Rhetorical Terms #20-25 By Sami, Ang, and Stuart

20. Irony The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect

Irony Examples A man who is a traffic cop gets his license suspended for unpaid parking ticket The Titanic was promoted as being 100% unsinkable; but in 1912 the ship sank on its maiden voyage

21. Metaphor/Simile Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance Simile: a figure of speech in which two unalike things are explicitly compared, using “like” or “as”

Metaphor/Simile Examples Metaphor: He has a heart of gold. Simile: His face was as red as a tomato

22. Metonymy A figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part

Metonymy Examples Words functioning as metonymy The crown (as in royalty) I could use a hand (meaning I need help)

23. Oxymoron A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms

Oxymoron Examples Jumbo shrimp Clearly confused

24. Paradox A self-contradictory and false proposition

Paradox Examples Why do you drive in the parkway and park in the driveway? Sometimes in order to save money, you need to spend it.

25. Parallelism A parallel or comparison in a sentence

Parallelism Examples The girl was running, swimming, and jumping. The dog barked, howled, and played in the park.

Which Rhetorical Terms? 1. People love to eat, dance, and sleep 2. The pen is mightier that the sword 3. This assignment was a breeze 4. Cowardly lion 5. If you get this message, call me; if you don’t, don’t worry about it 6. Beating my sister at chess was like taking candy from a baby 7. You study all week for a spelling test, then misspell your name on the test A.Irony B.Metaphor C.Simile D.Metonymy E.Oxymoron F.Paradox G.Parallelism