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

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.


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