Hyperboles
stereotyped: a thousand pardons; I’ve told you forty times; I haven’t seen you for ages; I’d give worlds for it;
original: I would cross the world to find you. He was more remote than the stars.
A woman of pocket size.
12. UNDER-STATEMENT (MEIOSIS)
Under-statement, or meiosis, is the logical and psychological opposite of hyperbole.
It is lessening, weakening, reducing the real characteristics of the object of speech.
Litotes is a specific form of meiosis. It is expressing an idea by means of negating the opposite idea. Litotes is very frequent in English.
Meiosis
He knows a thing or two. I am not quite too late. I have a little money.
I kind of liked it.
Litotes
not without his assistance, not so bad, not overpleased
13. OXYMORON
Oxymoron is a stylistic device presenting a combination of two contrastive ideas. Two words are opposite and incompatible. A frequently repeated oxymoron becomes trite and serves only as an intensifier.
Oxymoron
He has lived a long life with death.
His voice as politely ironic and annoyingly well-bred..
Trite oxymoron
pretty bad, awfully glad, terribly nice, pretty dirty, open secret
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14. ZEUGMA
Zeugma is a stylistic device that plays upon two different meanings of a word, direct and figurative. It consists of one main element and a number of adjuncts that represent semantically different word classes.
Zeugma
He rushed for the window and safety. Either you or your head must be off.
He had a good taste for wine, and whiskey, and an emergence bell in his bedroom.
He has lived a long life with death.
His voice as politely ironic and annoyingly well-bred..
15. PUN
Pun, or paronomasia, (play upon words) is based on simultaneous realization of two meanings, primary and secondary, in the same context.
By definition, puns must be deliberate; an involuntary substitution of similar words is called a malapropism.
Pun may be based on:
1)single polysemantic word;
2)complete and partial homonyms.
Pun
-Did you hit a woman with a child?
-No, I hit her with a stick…
polysemantic words: Her nose was sharp, but not so sharp as her voice, or the suspiciousness with which she faced Martin. homonyms: We called him Tortoise because he taught us. (Lewis Carrol)
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16. IRONY
Irony is an implied discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.
The device is based on the interaction of two logical meanings: dictionary and contextual.
Modern theories of rhetoric distinguish between three types of irony: verbal, dramatic and situational.
Verbal irony is a disparity of expression and intention: when a speaker says one thing but means another, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect.
Dramatic irony is a disparity of expression and awareness: when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not.
Situational irony is the disparity of intention and result: when the result of an action is contrary to the desired or expected effect.
Irony can be understood in two senses: broad and narrow.
In a narrow sense irony is the use of a word having positive connotative meaning to express a negative evaluation of something.
In a broad sense an utterance is considered ironical if testifying to a positive or neutral attitude of the speaker towards some fact it implies his negative evaluation of it.
Some words and phrases have a definite ironical connotative meaning, which they preserve in all contexts.
Irony
narrow sense: “A fine friend you are, Martin!” he muttered to himself.
broad sense: He smiled the sweet smile of an alligator.
ironic words: to orate, to oratories, to speechify, speechmaker, head cook and bottle-washer, a young hopeful
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