An anecdote is a very short story about some real person or a real event that happened to the speaker. The idea of this story to make the listener compare a current event of happening with an older story. For instance: Two parents are discussing whether or not to get a dog for the family. The father says: When I was a kid, my dog was my best friend. My childhood was better because of him. The mother can then compare this story with the current state of affairs then might use the anecdote as persuasion that they should get a dog. There are basically five types of anecdote Humorous – stories that can add a bit of humour to the topic being discussed. People were arguing about their pets which was the best for young children. The parents were saying that this one or that one was best. I interjected,   “We had a rabbit once. It was delicious.” Everyone laughed and stopped arguing.   Reminiscent             I remember ...

An Adage is  a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth. Adages provide us with simple guidelines with which to live. In literature, adages are often used as sign of wisdom and of a work’s universal appeal and truth. The early bird catches the worm. If you do something early or before other people, you will be successful. An adage has been passed down over time and because of this it serves as a well of knowledge of collected and accepted wisdoms. Here are a few well known ones. Some are very old – Eat drink and be merry – is probably in the region of 3000 to 4000 years old. Others are from more recent history "A penny saved is a penny earned." "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." "Eat to live, and not live to eat." "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Dictionaries define a merism as a reference to something by its polar extremes, as in "we searched high and low" For example  I searched high and low for the key.  A  Merism  is a figure of speech by which something is referred to by a phrase that described the whole something by counting all its parts. Here are just a few Merisms He fell for the plot hook, line and sinker. This is from fishing. All the parts of a fishing setup. He sold the business lock, stock and barrel. This merism comes from the anatomy of a gun, the lock the bit that did the firing, the stock the part held, and the barrel. So, the phrase is about the whole being the sum of its parts. Other phrases include: nook and cranny day and night male and female better or for worse richer for poorer ladies and gentlemen young and old flesh and bone sun sea and sand life and soul Two items are often compared to represent the whole The last will and testament - 2 documents in two different courts that applie...