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

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