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

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