Rhetoric Devices Flashcards
What is Abating (Anesis)?
an’-e-sis Gk. “a loosening, relaxing, abating”
abating
Adding a concluding sentence that diminishes the effect of what has been said previously. The opposite of epitasis.
Examples:
She had set more track records than any woman in the country. She had more stamina, skill, and perserverance than many of the best, but she had broken her leg and would not be competing this year.
What is Tapinosis (Meiosis, Abbaser)?
ta-pi-no’-sis Gk. “a demeaning or humbling”
Also tapeinosis, antenantiosis
humiliatio
abbaser, a demeaning
Giving a name to something which diminishes it in importance. A kind of meiosis.
This term is equivalent to meiosis.
Examples:
Said of the Mississippi River: “a stream”
mei-o’-sis from Gk. mei-o-o ìto make smallerî
extenuatio, detractio, diminutio
the disabler, belittling
Reference to something with a name disproportionately lesser than its nature (a kind of litotes).
This term is equivalent to tapinosis.
Example:
Said of an amputated leg.: “It’s just a flesh wound”
—Monty Python and the Holy Grail
What is Abecedarian?
An acrostic whose letters do not spell a word but follow the order (more or less) of the alphabet.
Examples:
Adorable, beautiful, charming, delightful, exciting, fantastic—you run the gamut from A to Z.
What is Apocope? (Abcisio)?
ab-ci’-zi-o or ab-ki’-zi-o Also sp. abissio, absissio, abscissio, abscisio
Omitting a letter or syllable at the end of a word. A kind of metaplasm.
Examples:
Omission of a final letter:
When Maro says “Achilli” for “Achillis”
Omission of a final syllable:
True art is nature to advantage dressed
What oft was thought, but ne’er so well expressed. [for “often”]
—Alexander Pope
Season your admiration for awhile With an attent ear. [for “attentive”]
—Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.2.192
What is Aphaeresis (Ablatio)?
aph-aer’-e-sis from Gk. apo ìawayî and hairein
ìto takeî (“a taking away from”)
Also sp. apheresis
ablatio
abstraction from the first
The omission of a syllable or letter at the beginning of a word. A kind of metaplasm.
Examples:
Omission of an initial letter:
What’s the third R? Rithmetic! [for “Arithmetic”]
Omission of an initial syllable:
The King hath cause to plain.[for “complain”]
—Shakespeare, King Lear 3.1.39
What is Abode (Commoratio)?
kom-mor-a’-ti-o L. “delay, dwelling on a point”
figure of abode
Dwelling on or returning to one’s strongest argument. Latin equivalent for epimone.
What is Apodoxis (Bdelygmia, Abominatio)?
from Gk. apo, “away” and diokein,
“to pursue” (“a chasing away”)
abominatio, detestatio, rejectio, reiectio
Gk. “nausea, disgust”
abominatio
Expressing hatred and abhorrence of a person, word, or deed.
Rejecting of someone or something (such as the adversary’s argument) as being impertinent, needless, absurd, false, or wicked.
Examples:
I do hate a proud man, as I do hate the
engend’ring of toads.
—Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida 2.3.158-159
What is Abuse (Abusio, Abusion, Catachresis) in Rhetoric?
An anglicization of the Latin figure abusio (=catachresis).
kat-a-kree’-sis Gk. “misuse”
abusio
figure of abuse, abusion
- The use of a word in a context that differs from its proper application.
This figure is generally considered a vice; however, Quintilian defends its use as a way by which one adapts existing terms to applications where a proper term does not exist.
Examples:
In this example, what is meant is conveyed through a misapplication of one part of the body to another.
As one said that disliked a picture with a crooked nose, “The elbow of his nose is disproportionable” —J. Smith
The word “parricide” literally means a killer of one’s father, but for lack of proper terms, is also used to refer to killing one’s mother or brother:
In his rage at Gertrude, Hamlet nearly became a parricide like his uncle.
In this example, no parallel idiom to “sight unseen” exists for things auditory, so the idiom is wrenched from its proper context to this unusual one.
He was foolish enough to order the new music CD sight unseen.
