Examples

• Literary: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities) → Repetition of “it was” + parallel structure in noun phrases.

• Rhetorical: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields…” (Winston Churchill) → Repetition of “we shall fight” + parallelism in location phrases.

• Modern usage: “I want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to scream.” → Repetition of “I want to” + parallel infinitive structure.

10. Oxymoron, irony, zeugma and pun can all be used to create humorous effect.

As Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short state in Style in Fiction (2007), such devices are commonly used in both literature and everyday speech to “provoke laughter, challenge norms, or reveal absurdity.”

Explanation & Examples

1. Oxymoron: An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory terms. The clash of meaning can create a comic or ironic effect. → Example: “Deafening silence.” or “Seriously funny.” The humour lies in the absurdity of combining opposites.

2. Irony: Irony involves saying the opposite of what is meant, often for humorous or sarcastic effect. → Example: “What a lovely day!” (said during a thunderstorm). Irony amuses by reversing expectations and often mocks a situation.

3. Zeugma: Zeugma is the use of one word with two different meanings, typically with one literal and one figurative. → Example: “She broke his car and his heart.” The humour stems from the semantic mismatch—the verb “broke” applies differently to the two objects.

4. Pun: A pun is a play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds for comic effect. → Example: “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” According to David Crystal (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 2003), puns are “central to many forms of verbal humour.”

11. Antonomasia, periphrasis, allusion and euphemisms may be used for naming different objects.

1. Antonomasia Antonomasia is replacing a proper name with a descriptive phrase, or vice versa. → Example: “The Bard” for William Shakespeare, or “He’s a real Scrooge” to refer to a stingy person. It adds characterization and sometimes irony.

2. Periphrasis Periphrasis is using a descriptive phrase instead of a direct name or word. → Example: “The City of Light” instead of Paris, or “the gentleman in question” instead of the suspect. Used for elegance, vagueness, or emphasis.

3. Allusion Allusion is an indirect reference to a well-known person, text, or event. → Example: “He met his Waterloo” alludes to Napoleon’s final defeat, meaning a person has suffered a final, crushing loss. Allusions enrich meaning through shared cultural knowledge.

4. Euphemism Euphemism is a mild or indirect expression used instead of one that is harsh or blunt. → Example: “Passed away” instead of died, or “let go” instead of fired. Often used to soften unpleasant truths or be polite.