英語中的脩辤(2)

14） Irony: （反語） It is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant, the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. For instance, we are lucky, what you said makes me feel real good.

　　15） Innuendo: （暗諷） It is a mild form of irony, hinting in a rather roundabout （曲折）way at something disparaging（不一致） or uncomplimentary（不贊美） to the person or subject mentioned. For example, the weatherman said it would be worm. He must take his readings in a bathroom.

　　16） Sarcasm: （諷刺） It Sarcasm is a strong form of irony. It attacks in a taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage, ridicule and wound the feelings of the subject attacked. For example, laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps break through.

　　17） Paradox: （似非而是的雋語） It is a figure of speech consisting of a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary to established fact or practice, but which on further thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct point. For example more haste, less speed.

　　18） Oxymoron: （矛盾脩飾） It is a compressed paradox, formed by the conjoining（結郃） of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous（不協調） terms as in bitter-sweet memories, orderly chaos（混亂） and proud humility（侮辱）.

　　19） Antithesis: （對照） It is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve emphasis. For example, speech is silver; silence is golden.

　　20） Epigram: （警句） It states a simple truth pithily（有利地） and pungently（強烈地）. It is usually terse and arouses interest and surprise by its deep insight into certain aspects of human behavior or feeling. For instance, Few, save the poor, feel for the poor.

　　21） Climax: （漸進） It is derived from the Greek word for"ladder" and implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. For example, I came, I saw, I conquered.

　　22） Anti-climax or bathos: （突降）It is the opposite of Climax. It involves stating one's thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous. For instance, But thousands die, without or this or that, die, and endow（賦予） a college, or a cat.

　　23） Apostrophe： （頓呼） In this figure of speech, a thing, place, idea or person （dead or absent） is addressed as if present, listening and understanding what is being said. For instance, England! awake! awake! awake!

　　24） Transferred Epithet: （轉類形容詞） It is a figure of speech where an epithet （an adjective or descriptive phrase） is transferred from the noun it should rightly modify（脩飾） to another to which it does not really apply or belong. For instance, I spent sleepless nights on my project.

　　25） Alliteration: （頭韻） It has to do with the sound rather than the sense of words for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals（間隔） and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also called"front rhyme". For instance, the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow followed free.

　　26） Onomatopoeia: （擬聲） It is a device that uses words which imitate the sounds made by an object （animate or inanimate）, or which are associated with or suggestive（提示的） of some action or movement. Selected from Figures of Speech by Feng Cuihua.