The clash of discordant or harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase.
What is Cacophony
100
A common expression that has acquired a meaning that differs from its literal meaning
What is Idiom
100
The substitution of one term for another that generally is associated with it.
What is Metonymy
100
The use of similar grammatical structures or word order in two sentences or phrases to suggest a comparison or contrast between them.
What is Parallelism
100
A simple form of verbal irony (see Literary Techniques, below) in which it is obvious from context and tone that the speaker means the opposite of what he or she says.
What is Sarcasm
200
Two phrases in which the syntax is the same but the placement of words is reversed
What is Chiasmus
200
A form of understatement in which a statement is affirmed by negating its opposite
What is Litotes
200
The use of words, such as "pop," "hiss," and "boing," that sound like the thing they refer to.
What is Onomatopoeia
200
The attribution of human feeling or motivation to a nonhuman object, especially an object found in nature.
What is Pathetic fallacy
200
The use of one kind of sensory experience to describe another
What is Synaesthesia
300
An informal expression or slang, especially in the context of formal writing
What is Colloquialism
300
Intentional understatement
What is Meiosis
300
The association of two contrary terms
What is Oxymoron
300
An elaborate and roundabout manner of speech that uses more words than necessary.
What is Periphrasis
300
A form of metonymy in which a part of an entity is used to refer to the whole
What is Synecdoche
400
An elaborate parallel between two seemingly dissimilar objects or ideas.
What is Conceit
400
The comparison of one thing to another that does not use the terms "like" or "as."
What is Metaphor
400
A statement that seems absurd or even contradictory on its face but often expresses a deeper truth.
What is Paradox
400
A play on words that exploits the similarity in sound between two words with distinctly different meanings.
What is Pun
400
A category of figures of speech that extend the literal meanings of words by inviting a comparison to other words, things, or ideas.
What is Trope
500
The use of decorous language to express vulgar or unpleasant ideas, events, or actions.
What is Euphemism
500
A combination of metaphors that produces a confused or contradictory image
What is Mixed metaphor
500
Also known as praeteritio, the technique of drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it.
What is Paralipsis
500
A question that is asked not to elicit a response but to make an impact or call attention to something.
What is Rhetorical question
500
The use of one word in a sentence to modify two other words in the sentence, typically in two different ways.