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

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