Similarly, there is no word comparable to “sightseeing” for a similar sort of tour done with sound, and so a familiar (if technically inappropriate) use of “seeing” is used:
The podcast included a soundseeing tour of London’s theatre district.
- In a more general sense, “abuse” refers to rhetorical vices, or, in a positive sense, to the rhetorical habit of employing a word in a sense at odds with its original use (see metaphor or trope).
What is Acoloutha?
Gk. acolouthos, “following, attending upon”
The substitution of reciprocal words; that is, replacing one word with another whose meaning is close enough to the former that the former could, in its turn, be a substitute for the latter. This term is best understood in relationship to its opposite, anacoloutha.
What is Accismus?
ak-iz’-mus Gk. “coyness, affectation”
apparent refusal
A feigned refusal of that which is earnestly desired.
Examples:
I couldn’t possibly take such charity from you.
What is Accumulatio?
ak-kum-u-la’-ti-o from L. “to heap up, to amass”
frequentatio
Bringing together various points made throughout a speech and presenting them again in a forceful, climactic way. A blend of summary and climax.
Examples:
“He [the defendant] is the betrayer of his own self-respect, and the waylayer of the self-respect of others; covetous, intemperate, irascible, arrogant; disloyal to his parents, ungrateful to his friends, troublesome to his kin; insulting to his betters, disdainful of his equals and mates, cruel to his inferiors; in short, he is intolerable to everyone”
— Ad Herennium, 4.40.52
What is Anticategoria (Accusatio Adversa)?
an’-ti-cat-e-gor’-i-a Gk. “counter charge, accusing in turn”
tu quoque (“you, too”), accusatio adversa, translatio in adversarium
A retort in which one turns the very accusation made by one’s adversary back against him.
What is Categoria (Accusatio)?
ka-te-go’-ri-a Gk. “accusation, charge”
accusatio
Opening the secret wickedness of one’s adversary before his face.
Examples:
Will you deny your late night trysts with that man’s wife? Shall we discuss your incessent drinking? Your shady business deals?
What is Acervatio (Asyndeton, Polysyndeton)?
a-syn’-de-ton from Gk. a and sundeton ìbound together withî
Also sp. asindeton
brachiepia, articulus,
dissolutio, dissolutum, dialyton
loose language
The omission of conjunctions between clauses, often resulting in a hurried rhythm or vehement effect.
Examples:
Veni, vidi, vici (Caesar: “I came; I saw; I conquered”)
pol-y-syn’-de-ton from Gk. poly- “many” and
syndeton “bound together with”
Also sp. polysyntheton,
polisindeton, polysindeton
acervatio
couple clause, many-ands
Employing many conjunctions between clauses, often slowing the tempo or rhythm.
Examples:
I said, “Who killed him?” and he said, “I don’t know who killed him but he’s dead all right,” and it was dark and there was water standing in the street and no lights and windows broke and boats all up in the town and trees blown down and everything all blown and I got a skiff and went out and found my boat where I had her inside Mango Key and she was all right only she was full of water.
—Ernest Hemingway, “After the Storm.”
What is an Acrostic?
from Gk. akros, “at the point” and stichos, “row”
acrostichion, parastichis
When the first letters of successive lines are arranged either in alphabetical order (= abecedarian) or in such a way as to spell a word
Examples:
Your answer must not come by prying force
Except that gentle urging of your mind.
So take your time, and tell me when you will.
What is Acyrologia?
ak-ir-o-lo’-gi-a from Gk. a, “not”, kyros, “authority,”
and logos, “speech”
Also sp. acirilogia
acyron, improprietas
An incorrect use of words, especially the use of words that sound alike but are far in meaning from the speaker’s intentions.
Note: Malapropisms are a kind of acyrologia.
Examples:
“I’m going to get tutored!” (One dog brags to another in a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon)
The comedy of this cartoon results from acyrologia: the dog has mistaken “neutered” for the less painful “tutored,” a mistake that changes the meaning entirely of what was intended.
“Oh, so your Health/PE class is bisexual.”
“Co-ed” was meant for “bisexual.” The misuse of this word changes the meaning significantly.
What is Acyron?
ak’-y-ron Gk. “without authority”
improprietas
uncouthe
The use of a word repugnant or contrary to what is meant.
