English- Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
zuegma
a figure in which more than one time in a sentence is governed by a single word, usually a verb: “exercise psychologists argue that body-pump aerobics sessions benefit a person’s heart and lungs, muscles and nerves, and joints and cartilage”
antimetabole
words are repeated in different grammatical forms: “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”
parenthesis
allows for interruption in a sentence. usually set off by parenthesis or dashes: “sports night at the school always brings out the would-be jocks– who would expect any different– ready to show that they’re potentially as good as the varsity players”
appostitive
A construction in which two coordinating elements are set side by side and the second explains or modifies the first: “David Brooks calls Franklin, inventor, entrepreneur, and statesman, ‘Our Founding Yuppie.’”
ellipsis
Any omission of words, the meaning of which is provided by the overall context of the passage: “In times of conflict, if you talk to your friend, and he you, you’ll find a way around a fight.”
Asyndeton
An omission of conjunctions between related clauses: “…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Alliteration
is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or in the middle of two or more adjacent words: “Fourscore and twenty years ago our forefathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation.”
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of two or more adjacent words: “Ye shAll sAy they All hAve pAssed awAy thAt nobel rAce and brAve”
Anaphora
The repetition of the same group of words at the beginning of successive clauses: “We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow…”
Epistrophe
It the repetition of the same group of words at the end of successive clauses: “Yes I am, I am indian, indian, I am.”
Anadiplosis
The Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following sentence: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your your words, they become actions: watch your actions the become habits.”
Climax
The repetition of words, phrases, or clauses in order of increasing number of importance: “Excellent athletes need to be respectful of themselves, their teammates, their schools, and their communities.”
Metaphor
An implied comparison between two things that, on the surface, seem dissimilar but that, upon further examination, share common characteristics: “My life it stood, like a loaded gun.”
Simile
A comparison of two things using like or as: “My like seemed like a loaded gun, waiting to be fired in some field.”
synecdoche
A part of something is used to refer to the whole: “lend me your hand.”
