradictory or illogical, but may reveal a deeper truth.

Example: Less is more

Personification

Definition: is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to non-human entities or objects.

Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Pun

Definition: is a play on words that exploits the multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.

Example: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

Simile

Definition: is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words "like" or "as."

Example: "As brave as a lion."

Synecdoche

Definition: is a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa.

Example: "All hands on deck." (Hands represent the whole crew.)

understatement (litotes)

Definition: is a figure of speech in which the magnitude or intensity of a situation is downplayed for emphasis.

Example: "It's just a little scratch" for a large wound.

Schemes

Definition: When sentence patterns are deliberately altered or arranged in non-traditional patterns, you can say thata scheme has been employed. The categories below indicate broad ways of thinking about schemes.

Alliteration

Definition: is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a sequence of words or phrases.

Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

Anaphora

Definition: is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences.

Example: "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

Epistrophe

Definition: is the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Example: "Where now? Who now? When now?" from Samuel Beckett's play "The Unnamable."

Parallelism

Definition: is the use of similar grammatical structure or word order in a series of words or phrases.

Example: "She likes hiking, swimming, and cycling."

Antimetabole

Definition: involves the repetition of words in successive clauses but in reverse grammatical order.

Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy

Antithesis

Definition: is the use of contrasting ideas or words in parallel structures to create a balanced effect.

Example: "To err is human, to forgive divine." - Alexander Pope

circumlocution

Definition: is the use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to express an idea.

Example: Instead of saying "I don't know," someone might say, "I am not in possession of that information at this moment."

Climax

Definition: is the arrangement of words or ideas in order of increasing importance or intensity.

Example: "I came; I saw; I conquered." - Julius Caesar

Hypophora

Definition: is a figure of speech in which a speaker poses a question and then immediately answers it.

Example: "What made me take this trip to Africa? There is no quick explanation."

Juxtaposition

Definition: is the placement of two or more things (usually abstract concepts, though it can be physical objects) near each other for contrasting effect.

Example: The contrast between light and darkness in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

rhetorical question

Definition: is a question asked for effect or emphasis, not to elicit an actual answer.

Example: "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Zeugma

Definition: involves using a single word to govern or modify two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one.

Example: "He stole my heart and my wallet."

Polysyndeton

Definition: is the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted.

Example: "They read and studied and wrote and drilled."

Asyndeton

Definition: is the omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.

Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."