English Terms 8 Flashcards
Cliché
A trite, overused phrase
“Never give up! My family is always there for me no matter what.”
Aphorism
A terse statement of moral principle
“loneliness chosen loses its sting and claims no victims”
Diatribe and Invective
Abusive language
“Curse the blasted, jelly-boned swines,the slimy, the belly wriggling invertebrates…”
Didactic
Designed or intended to teach
“‘The Odyssey-taught Greeks how to behave
Hyperbole
A extravagant exaggeration or overstatement
“If you and I looked at each other that way, our skulls would split and drop to our shoulders.”
Litotes
A minimizing of fact presenting something as less significant than it is
“The grove’s a fine and private place…”
Pedantic
Overly scholarly or bookish language
“I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request”
Pun
Humerus use of a word in a way that suggests two meanings
“Ask for me tomorroe and you shall find me a grave man”