Examples:
“Never could I have hoped for such great woe” —Aeneid 4.419
What is Adage?
ad’-age adagium
apothegm, gnome, maxim, paroemia, proverb
sententia
One of several terms describing short, pithy sayings, or traditional expressions of conventional wisdom.
Examples:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
What is Aporia (Addubitatio)?
a-po’-ri-a from Gk. aporos ìwithout a passageî
diaporesis
addubitatio, dubitatio
addubitation, doubht, the doubtfull
Deliberating with oneself as though in doubt over some matter; asking oneself (or rhetorically asking one’s hearers) what is the best or appropriate way to approach something.
Examples:
Where shall I begin to describe her wisdom? In her knowledge of facts? In her ability to synthesize diverse matters? In her capacity to articulate complex ideas simply?
What is Adhortatio?
ad-hor-ta’-ti-o L. “an exhortation”
A comandment, promise, or exhortation intended to move one’s consent or desires.
What is Adianoeta?
An expression that, in addition to an obvious meaning, carries a second, subtle meaning (often at variance with the ostensible meaning).
Example:
In the following example, what is meant is that a man tore his own limbs with his teeth. This is hinted at obscurely (if at all) in the phrase meant to communicate this:
The man laid upon himself
What is Anaphora (Adjectio)?
an-aph’-o-ra From Gk. ana ìagainî and phero ìto bring or carryî
epanaphora, epembasis, epibole
adjectio, relatio, repetitio, repeticio
repeticion, the figure of report
Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines.
Examples:
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as [a] moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands;
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings [. . .]
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leas’d out — I die pronouncing it —
Like to a tenement or pelting farm.
—John of Gaunt in Shakespeare’s Richard II (2.1.40-51; 57-60)
What is Ampliatio (Adjournment)?
am’-pli-a’-ti-o from Lat. amplio, “to extend”
adjournment, an old name for a new thing
Using the name of something or someone before it has obtained that name or after the reason for that name has ceased. A form of epitheton.
Examples:
Even after the man was healed from his ailment by Jesus, he was still referred to as “Simon the leper.”
What is Epicrisis (Adjudicatio)?
e-pi-cri’-sis from Gk. epi- “upon” and krisis “decision, judgment”
adiudicatio, adjudicatio
When a speaker quotes a certain passage and makes comment upon it.
What is Symploce (Adjunct)?
sim’-plo-see or
sim’-plo-kee from Gk. sym, “together” and plekein “to weave”
Also sp. symploche, symploke
adjunct, circulo rhetorica, conplexio
the figure of reply
The combination of anaphora and epistrophe: beginning a series of lines, clauses, or sentences with the same word or phrase while simultaneously repeating a different word or phrase at the end of each element in this series.
Examples:
“Against yourself you are calling him,
against the laws you are calling him,
against the democratic constitution you are calling him” —Aeschines
What is Epizeugma (Adjunctio)?
ep-i-zoog’-ma from Gk. epi, “upon” and zeugma, “a yoking”
(“joined at the top”)
epizeugmenon
adjunctio
Placing the verb that holds together the entire sentence (made up of multiple parts that depend upon that verb) either at the very beginning or the very ending of that sentence.
Examples:
epizeugma at the beginning:
“Fades beauty with disease or age”
epizeugma at the ending:
“Either with disease or age beauty fades”
What is Paranesis (Admonitio)?
pa-rain’-e-sis Gk. parainesis “exhortation, recommendation”
admonitio, sapienta
A warning of impending evil.
What is Zeugma (Adnexio)?
zoog’-ma Gk. “a yoking”
adnexio, iunctio
single supply
A general term describing when one part of speech (most often the main verb, but sometimes a noun) governs two or more other parts of a sentence (often in a series).
Zeugma is sometimes used simply as a synonym for syllepsis, though that term is better understood as a more specific kind of zeugma: when there is disparity in the way that the parallel members relate to the governing word (as a vice or for comic effect).
Zeugma comprises several more specialized terms, all of which employ ellipsis and parallelism (among the governed members of the sentence). The zeugma figures are of two types: those in which the governing word is the main verb (in which case these are subsequently categorized according to the position of that governing verb), and those in which the governing word is another part of speech (usually the subject noun).
