Terms : Hide Images
| 5329899102 | Qualifier | To mitigate, to make less strong, to make less unpleasant... Example: Many* young Americans support gay marriage as a civil right today. | 0 | |
| 5329915340 | Rhetorical Question | A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point. The question, a rhetorical device, is posed not to elicit a specific answer, but rather to encourage the listener to consider a message or viewpoint. Example: "Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?" (Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience" 1849) | 1 | |
| 5329947406 | Vernacular Expression | Local speech of a specific population; non-standard dialects; like those of regional speech patterns Example: American Southern drawl; working class Canadians who like to end sentences "...eh" | 2 | |
| 5329964775 | Colloquial Language | Informal language that is not an entire dialect; speech that is used with close friends or family, perhaps, but not used in a formal situation. | 3 | |
| 5329978261 | Colloquialism | An informal expression, that is, a word or phrase not used in formal speech or writing. Example: "That pasta salad was wicked* good." | 4 | |
| 5329987516 | Aphorism | A terse saying, expressing a general truth, principle, or astute observation, and spoken or written in brief and memorable form. Example: "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist" (Emerson "Self-Reliance" 1841) | 5 | |
| 5330006885 | Hyperbole | Exaggeration and overstatement Example: "I am so hungry I could eat a horse." | 6 | |
| 5330014613 | Understatement (litotes) | The opposite of hyperbole, understatement refers to a figure of speech that says less than is intended. Understatement usually has an ironic effect, and sometimes may be used for comic purposes. Example: "I wouldn't say she was ugly." "He wasn't totally useless." | 7 | |
| 5330033284 | Circumlocution | "Talking around" something, usually by supplying a descriptive phrase in place of a name. The use of many words to express and idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language. Example: "The Scottish play" (for Macbeth) or "the giant ball of light in the sky" (for the sun) | 8 | |
| 5330054037 | Euphemism | A polite term used to disguise an unpleasant or unmentionable event. Example: "passed away" for died | 9 | |
| 5330065955 | Rumpelstiltskin Effect | Naming a product in a way to catch attention of or persuade consumers. Example: Monster Energy Drink or Nissan Rogue | 10 | |
| 5330071518 | Connotation | Emotional or implied meanings associated with a word (beyond its literal definition) | 11 | |
| 5330076953 | Slanting | Interpreting or presenting a subject in line with a special interest, in a biased manner | 12 |
