Allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of

characters, figures, and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story, with a
purpose of teaching or explaining an idea or a principle. The objective of its use is to teach
some kind of a moral lesson.

Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural,
literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it
refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough
knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

Anecdote is defined as a short and interesting story, or an amusing event, often proposed to
support or demonstrate some point, and to make the audience laugh. Anecdotes can include an
extensive range of tales and stories. In fact, it is a short description or an account of any event
that makes the readers laugh or brood over the topic presented for the purpose.

Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. The
common oxymoron phrase is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun with
contrasting meanings, such as “cruel kindness,” or “living death”.

The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions that replace words and phrases
considered harsh and impolite, or which suggest something unpleasant. Euphemism is an
idiomatic expression, which loses its literal meanings and refers to something else, in order to
hide its unpleasantness. For example, “kick the bucket” is a euphemism that describes the
death of a person. In addition, many organizations use the term “downsizing” for the distressing
act of “firing” its employees.

if we speak literally, cacophony points to a situation in which there is a mixture of harsh and
inharmonious sounds. In literature, however, the term refers to the use of words with sharp,
harsh, hissing, and unmelodious sounds – primarily those of consonants – to achieve desired
results. “I detest war because cause of war is always trivial.”

A fallacy is an erroneous argument dependent upon an unsound or illogical contention. There

are many fallacy examples that we can find in everyday conversations.

In a literary work, verisimilitude is likeness to the truth, such as the resemblance of a fictitious
work to a real event, even if it is a far-fetched one. Verisimilitude ensures that even
a fantasy must be rooted in reality, which means that events should be plausible to the extent
that readers consider them credible enough to be able to relate them somehow to their
experiences of real life.

Antithesis, which literally means “opposite,” is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas
are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. Money is the root of all evil:

Speech is silver, but silence is gold.