Zeugma figures: Position of Governing Verb:
- prozeugma
(beginning position)
- hypozeugma
(ending position)
- epizeugma
(beginning or ending position)
- mesozeugma or synzeugma
(middle position)
Zeugma figures: Governing Noun:
- diazeugma
A single subject governs several verbs or verbal constructions
- hypozeuxis
Every clause (in a series of parallel clauses) has its own (different) verb
Examples:
As Virgil guided Dante through Inferno, the Sibyl Aeneas Avernus. —Roger D. Scott
Through zeugma, “guided” and “through” are inferred for Sibyl and Aeneas: “As Virgil guided Dante through Inferno, the Sibyl [guided] Aeneas [through] Avernus.”
What is Paranomasia (Polyptoton, Adnominatio, Agnomination)?
pa-ro-no-ma’-si-a from Gk. para, “alongside” and onomos, “name”
(“to alter slightly in naming”)
prosonomasia
adnominatio or agnominatio, allusio
the nicknamer, allusion
Using words that sound alike but that differ in meaning (punning).
The Ad Herennium author further specifies that this is brought about through various kinds of metaplasm.
Examples:
A jesting friar punned upon the name of the famous humanist Erasmus, “Errans mus” [erring mouse]. —Puttenham
A pun is its own reword.
For a plethora of puns (of mixed quality, but plenty of quantity), see this internet pun resource.
po-lyp-to’-ton from Gk. poly, “many” and ptotos, “falling” or ptosis, “[grammatical] case”
paragmenon
traductio, adnominatio
the tranlacer, many inflections
Repeating a word, but in a different form. Using a cognate of a given word in close proximity.
Examples:
With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder.
—John of Gaunt in Shakespeare’s Richard II 2.1.37
What is Adynaton?
a-dyn’-a-ton from Gk. a, “without” and dynasthai,
“to be able” (=”powerless”)
Also adynata
impossibilia
A declaration of impossibility, usually in terms of an exaggerated comparison. Sometimes, the expression of the impossibility of expression.
Examples:
I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one of his cheek ,
—Shakespeare 2 Henry IV 1.2.20-22
I cannot speak enough of this content
It stops me here; it is too much of joy.
—Shakespeare, Othello 2.1.196-97
What is Cacemphaton (Aeshrologia, Aischrologia)?
ka-kem’-fa-ton Gk. “ill-sounding”
aischrologia (aeschrologia, aschrologia)
cacophonia, scurra, turpiloquum, turpis loquutio
An expression that is deliberately either foul (such as crude language) or ill-sounding (such as from excessive alliteration).
Example:
Quintilian gives the example of using the nominative form of intercapedinis (“interruption”), intercapedo, since its last two syllables (-pedo) could sound like a separate, far different Latin word (pedo, “to break wind”)
What is Aetiologia?
ae-ti-o-log’-i-a from Gk. aitia, “a cause” and logos, “a description”
Also sp. etiologia
apodeixis; redditio causae, ratiocinatio
etiology, the reason rend, the tell cause,
cause shown
A figure of reasoning by which one attributes a cause for a statement or claim made, often as a simple relative clause of explanation.
Examples:
I mistrust not the judges, for they are just.
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
—Romans 1:15-16
What is Affirmatio (Affirmation, Cataphasis)?
af’-fir-ma’-ti-o L. “assertion”
A general figure of emphasis that describes when one states something as though it had been in dispute or in answer to a question, though it has not been.
kat-af’-a-sis Gk. “an affirmation”
affirmation
A kind of paralipsis in which one explicitly affirms the negative qualities that one then passes over.
Examples:
I will say nothing here of his fraudulent practices.
What is Aganactesis?
aganactesis aganactesis
ag’-an-ak-tee’-sis Gk. “physical pain, irritation”
indignatio, iracundia
An exclamation proceeding from deep indignation.
What is Allegory?
al’-le-go-ry from Gk. eirein, ìto speakî
allegoria
permutatio
the figure of false semblant, continued metaphor
A sustained metaphor continued through whole sentences or even through a whole discourse.
