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Litotes. In rhetoric, litotes (/ laɪˈtoʊtiːz, ˈlaɪtətiːz /, US: / ˈlɪtətiːz /), [1] also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour, is a figure of speech and form of irony in which understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for effect ...
When the antiphrasal use is very common, the word can become an auto-antonym, [3] having opposite meanings depending on context. For example, Spanish dichoso [ 4 ] originally meant "fortunate, blissful" as in tierra dichosa , "fortunate land", but it acquired the ironic and colloquial meaning of "infortunate, bothersome" as in ¡Dichosas moscas ...
Meiosis (figure of speech) In rhetoric, meiosis is a euphemistic figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is. Meiosis is the opposite of auxesis, and is often compared to litotes. [1][2][3] The term is derived from the Greek μειόω ("to make smaller", "to ...
Zeugma (often also called syllepsis, or semantic syllepsis): a single word is used in two parts of a sentence but must be understood differently in relation to each. [6][7][8][9] Example: "He took his hat and his leave." The type of figure is grammatically correct but creates its effect by seeming, at first hearing, to be incorrect by its ...
Hendiadys (/ hɛnˈdaɪ.ədɪs /) is a figure of speech used for emphasis—"The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination ". The basic idea is to use two words linked by the conjunction "and" instead of the one modifying the other. English names for hendiadys include two for one and figure of twins. Although the underlying phrase is ...
Ethos – a rhetorical appeal to an audience based on the speaker/writer's credibility. Ethopoeia – the act of putting oneself into the character of another to convey that person's feelings and thoughts more vividly. Eulogy – a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired.
Aposiopesis (/ ˌæpəsaɪ.əˈpiːsɪs /; Classical Greek: ἀποσιώπησις, "becoming silent") is a figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. [1] An example would be the threat "Get out ...
In rhetoric, antimetabole (/ æntɪməˈtæbəliː / AN-ti-mə-TAB-ə-lee) is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order; for example, "I know what I like, and I like what I know". It is related to, and sometimes considered a special case of, chiasmus. An antimetabole can be predictive, because it is easy to reverse ...