Tag Archives: example

Paragogoe

Posted on December 25, 2007 | Leave a comment

Paragoge (par-a-go’-ge): The addition of a letter or syllable to the end of a word. A kind of metaplasm.

I like your trucky.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, metaplasm, paragoge, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope, truck

Aganactesis

Posted on December 24, 2007 | Leave a comment

Aganactesis (ag’-an-ak-tee’-sis): An exclamation proceeding from deep indignation.

Your lies, phony excuses, insincerity, and all-around disgusting failure to meet the basic expectations set for honesty, openness, and due diligence in any position of leadership, let alone yours, prompts me and everybody else with a conscience to call for your immediate resignation. Liar! Fool! Fake! Step down! Get out! Go home!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Tagged aganactesis, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, public speaking, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope

Colon

Posted on December 19, 2007 | Leave a comment

Colon (ko’-lon): Roughly equivalent to “clause” in English, except that the emphasis is on seeing this part of a sentence as needing completion, either with a second colon (or membrum) or with two others (forming a tricolon). When cola (or membra) are of equal length, they form isocolon.

Colon or membrum is also best understood in terms of differing speeds of style that depend upon the length of the elements of a sentence. The Ad Herennium author contrasts the slower speed of concatenated membra to the quicker speed of words joined together without conjunction (articulus).

Upon returning home, first, I hung my coat in the closet, and then, I turned up the heat.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Tagged articulus, clause, colon, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, isocolon, membrum, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, tricolon, trope

Ecphonesis

Posted on December 12, 2007 | Leave a comment

Ecphonesis (ec-pho-nee’-sis): An emotional exclamation.

Wow! What a beautiful day!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged ecphonesis, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, joy, public speaking, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, weather

Antisthecon

Posted on December 9, 2007 | Leave a comment

Antisthecon (an-tis’-the-con): Substitution of one sound, syllable, or letter for another within a word. A kind of metaplasm: the general term for changes to word spelling.

He was a self-proclaimed “dangerous punslinger” whose aim was quite atrocious. The best way to deal with him was to duck out of the conversation before he started randomly firing off his annoying puns.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Amphibologia

Posted on December 7, 2007 | Leave a comment

Amphibologia (am’-fi-bo-lo’-gi-a): Ambiguity of grammatical structure, often occasioned by mispunctuation. [A vice of ambiguity.]

Barny fed his dog Eddie.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.

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Tagged ambiguity, amphibologia, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope

Mesozeugma

Posted on December 1, 2007 | Leave a comment

Mesozeugma (me’-so-zyoog’-ma): A zeugma in which one places a common verb for many subjects in the middle of a construction.

Neither hope nor fear could move her; neither bright promises nor beligerent threats.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Tagged composition, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, mesozeugma, public speaking, rhetoric, style, The Daily Trope, trope

Congeries

Posted on November 22, 2007 | Leave a comment

Congeries (con’ger-eez): Piling up words of differing meaning but for a similar emotional effect [(akin to climax)].

You are my generous, intelligent, kind, creative, loving, self-confident buddy! My child! My daughter! My rainbow!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.

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Tagged climax, composition, congeries, daughter, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Gorgias's Weblog, rhetoric, style, The Daily Trope, trope

Dendrographia

Posted on November 17, 2007 | Leave a comment

Dendographia (den-dro-graf’-ia): Creating an illusion of reality through vivid description of a tree.

Driving alone along the winding country road–early morning–late autumn–just snowed–there’s an apple tree off in an overgrown abandoned field–unprotected, unpruned; abandoned like the field, but still faithful to the season set with bright red apples–untouched, untended, twisted gray & groping old tree–but red, red, red, red–too many pretty apples to count, too much left unsaid.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged composition, dendrographia, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, style

Sarcasmus

Posted on November 14, 2007 | Leave a comment

Sarcasmus (sar’kaz’-mus): Use of mockery, verbal taunts, or bitter irony.

What’s the matter Georgie–did the big bad Congress give you a boo boo?

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Anacoluthon

Posted on October 31, 2007 | Leave a comment

Anacoluthon (an-a-co-lu’-thon): A grammatical interruption or lack of implied sequence within a sentence. That is, beginning a sentence in a way that implies a certain logical resolution, but concluding it differently than the grammar leads one to expect. Anacoluthon can be either a grammatical fault or a stylistic virtue, depending on its use. In either case, it is an interruption or a verbal lack of symmetry. Anacoluthon is characteristic of spoken language or interior thought, and thus suggests those domains when it occurs in writing.

My Saab averages 30 miles per gallon of gas–who needs a hybrid?

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Procatalepsis

Posted on October 29, 2007 | Leave a comment

Procatalepsis (pro-cat-a-lep’-sis): Refuting anticipated objections.

