oxymoronExample:The treatyled to aviolentpeace.simileExample: Itwas as hotas a desertthis morning.chiasmusExample:Dog ownersown dogsand cats owncat owners.alliterationExample:She sellsseashells bythe seashore.assonanceExample:She and Leesee the beesin the tree.Free!allusionExample:Finishing hismemoir washis whitewhale.eponymExample: Heis theLeBronJames ofchess.metonymyExample: Heloved musicfrom the cradle(birth) to thegrave (death).ironyExample: Ashleysaid it was abeautiful daywhile drying offfrom thedrenching rain.parallelismExample: Foolme once,shame on you.Fool me twice,shame on me.synecdocheExample: Thecommander hadan army of 10,000swords. (Thepeople holding theswords werethere, too.)cacophonyExample: Thegnashing ofteeth andscreeching ofbats kept meawake.onomatopoeiaExample:The thunderboomed andthe lightningcrashed.analogyExample: Life islike a box ofchocolates: younever knowwhat you aregoing to get.euphemismExample:The baseballstruck him ina sensitivearea.epithetExample: Youneed to listento me and notClueless Kevinover there.meiosisExample: We mustput an end to thispeculiar institution.(“Peculiarinstitution” is aeuphemism forslavery.)hyperboleExample:The plateexplodedinto a millionpieces.climaxExample:Look at thesky! It’s abird! A plane!Superman!anaphorismExample: Apenny savedis a pennyearned.personificationExample: Thebeautiful valleyspread itsarms out andembraced us.asyndetonExample:Get in,cause adistraction,get out.metanoiaExample: We’llwork on it onSunday. No, let’smake that Monday—it’s the weekendafter, all!sarcasmExample: Oh,yeah, he is agreat guy. Agreat guy whotook the lastslice of pizza.antithesisExample:No pain,no gain.connotationExample:This is ahouse, but Iwant ahome.anecdoteExample: Five yearsago, I went to thestore and met someclowns. Thoseclowns gave me theadvice I am sharingwith you now.syllogismExample: Dogsare mammals.Biscuit is a dog.Therefore,Biscuit is amammal.expletiveExample: Theeggs were not,in any sense ofthe word,delicious.satireExample: WhenSenator Jacksonsaid “numbersdon’t lie,” he forgotthat his first namewasn’t “Numbers.”parenthesisExample: Theaudience, or atleast the payingmembers of theaudience, enjoyedthe show.consonanceExample:Mike likesIke’s bike.rhetoricalquestionExample: Can wereally know what ourplace in the universeis? We have askedourselves thisquestion formillennia.parodyExample: If EdgarAllen Poe had writtenthis speech, it mighthave opened with“Here we are, weakand weary, gatheredon a Monday dreary.”understatementExample: Theerupting volcanowas a littleproblem for theneighboring city.paradoxExample:Youth iswasted onthe young.colloquialismExample: Herein Philly, welove to eathoagies and allkinds of tastyjawns.anaphoraExample: Icame, Isaw, Iconquered.apostropheExample: Youhave made afool out of mefor the lasttime, washingmachine!punExample: Thefarmer tried to gethis cows to getalong, but theyinsisted on havinga beef with eachother.metaphorExample:He was awolf amongsheep.oxymoronExample:The treatyled to aviolentpeace.simileExample: Itwas as hotas a desertthis morning.chiasmusExample:Dog ownersown dogsand cats owncat owners.alliterationExample:She sellsseashells bythe seashore.assonanceExample:She and Leesee the beesin the tree.Free!allusionExample:Finishing hismemoir washis whitewhale.eponymExample: Heis theLeBronJames ofchess.metonymyExample: Heloved musicfrom the cradle(birth) to thegrave (death).ironyExample: Ashleysaid it was abeautiful daywhile drying offfrom thedrenching rain.parallelismExample: Foolme once,shame on you.Fool me twice,shame on me.synecdocheExample: Thecommander hadan army of 10,000swords. (Thepeople holding theswords werethere, too.)cacophonyExample: Thegnashing ofteeth andscreeching ofbats kept meawake.onomatopoeiaExample:The thunderboomed andthe lightningcrashed.analogyExample: Life islike a box ofchocolates: younever knowwhat you aregoing to get.euphemismExample:The baseballstruck him ina sensitivearea.epithetExample: Youneed to listento me and notClueless Kevinover there.meiosisExample: We mustput an end to thispeculiar institution.(“Peculiarinstitution” is aeuphemism forslavery.)hyperboleExample:The plateexplodedinto a millionpieces.climaxExample:Look at thesky! It’s abird! A plane!Superman!anaphorismExample: Apenny savedis a pennyearned.personificationExample: Thebeautiful valleyspread itsarms out andembraced us.asyndetonExample:Get in,cause adistraction,get out.metanoiaExample: We’llwork on it onSunday. No, let’smake that Monday—it’s the weekendafter, all!sarcasmExample: Oh,yeah, he is agreat guy. Agreat guy whotook the lastslice of pizza.antithesisExample:No pain,no gain.connotationExample:This is ahouse, but Iwant ahome.anecdoteExample: Five yearsago, I went to thestore and met someclowns. Thoseclowns gave me theadvice I am sharingwith you