hyperbole

definition:

A device that uses exaggeration for emphasis.

example:

She broke his heart into a million pieces.

understatement

definition: A figure of speech in which the words are less than the writer or speaker means; the opposite of hyperbole or exaggeration.

example: On graduation day, Albert wore five glittering medals around his neck and carried ten awards under his arm; one might say he had done a decent job during his high school years.

pun

definition: A play on words generally based on a word's different meanings, or based on words that sound similar but have different meanings.

examples: 

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana"

(Groucho Marx)  or

"Frog Parking, All Others Will Be Toad" 

oxymoron

definition: A contraditory combination of words.

example:       serious fun

                      Civil War

                      jumbo shrimp

malapropism

definition: A humorous misuse of words, often a confusion based on similar-sounding words.

example: The water damage from our home was so bad we had to evaporate our home.  

Note: Evaporate is used insteadof evacuate.

verbal irony

definition: A device in which what one means does not match what one says. Verbal irony can be playful and funny.

example: A person says he's really good at golf when it's obvious to everyone he isn't.

situational irony

definition: A device reflecting a situation in which what one expects or what is intended does not occur.

example: A fire station burns to the ground.

dramatic irony

definition: A device in which the audience (or reader) knows something the characters do not. Dramatic irony can be comic (funny) or tragic.

example: In the film Mulan, a character sings a song called "I"ll Make a Man Out of You" to Mulan (reflecting a desire to touhgen 'him' up), not realizing Mulan is a woman disguised as a man.

sarcasm

definition: Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony, however sarcam is mean-spirited, insulting, or cruel.    

example: "Sometimes I need what only you can provide: your absence." (Ashleigh Brilliant)

wit

definition: intellectual humor

satire

definition: Writing that makes fun of human institutions in order to make a point and promote change. It is purposeful mockery.

examples: There are many examples of modern satire that pokes fun at our government or politicians. The Onion and Saturday Night Live often use satire to make their point.