Definition of Alliteration Alliteration is derived from Latin’s “Latira”.

It means
“letters of alphabet”. It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first
consonant sound, occur close together in a series..

Examples of Alliteration
“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;

Definition of AnaphoraIn writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the
sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora.

Examples of Anaphora
It is common for us to use anaphora in our everyday speech to lay emphasis on the idea we want to
convey or for self affirmation. Read the following examples:
“Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”
“My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.”

Definition of Antithesis
Antithesis, literal meaning opposite, is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put
together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.

Examples of Antithesis
Some famous antithetical statements have become part of our everyday speech and are frequently
used in arguments and discussions. Below is the list of some antithetical statements:
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
Man proposes, God disposes.

Definition of Euphemism
The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered
harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.

Examples of Euphemism
 You are becoming a little thin on top (bald).
 Our teacher is in the family way (pregnant).

Definition of Litotes
Litotes, derived from a Greek word meaning “simple”, is a figure of speech which employs an
understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by
negating its opposite expressions

Common Examples of Litotes

They do not seem the happiest couple around.

The ice cream was not too bad.
New York is not an ordinary city.

Definition of Pun
A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or
more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.

Examples of Pun
The life of a patient of hypertension is always at steak.
Why do we still have troops in Germany? To keep the Russians in Czech.

Definition of Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole
to represent a part.

Examples of Synecdoche
The word “bread” refers to food or money as in “Writing is my bread and butter” or “sole
breadwinner”.
The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man.

Definition of Understatement
An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a
situation seem less important than it really is.

Examples of Understatement
“Deserts are sometimes hot, dry and sandy” while describing deserts of the world.
“He is not too thin” while describing an obese person.

Definition of Chiasmus
Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the
reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect.

Examples of Chiasmus
“It is not the earth that makes us believe the man,
but the man the oath.” – Aeschylus (5th Century B.C.)
“Love as if you would one day hate,
and hate as if you would one day love.” – Bias (6th Century B.C.)

Definition of Irony
Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different
from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different
way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and
the reality.

Examples of Irony
I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.
The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny”.
Definition of Oxymoron
Oxymoron, plural oxymora, is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an
effect. The common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with
contrasting meanings e.g. “cruel kindness” or “living death”. However, the contrasting words/phrases
are not always glued together. The contrasting ideas may be spaced out in a sentence e.g. “In order to
lead, you must walk behind.”

Examples of Oxymoron
Open secret
Tragic comedy

Definition of Assonance
Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but
start with different consonant sounds.

Examples of Assonance
We light fire on the mountain.
I feel depressed and restless.

Definition of Apostrophe
In literature, apostrophe is a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation “O”. A writer or a
speaker, using an apostrophe, detaches himself from the reality and addresses an imaginary character in
his speech.

Examples of Apostrophe

William Shakespeare makes use of an apostrophe in his play “Macbeth”:

“Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand?
Come, let me clutch thee!
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”