Tag: csec prep
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What is Hypophora?
📌 Hypophora Definition:Hypophora is a rhetorical device in which the speaker asks a question and immediately answers it. It is often used to guide the audience’s thinking or to emphasize a point. ✅ Example: “Why do we need to care about the environment? Because our future depends on the choices we make today.” Another example:…
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What is Epizeuxis?
📌 Epizeuxis Definition:Epizeuxis is a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated immediately, with no words in between, to create emphasis, intensity, or emotional effect. ✅ Example “Alone, alone, all alone,Alone on a wide, wide sea!” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Another example: “Never, never, never give…
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What is an Enthymeme?
📌 Enthymeme Definition:An enthymeme is a rhetorical syllogism in which one premise is implied rather than explicitly stated. It’s commonly used in persuasive writing or speech because it engages the audience to fill in the missing premise. ✅ Example: “He must be trustworthy; he’s a police officer.” Another example: “She didn’t study, so she will…
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What is Dysphemism?
📌 Dysphemism Definition:A dysphemism is a figure of speech where a harsh, blunt, or offensive term is used instead of a more neutral or pleasant one. It’s the opposite of euphemism. Dysphemisms are often used to shock, criticize, or convey contempt. ✅ Example: And there you have it! Now go ahead and use dysphemism in…
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What is a Chleuasmos?
📌 Chleuasmos Definition:Chleuasmos is a rhetorical device in which the speaker mocks themselves in a sarcastic or ironic way, often to pre-empt criticism, deflect blame, or highlight absurdity. It’s a form of ironic self-deprecation that can also serve to ridicule others indirectly. ✅ Example: Here, the speaker pretends to agree with an accusation by mocking…
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What is a Catachresis?
📌 Catachresis Definition:Catachresis is the deliberate misuse or strained use of a word or phrase, often creating a striking or unusual effect. It can occur when no exact word exists for a concept, or for metaphorical or stylistic purposes. ✅ Example: “I will speak daggers to her.” — William Shakespeare, Hamlet Another example: “He has…
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What is Bdelygmia?
📌 Bdelygmia Definition:Bdelygmia is a rhetorical device that expresses intense hatred or loathing toward a person, idea, or thing, often through a series of insulting or abusive remarks. It’s essentially a verbal rant of disgust. ✅ Example: “You foul, disgusting, miserable excuse for a human being — every word you speak drips with deceit and…
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What is an Antimetabole?
📌 Antimetabole Definition:Antimetabole is a rhetorical device in which words or phrases are repeated in reverse order to create emphasis, contrast, or a memorable effect. It is a specific type of chiasmus, but unlike chiasmus (which focuses on structure), antimetabole repeats the exact words in reverse order. ✅ Example: “Ask not what your country can…
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What is an Antanagoge?
📌 Antanagoge Definition:Antanagoge is a rhetorical device in which a negative point is immediately followed by a positive one, often to lessen the impact of the negative or to create a balanced perspective. ✅ Example: “The car is old, but it runs beautifully.” Another example: “I lost the game, but I learned a lot in…
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What is an Anacoluthon?
📌 Anacoluthon Definition:Anacoluthon is a literary device where a sentence changes its grammatical structure partway through, creating a break in thought or an unfinished idea. It often reflects natural speech, confusion, or emotional intensity. ✅ Example: “I warned him that if he keeps—well, it’s too late now.” Another example: “The problem with this plan is—you…