You may believe that my proposal is not warranted by law or expediency. You may believe it does not look far enough into the future or take into account the contingencies that may thwart the fulfillment of its aims. Well, I’m here today to tell you that it is lawful, practical, and forward-looking, and that it explicitly addresses all the conceivable pitfalls that lie ahead! First, as far as its legality is concerned . . .

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged composition, elocutio, example, expediency, figures of speech, law, procatalepsis, public speaking, rhetoric, style, trope

Merismus

Posted on October 26, 2007 | Leave a comment

Merismus (mer-is’-mus): The dividing of a whole into its parts.

My truck has a rusted body, bald tires, a clattering engine, squeaky brakes, a broken radio, worn out seats, a cracked windshield, and a smoky tailpipe. Should I call the junkyard?

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, merismus, rhetoric, style

Astrothesia

Posted on October 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

Astrothesia (as-tro-the’-si-a): A vivid description of stars. One type of enargia.

This morning I was up at 3.45–I had to drive my daughter to school to catch the bus for her class trip. As we came out the back door, we saw the big dipper low over the treetops in the northeastern sky. As we rode down the hill toward school, we were both struck by the sudden appearance of a brilliant star–maybe a planet–reflecting the beautiful speeding light that races in and out of every day and every night! Sunrise. Sunset. The night sky. The stars. Wow!

And, as we said “Wow” together, there together, being together, happy together, riding together, my heart ached with the painful realization that this moment would not come again. So, I wrote it into The Daily Trope to give that moment a chance to virtually repeat itself again and again.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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Appositio

Posted on October 12, 2007 | Leave a comment

Appositio (ap-po-sit’-i-o): Addition of an adjacent, coordinate, explanatory or descriptive element.

My new computer, the fastest desktop ever made, has a footprint that’s smaller than a shoebox and a 10-tetrabyte hard drive!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Diaphora

Posted on September 17, 2007 | Leave a comment

Diaphora (di-a’-pho-ra): Repetition of a common name so as to perform two logical functions: to designate an individual and to signify the qualities connoted by that individual’s name or title.

This tomato will not be a tomato until it becomes the “T” in a BLT!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Alliteration

Posted on September 11, 2007 | Leave a comment

Alliteration (al-lit’-er-a’-tion): Repetition of the same letter or sound within nearby words. Most often, repeated initial consonants. Taken to an extreme alliteration becomes the stylistic vice of paroemion where nearly every word in a sentence begins with the same consonant.

It is time to trace out the hidden interests driving these decisions, that, on the surface seem to be bringing us to a better place, when, in fact, they’re leading us off track.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Epanorthosis

Posted on September 2, 2007 | Leave a comment

Epanorthosis (ep-an-or-tho’-sis): Amending a first thought by altering it to make it stronger or more vehement.

The more they try to make us look bad, the more we should try to make them look bad–no–pathologically evil–a threat to the existence of our way of life, our core values, and the safety of the people we love!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged elocutio, epanorthosis, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, style, The Daily Trope

Synonymia

Posted on September 1, 2007 | Leave a comment

Synonymia (si-no-ni’-mi-a): In general, the use of several synonyms together to amplify or explain a given subject or term. A kind of repetition that adds emotional force or intellectual clarity. Synonymia often occurs in parallel fashion. The Latin synonym, interpretatio, suggests the expository and rational nature of this figure, while another Greek synonym, congeries, suggests the emotive possibilities of this figure.

This day is sad, unhappy, without joy–without the bright lightning flashes of laughter that often lit our stormy lives–she is gone, she is done, she is ended, and we are left here together to fill this time together with words of rememberance sent from deep within ourselves–to summon her bold loving spirit to our time of grief and longing as we begin to learn to live without her without forgetting, without cutting the threads of friendship she wound around our lives.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, style, synonymia, trope

Enallage

Posted on August 31, 2007 | Leave a comment

Enallage (e-nal’-la-ge): The substitution of grammatically different but semantically equivalent constructions.

I climbed that mountain. That mountain was climbed by me!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Charientismus

Posted on August 26, 2007 | Leave a comment

Charientismus (kar-i-en-tia’-mus): Mollifying harsh words by answering them with a smooth and appeasing mock.

Hey–stop barking or I may bark right back at you!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Deesis

Posted on August 10, 2007 | Leave a comment

Deesis (de’-e-sis) An adjuration (solemn oath) or calling to witness; or, the vehement expression of desire put in terms of “for someone’s sake” or “for God’s sake.”

Please, for the sake of the children–for God’s sake–stop driving like a maniac! Slow down!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Anesis

Posted on August 4, 2007 | Leave a comment

Anesis (an’-e-sis): Adding a concluding sentence that diminishes the effect of what has been said previously. The opposite of epitasis.

He was smart, funny, and generally open to new ideas. However, his temper was off the charts.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.edu.byu)

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