Download Diction Lesson 3

Diction Lesson 3
“Troublesome” Terms
Synecdoche
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(sih-NECK-duh-kee)
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figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole
a.
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” (Winston
Churchill, 1940)
b.
“In Europe, we gave the cold shoulder to De Gaulle, and now he gives
the warm hand to Mao Tse-tung.” (Richard Nixon, 1960)
c.
The ship was lost with all hands.
d.
His parents bought him a new set of wheels.
e.
He has many mouths to feed.
Effect
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Add variation, elegance, and present the language “luxuriously.”
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Often used to characterize and control imagery
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Note: synecdoche can be understood to be a form of metonymy, but
the converse is not true.
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The difference between metonymy and synecdoche is that in
metonymy, the term you are using is linked to the thing that you
mean, but is not directly a part of it.
Metonymy
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(me-TON-y-my)
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substitution of some attributive or suggestive word for what is
actually meant.
a.
The British crown has been plagued by scandal.
b.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
c.
'He is a man of cloth'
d.
The suits were at meeting.
Effect
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Note: Metonymy develops relation on the grounds of close
associations- as in “The White House is concerned about terrorism.”
The White House here represents the people who work in it.
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Used in developing literary symbolism
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Helps achieve conciseness
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Add a poetic color to words
Litotes
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(LI-tuh-tees OR lie-TOE-tees)
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deliberate use of understatement
a.
“Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how
much it altered her appearance for the worse.” (Jonathan Swift, A
Tale of a Tub)
b.
“It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” (Catcher
in the Rye)
c.
“For four generations we’ve been making medicines as if people’s
lives depended on them.” (Ad for Eli Lilly Drug Company)
Effect
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Depending on the tone and context of the usage, litotes either retain
the effect of understatement, or become an intensifying expression
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Often create irony
Conceit
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A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or
surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.
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Usually used in poetry.
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Effect: A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the
unusual comparison being made.
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Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s
day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”
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"All the world's a stage, The men and women merely players; They
have their exits and entrances." - "As You Like It" by William
Shakespeare
Colloquialism
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The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.
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Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work
a conversational, familiar tone.
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Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects.
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I lay down last night . . . tried to take my rest, My mind got to ramblin',
like a wild geese in the west. --Skip James, "Devil Got My Woman,"
1931
Euphemism
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From the Greek for “good speech.”
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More agreeable or less offensive substitutes for generally unpleasant
words or concepts.
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Effect: Used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness or
to add humor or ironic understatement.
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Saying “earthly remains” rather than “corpse”
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“Passed away”
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“Between jobs” for unemployed