Flashcard 15 - 11th Grade English Language Arts and Literacy: Reading Flashcard Set for the SBAC

oxymoron

When Juliet tells Romeo that “parting is such sweet sorrow,” she is using an oxymoron. If something is sweet, it has a positive connotation, but sorrow has a negative connotation and is sad. When you say you picked your “only choice,” that is an oxymoron: only implies one, but choice implies multiple. Authors use oxymorons purposefully, and on the SBAC you may need to analyze their use and explain their effect on the reader.