Examples:
The most obvious use of allegory is work-length narratives such as the medieval Everyman or Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Quintilian labels allegory what is elsewhere called a “conceit”: an extended metaphor:
The ship of state has sailed through rougher storms than the tempest of these lobbyists.
Allegory also occurs when an allusion is made with no introductory explanation and the speaker trusts the audience to make the connection, as in the following example, where reference is made to the historic landing of a craft on the moon, but no direct connection is made to the more mundane application of this allusion:
Well, the Eagle has landed. I thought you’d never make partner in the firm.
What is Alleotheta (Enallage)?
al-le-o-the’-ta from Gk. allothen “from another place”
and theteuo “to work for”
Also sp. allotheta
alloeosis or alloiosis
Substitution of one case, gender, mood, number, tense, or person for another. Synonymous with enallage.
Peacham makes alleotheta the general category that includes antiptosis and all forms of enallage.
Examples:
Each of the students should bring their notebook.
Through alleotheta, the word “their” has been substituted for the more traditional but non-inclusive possessive pronoun, “his.”
e-nal’-la-ge Gk. “change”
Also sp. allage
figure of exchange
The substitution of grammatically different but semantically equivalent constructions.
Note: Erasmus delineated numerous specific methods of enallage as ways of varying expression by substituting equivalent expressions in order to build copia.
Examples:
“I consumed the triple-decker pizza” (active verb)
through enallage of mood is transformed to:
“The triple-decker pizza was consumed by me” (passive verb).
What is Alliteration?
al-lit’-er-a’-tion alliteratio
figure of like letter
Repetition of the same letter or sound within nearby words. Most often, repeated initial consonants.
Note: The term “alliteratio” was coined by Giovanni Pontano in 1519 as a further specification of the term annominatio. Current usage of this term is in its most restricted sense (repeated initial consonants), aligning it with the vice known as homoeoprophoron or paroemion.
Examples:
Why not waste a wild weekend at Westmore Water Park?
What is Sarcasmus (Amara Irrisio)?
sar’-kazm from Gk. sarcazein, “to tear flesh, to speak bitterly”
sarcasmus, amara irrisio
the bitter taunt
Use of mockery, verbal taunts, or bitter irony.
Examples:
If you be the son of God, descend from the cross —Matt. 27
In the following passage Cleopatra taunts her lover Antony when a messenger comes from Rome with possible news from his wife or orders from Caesar:
Nay, hear them [the messages], Antony.
Fulvia perchance is angry; or who knows
If the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent
His pow’rful mandate to you: “Do this, or this;
Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that;
Perform’t, or else we damn thee.”
—Antony and Cleopatra 1.1.19-24
What is Circumlocution (Ambage?)
cir-cum-lo-cu’-tion L. “talking around”
circumlocutio, circumitio
periphrasis (perifrasis)
the figure of ambage
As the name implies, “talking around” something, usually by supplying a descriptive phrase in place of a name (=periphrasis).
Circumlocutions are rhetorically useful as euphemisms, as a method of amplification, or to hint at something without stating it.
Examples:
Laertes, urging Ophelia to keep clear of Hamlet, refers to her virginity metaphorically through a circumlocation:
…Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open
To his unmast’red importunity. —Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.3.31-32
What is Amphibologia (Ambiguitas, Ambiguous)?
am’-fi-bo-lo’-gi-a from Gk. amphi- “on both sides,”
bolos “a throw” and logos “word”
Also sp. amphibology
ambiguitas
ambiguous
Ambiguity of grammatical structure, often occasioned by mispunctuation.
What is Anacephalaeosis?
anacephalaeosis anacephalaeosis
an’-a-sef-a-li-o’-sis from Gk. ana, “back” and cephale, “head”
enumeratio, complexio
A recapitulation of the facts. A kind of summary employed in the peroratio.
What is Anacoenosis?
an’-a-ko-en-os’-is from Gk. anakoinoun, “to communicate”
Also sp. anachinosis
communicacio
the impartener, common cause
Asking the opinion or judgment of the judges or audience, usually implying their common interest with the speaker in the matter.
Examples:
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could I have done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?
—Isaiah 5:3-4
Now I ask you to decide: Given the persecution my client has undergone, does he not deserve to have some justifiable anger?
