OXYMORON

This figure of contrast is a combination of words which are seman-tically incompatible. As a result, the object under description obtains char­acteristics contrary to its nature: hot snow, loving hate, horribly beautiful, nice blackguard.

Безпощадний блиск твоєї вроди лагідно в душі моїй сія.

(Д. Павличко)

Взимку сонце крізь плач сміється.

І від солодких слів буває гірко.

Холодним жаром запалало серце. Classification. The main structural pattern of oxymoron is "adjective + noun" (hot snow). The second productive model is "adverb + adjective" (pleasantly ugly). Predicative relations are also possible (Sofia's beauty is horrible). Besides that, oxymoron may occasionally be realized through free syntactic patterns, such as up the down staircase.

Communicative function. Oxymoron has great expressive potential. It is normally used in cases when there is a necessity to point out contradictory ^and complicated nature of the object under description.

 

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> oxymoron

• The oxymoron is closely related to antithesis and paradox. Both of these are Figures of speech.

• An oxymoron is 'a contracted paradox'. That is, the paradox is an ap­parently contradictory statement;whereas the contradiction in an oxy­moron is reduced to just two antithetical terms.

• It is the sort of playful and often witty effect used by those who wish to draw attention to their command of language.

• The device is much-loved by poets, because it enables them to express complex ideas in a very compressed form:

Where grey-beard mirth and smiling toil retired The toiling pleasure sickens into pain [OLIVER GOLDSMITH]