Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TROPE

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connect today's word to others: A trope is some idea, theme, device, or pattern that's been trotted out again and again throughout fiction or real life: it's h_ckn___d, or done before, many, many, times. Some examples of tropes we've considered include the red herring and the deus ex machina, which can be found in hundreds of stories. Can you explain what those terms mean? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "TROPE" "Trope" comes from a Greek word meaning "a turning." A trope can be a turn of phrase: any figure of speech that uses words in a non-literal way (through the use of, for instance, irony, metaphor, or personification). A trope can also be a literary or cultural theme. In other words, a trope is any idea that gets reused a lot in fiction or in real life. (We'll focus on that second meaning, since it's the more common, more general one.) Pronunciation: TROPE (rhymes with "dope") Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "a trope," "one trope," "several tropes." Other forms: Just the plural, "tropes," is common. Adjectives are rare, but you can pick between "tropal" and "tropic." How to use it: This word often has a slightly negative tone: to call something a trope is to suggest that it's been done before, that it's an old, unoriginal, unimpressive, perhaps even unconvincing or untrue idea. Talk about people using tropes, recognizing tropes, spreading tropes, accepting tropes, calling tropes into question, and so on.  And, talk about works of fiction (like movies, novels, and TV episodes) that rely on tropes, that are filled with tropes, that borrow or rehash or parrot tropes from older works, etc. (If you're ready to ruffle feathers, you'll also talk about real-life people who rely on tropes, rehash old tropes, etc.) You might specify what kind of tropes you're talking about by adding a descriptive term (e.g., "media tropes," "political tropes," "cinematic tropes," "Shakespearean tropes," and as we'll see in our word game below for this month, "TV tropes"), or by adding "of:" "tropes of reality shows," "tropes of American culture." examples: At the core of Bad Moms is the trope of the high-achieving, self-sacrificing mother. "The silence of the majority was a familiar political trope."    — Simon Jenkins, The Guardian, 9 November 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "trope" without saying "formula" or "stereotype." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone, or someone's life, story, or struggle) shouldn't be reduced to that trope, the _____." Example 1: "Her struggle shouldn't be reduced to that trope, the long-fought battle with cancer." Example 2: "He shouldn't be reduced to that trope, the loner living in his parents' basement." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Last month, we played "Complete the Limerick." From the previous issue: Their length so extreme they seem alien, These long words, like "holocephalian." And a long word for "long word" To cross a whole crossword: The fourteen-letter "sesquipedalian." Next, our game for December: TV Tropes! This month, we're playing with tropes from TVTropes.org. What are TV tropes? They're storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.  Examples of TV tropes include "Skyward Scream," "Banister Slide," "Caught on the Jumbotron," "Burp of Finality," "City People Eat Sushi," "Dance Party Ending," "Clean Pretty Childbirth," "Come Back to Bed, Honey," "Even the Subtitler is Stumped," and tens of thousands more. Naming a trope can be a straightforward business, as in the "Skyward Scream." But often it demands precision, inviting the use of humorously sophisticated terms. Enter our Make Your Point words.  In each issue this month, consider the name of a TV trope, and try to define it or even give an example from a TV show or other work of fiction. Try this today: In fiction, what is the trope known as Appliance Defenestration? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of TROPE is A. SHOCK. B. NOVELTY. C. DISTURBANCE. 2. According to Jake Coyle at the Associated Press, the 2018 Ballad of Buster Scruggs _____ a series of Western tropes. A. denies B. inverts C. creates Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B