Wordplay

What is alliteration used for

Try this literary device in headlines, leads & quotes

Remember Barack Obama’s speeches? Those lyrical lines like:

“Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.”

… Read the full article

Why wordplay works in communications

We pay attention to and remember puns, alliteration

A hand shoots up in my Make Your Copy More Creative workshop.

“But,” the communicator says, “don’t you risk confusing people with wordplay?”… Read the full article

Alphabet scoop

Create memorable acronyms

First there was FUBAR: F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition. Now, thanks to the Urban Dictionary, we also have PHOBAR: PHOtoshopped Beyond All Recognition.… Read the full article

Alliterate a little list

‘A spoonful of alliteration helps the medicine go down’

I’m a sucker for an alliterative list.

When a client asked me to write a piece on the 28 languages now available on her company’s technology, I wrote this lead:

Got a list?… Read the full article

Neologisms: Coin a word

Create new terms by merging old ones

I was working on a story today when a writerruption occurred: My brother sent me photos of The Cutest Kid In the World — aka my niece.… Read the full article

Verbify a name

‘My goal in life is to become an adjective’

I was thrilled last month when one of my clients asked me to “Wylie-ize” part of her website.… Read the full article

Neologisms: Find half-and-half words

Gain inspiration for portmanteau from WordSpy

Tracy Ousdahl and Paul Pinney have traveled the globe. But sometimes, instead of venturing out to a cool destination, they use their time off to visit their families.… Read the full article

Play twister

Four steps to twist of phrase

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

— Jack London, American author and adventurer

Some people are natural-born phrase twisters.… Read the full article

Revive a cliché

Extend the metaphor to make a worn-out phrase new again

Call it a cliché makeover.

Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, breathes new life into old, worn-out phrases in his 2006 letter to shareholders.… Read the full article