What is Anacoloutha?
an-a-co’-lu-tha
Substituting one word with another whose meaning is very close to the original, but in a non-reciprocal fashion; that is, one could not use the first, original word as a substitute for the second. This is the opposite of acoloutha.
Example:
“When Diana lighteth Late her crystal lamp, Her pale glory kindleth
From her brotherís fire.”
—the manuscript of Benedictbeuern
The word “glory” is being used instead of “light,” but the replacement is not reciprocal; light would probably not be used for glory.
What is Anacoluthon?
an-a-co-lu’-thon Gk. “lacking sequence”
A grammatical interruption or lack of implied sequence within a sentence.
That is, beginning a sentence in a way that implies a certain logical resolution, but concluding it differently than the grammar leads one to expect. Anacoluthon can be either a grammatical fault or a stylistic virtue, depending on its use. In either case, it is an interruption or a verbal lack of symmetry. Anacolouthon is characteristic of spoken language or interior thought, and thus suggests those domains when it occurs in writing. (Not to be confused with anacoloutha)
Example:
Athletes convicted of drug-related crimes — are they to be forgiven with just a slap on the wrist?
What is Anadiplosis?
an’-a-di-plo’-sis from Gk. ana ìagainî and diploun ìto doubleî
reduplicatio
the redouble
The repetition of the last word (or phrase) from the previous line, clause, or sentence at the beginning of the next. Often combined with climax.
Examples:
The love of wicked men converts to fear,
That fear to hate, and hate turns one or both
To worthy danger and deserved death.
— Shakespeare, Richard II 5.1.66-68
The following shows anadiplosis of a phrase:
…a man could stand and see the whole wide reach
Of blue Atlantic. But he stayed ashore.
He stayed ashore and plowed, and drilled his rows…
— Charles Bruce, “Biography”
What is Anamnesis?
an’-am-nee’-sis from ana ìagainî and
mimneeskein ìto put in mindî
recollectio, recordatio
remembrance
Calling to memory past matters. More specifically, citing a past author from memory.
Examples:
Was it not Socrates who said the unexamined life is not worth living?
What is Anangeon?
Gk. “necessary”
Arguing on the basis of inevitability or necessity.
Examples:
Yes, I killed him, but it was in self-defense.
What is Anapodoton?
an’-a-po’-do-ton Gk. “without the main clause (apodosis).”
A figure in which a main clause is suggested by the introduction of a subordinate clause, but that main clause never occurs.
Anapodoton is a kind of anacoluthon, since grammatical expectations are interrupted. If the expression trails off, leaving the subordinate clause incomplete, this is sometimes more specifically called anantapodoton. Anapodoton has also named what occurs when a main clause is omitted because the speaker interrupts himself/herself to revise the thought, leaving the initial clause grammatically unresolved but making use of it nonetheless by recasting its content into a new, grammatically complete sentence.
Examples:
“If you think I’m going to sit here and take your insults…”
“When you decide to promote me to manager—when you see more clearly what will benefit this corporation—I will be at your service.”
What is Anastrophe?
an-as’-tro-phee from Gk. ana ìback againî and
strephein ìto turn, a turning backî
parallage, syncategorema
inversio, reversio, trajectio
reversal
Departure from normal word order for the sake of emphasis.
Anastrophe is most often a synonym for hyperbaton, but is occasionally referred to as a more specific instance of hyperbaton: the changing of the position of only a single word.
Examples:
Anastrophe occurs whenever normal syntactical arrangment is violated for emphasis:
The verb before the subject-noun (normal syntax follows the order subject-noun, verb):
Glistens the dew upon the morning grass. (Normally: The dew glistens upon the morning grass)
Adjective following the noun it modifies (normal syntax is adjective, noun):
She looked at the sky dark and menacing. (Normally: She looked at the dark and menacing sky)
The object preceding its verb (normal syntax is verb followed by its object):
Troubles, everybody’s got. (Normally: Everybody’s got troubles)
Preposition following the object of the preposition (normal syntax is preposition, object [“upon our lives”]):
It only stands / Our lives upon, to use Our strongest hands
—Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra 2.1.50-51
What is Anemographia?
an’-em-o-graph’-i-a Gk. “writing about the wind”
Creating an illusion of reality through description of the wind. A type of enargia.