now.syllogismExample: Dogsare mammals.Biscuit is a dog.Therefore,Biscuit is amammal.expletiveExample: Theeggs were not,in any sense ofthe word,delicious.satireExample: WhenSenator Jacksonsaid “numbersdon’t lie,” he forgotthat his first namewasn’t “Numbers.”parenthesisExample: Theaudience, or atleast the payingmembers of theaudience, enjoyedthe show.consonanceExample:Mike likesIke’s bike.rhetoricalquestionExample: Can wereally know what ourplace in the universeis? We have askedourselves thisquestion formillennia.parodyExample: If EdgarAllen Poe had writtenthis speech, it mighthave opened with“Here we are, weakand weary, gatheredon a Monday dreary.”understatementExample: Theerupting volcanowas a littleproblem for theneighboring city.paradoxExample:Youth iswasted onthe young.colloquialismExample: Herein Philly, welove to eathoagies and allkinds of tastyjawns.anaphoraExample: Icame, Isaw, Iconquered.apostropheExample: Youhave made afool out of mefor the lasttime, washingmachine!punExample: Thefarmer tried to gethis cows to getalong, but theyinsisted on havinga beef with eachother.metaphorExample:He was awolf amongsheep.

Rhetorical Devices Bingo - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. Example: The treaty led to a violent peace.
    oxymoron
  2. Example: It was as hot as a desert this morning.
    simile
  3. Example: Dog owners own dogs and cats own cat owners.
    chiasmus
  4. Example: She sells seashells by the sea shore.
    alliteration
  5. Example: She and Lee see the bees in the tree.
    assonance
  6. Free!
  7. Example: Finishing his memoir was his white whale.
    allusion
  8. Example: He is the LeBron James of chess.
    eponym
  9. Example: He loved music from the cradle (birth) to the grave (death).
    metonymy
  10. Example: Ashley said it was a beautiful day while drying off from the drenching rain.
    irony
  11. Example: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
    parallelism
  12. Example: The commander had an army of 10,000 swords. (The people holding the swords were there, too.)
    synecdoche
  13. Example: The gnashing of teeth and screeching of bats kept me awake.
    cacophony
  14. Example: The thunder boomed and the lightning crashed.
    onomatopoeia
  15. Example: Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get.
    analogy
  16. Example: The baseball struck him in a sensitive area.
    euphemism
  17. Example: You need to listen to me and not Clueless Kevin over there.
    epithet
  18. Example: We must put an end to this peculiar institution. (“Peculiar institution” is a euphemism for slavery.)
    meiosis
  19. Example: The plate exploded into a million pieces.
    hyperbole
  20. Example: Look at the sky! It’s a bird! A plane! Superman!
    climax
  21. Example: A penny saved is a penny earned.
    anaphorism
  22. Example: The beautiful valley spread its arms out and embraced us.
    personification
  23. Example: Get in, cause a distraction, get out.
    asyndeton
  24. Example: We’ll work on it on Sunday. No, let’s make that Monday—it’s the weekend after, all!
    metanoia
  25. Example: Oh, yeah, he is a great guy. A great guy who took the last slice of pizza.
    sarcasm
  26. Example: No pain, no gain.
    antithesis
  27. Example: This is a house, but I want a home.
    connotation
  28. Example: Five years ago, I went to the store and met some clowns. Those clowns gave me the advice I am sharing with you now.
    anecdote
  29. Example: Dogs are mammals. Biscuit is a dog. Therefore, Biscuit is a mammal.
    syllogism
  30. Example: The eggs were not, in any sense of the word, delicious.
    expletive
  31. Example: When Senator Jackson said “numbers don’t lie,” he forgot that his first name wasn’t “Numbers.”
    satire
  32. Example: The audience, or at least the paying members of the audience, enjoyed the show.
    parenthesis
  33. Example: Mike likes Ike’s bike.
    consonance
  34. Example: Can we really know what our place in the universe is? We have asked ourselves this question for millennia.
    rhetorical question
  35. Example: If Edgar Allen Poe had written this speech, it might have opened with “Here we are, weak and weary, gathered on a Monday dreary.”
    parody
  36. Example: The erupting volcano was a little problem for the neighboring city.
    understatement
  37. Example: Youth is wasted on the young.
    paradox
  38. Example: Here in Philly, we love to eat hoagies and all kinds of tasty jawns.
    colloquialism
  39. Example: I came, I saw, I conquered.
    anaphora
  40. Example: You have made a fool out of me for the last time, washing machine!
    apostrophe
  41. Example: The farmer tried to get his cows to get along, but they insisted on having a beef with each other.
    pun
  42. Example: He was a wolf among sheep.
    metaphor