Education English | Transferred Epithet and Litotes
1.Transferred Epithet
1.Transferred Epithet
“In this figure an epithet is transferred from its proper word to another that is closely associated with it in the sentence”, (Wren and Martin, 1979:494). Therefore, Transferred Epithet = Transferred Adjective. The examples of transferred epithet according to Wren and Martin, they are:
a. He passed a sleepless night
b. The plough man homeward plods his weary way
c. A man is going on a lone highway.
In first example, adjective „sleepless‟ actually belongs to the subject of sentence „He‟. It has been transferred to „nights‟. Adjective „lone‟ is for „Man‟ but
it has been transferred to „highway‟.
2. Litotes
According to Wren and Martin (1979:494), “litotes is opposite of Hyperbola; it is an affirmative conveyed by negation of the opposite, the effect being to suggest a strong expression by means of a weaker”. The examples of litotes according to Wren and Martin, they are:
a. The man is no fool
b. I am not a little surprise.
c. I am a citizen of no mean.
Furthermore, “litotes consists of deliberately understanding the condition of something and it is therefore the opposite of hyperbole, (Etherton, 1973:208). Etherton that another example, an explorer may have struggled through a very difficult and dangerous journey in which escaped from death several times. On his return to his own country, he may interviewed by reporter who asks, what sort of a trip did you have? If he replies, it wasn‟t without incident. In this sentence, “I am not a little surprise”. Not a little means greatly so the meaning of the sentence is I am greatly surprise. And in this sentence, “the man is no fool. It means that the man is very clever.
a. He passed a sleepless night
b. The plough man homeward plods his weary way
c. A man is going on a lone highway.
In first example, adjective „sleepless‟ actually belongs to the subject of sentence „He‟. It has been transferred to „nights‟. Adjective „lone‟ is for „Man‟ but
it has been transferred to „highway‟.
2. Litotes
According to Wren and Martin (1979:494), “litotes is opposite of Hyperbola; it is an affirmative conveyed by negation of the opposite, the effect being to suggest a strong expression by means of a weaker”. The examples of litotes according to Wren and Martin, they are:
a. The man is no fool
b. I am not a little surprise.
c. I am a citizen of no mean.
Furthermore, “litotes consists of deliberately understanding the condition of something and it is therefore the opposite of hyperbole, (Etherton, 1973:208). Etherton that another example, an explorer may have struggled through a very difficult and dangerous journey in which escaped from death several times. On his return to his own country, he may interviewed by reporter who asks, what sort of a trip did you have? If he replies, it wasn‟t without incident. In this sentence, “I am not a little surprise”. Not a little means greatly so the meaning of the sentence is I am greatly surprise. And in this sentence, “the man is no fool. It means that the man is very clever.
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