Onomatopoeia is often used in literature to create a more impactful and immersive reading experience.
For example, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling uses onomatopoeia to vividly describe the moment Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, comes to collect Harry and knocks down the door:
“SMASH! The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.”
Continue reading: Can onomatopoeia be found in literature?
Both coincidence and situational irony can involve unexpected outcomes that evoke surprise. However, the terms differ in their emphasis:
- Irony: Emphasizes the contrast between expected outcomes and actual results, often revealing deeper meaning or creating a humorous effect; used deliberately in literature
- Coincidence: Highlights the randomness and lack of logical connection or deliberateness in events
The controversy surrounding Alanis Morissette’s song “Isn’t It Ironic?” centers on interpretations of whether the situations described in the song qualify as genuine irony or merely as instances of coincidence or bad luck.
Continue reading: What is the difference between coincidence and situational irony?
Cosmic irony, also known as irony of fate, is a literary device where the universe or fate seems to play a cruel joke by thwarting expectations. It is a type of situational irony that involves characters receiving the opposite of what they expect or deserve, giving the impression of a profound injustice inflicted by fate or a higher power.
Example: In the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to avoid his prophesied fate of killing his father and marrying his mother, but his actions unwittingly lead him to fulfill the prophecy. This irony highlights the impression that cosmic forces shape human destiny in unexpected and often tragic ways.
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A portmanteau for air pollution is “smog,” from the words smoke and fog. An alternative portmanteau is “smaze,” from smoke and haze.
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Compound words and portmanteaus can be easily confused because they both combine multiple words into one. However there is a difference between them.
- In compound words, both words remain intact when joined together into a single unit (e.g., basket + ball = basketball).
- In portmanteau words, on the other hand, some of the letters are removed (e.g., flexible + vegetarian = flexitarian).
Continue reading: What is the difference between a compound word and a portmanteau?
Contractions and portmanteaus are similar because they’re both formed by combining two words and omitting some letters. However, they’re not interchangeable.
- Contractions typically combine two words that are often used together (e.g., “have not” becomes “haven’t”). A contraction and its uncontracted form have the exact same meaning.
- A portmanteau is formed by blending two words together to create a new word with a new meaning. For example, “staycation” is a combination of the verb “stay” and the noun “vacation.” A portmanteau is a type of neologism.
Continue reading: What is the difference between a contraction and a portmanteau?
Constrained writing is a literary technique in which writers adhere to certain limits, patterns, or rules in their writing. For example, palindromes are sometimes used in poetry to create verses that can be read from the beginning to the end and vice versa.
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An example of consonance is the last line from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in which the “t” sound is repeated: “And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
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Consonance and assonance are both literary devices relying on the repetition of certain sounds. However, there is a difference between the two.
Whereas consonance involves the repetition of consonant sounds (like “b,” “d,” or “g”), assonance occurs when vowel sounds (like “a,” “i,” or “o”) are repeated within a series of words.
Continue reading: What is the difference between consonance and assonance?
An example of an oxymoron is the phrase “serious joke.” It combines two contradictory words that usually have different meanings.
- “Serious” typically means having a solemn or serious attitude.
- A “joke” is meant to be funny or lighthearted and should not be taken seriously.
The oxymoron “serious joke” combines these contrasting terms to create a paradoxical expression. This invites the audience to think about how seriousness and humor can be blended together in one concept.
Continue reading: What is an example of an oxymoron?