Examples:
“The rushing zephyr hushed the pace of words.”
The onomatopoeia (words sounding like wind) and the rhythm of this line (iambic pentameter) seem to suggest the sound and movement of wind.
What is Antanaclasis?
an’-ta-na-cla’-sis from Gk. anti ìagainst or back,î
ana ìupî and klasis ì a breakingî
Also sp. anaclasis
refractio
the rebounde, word-clashing
The repetition of a word or phrase whose meaning changes in the second instance.
Examples:
Your argument is sound…all sound. —Benjamin Franklin
The meaning of “sound” first appears to be “solid” or “reasonable”; in its repetition, it means something very different, “all air” or “empty”
In thy youth learn some craft that in thy age thou mayest get thy living without craft.
The meaning of “craft” first means “vocation”; in its repetition, it means “fraud” or “cunning.”
While we live, let us live.
In the following example, antanaclasis occurs with an entire phrase whose meaning alters upon repetition:
“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”
—Vince Lombardi
What is Antanagoge?
an’-ta-na’-go-gee from Gk. ant- “against” and
anagoge “a leading up”
Also sp. antenagoge
compensatio
the recompencer
Putting a positive spin on something that is nevertheless acknowledged to be negative or difficult.
Examples:
“Many are the paines and perils to be passed
But great is the gaine and glorie at the last.”
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
What is Litotes (Antenantiosis)?
li-to’-tees from Gk litos, “plain, small, meagre”
Also sp. lyptote, liptote
antenantiosis
diminutio (deminutio), extenuatio
the moderatour
Deliberate understatement, especially when expressing a thought by denying its opposite.
The Ad Herennium author suggests litotes as a means of expressing modesty (downplaying one’s accomplishments) in order to gain the audience’s favor (establishing ethos).
Examples:
It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.
—J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Running a marathon in under two hours is no small accomplishment.
What is Anthimeria?
an-thi-mer’-i-a from Gk. anti- “instead of” and mereia “a part”
antimereia
Substitution of one part of speech for another (such as a noun used as a verb).
Examples:
I’ve been Republicaned all I care to be this election year.
Noun used as verb.
Did you see the way those blockers defenced on that last play?
Noun used as verb.
Feel bad? Strike up some music and have a good sing.
Verb used as noun.
What is Anthropopatheia?
an’-thro-po-path-ei’-a from Gk. anthropos, “man”
and pathos, “affections, feelings”
syncatabasis
condescensio, humanus affectus
condescension
Ascribing human attributes to God.
Examples:
In the following example, God speaks as though he were ignorant of what Abraham would have done; thus, a human quality (ignorance) is attributed to God:
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
—Genesis 22:10-12
What is Anthypophora?
an’-thi-po’-phor-a Also sp. antipophora
antiphora, hypophora
subjectio (subiectio), rogatio, contradictio
figure of responce
A figure of reasoning in which one asks and then immediately answers one’s own questions (or raises and then settles imaginary objections). Reasoning aloud.
Anthypophora sometimes takes the form of asking the audience or one’s adversary what can be said on a matter, and thus can involve both anacoenosis and apostrophe.
Examples:
“But there are only three hundred of us,” you object. Three hundred, yes, but men, but armed, but Spartans, but at Thermoplyae: I have never seen three hundred so numerous.
—Seneca
What is Prolepsis (Procatalepsis, Anticipation)?
pro-lep’-sis Gk. “A preconception”
prolepsie
anticipation, propounder
- A synonym for procatalepsis.
- Speaking of something future as though already done or existing. A figure of anticipation.
Examples:
[Of Defninition #1]
Oh, I am a dead man!
Obviously, the speaker refers less to the actuality of the moment as he does to the near future.
The following scriptural verse refers to Christ’s ultimate victory as though it had already occurred.
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. —Hebrews 2:8
pro-cat-a-lep’-sis Gk. “anticipation”
procatalipsis, prolepsis
praesumptio, praeoccupatio
anticipation, the presumptious,
the figure of presupposall
Refuting anticipated objections.
Examples:
IT is again objected as a very absurd ridiculous Custom, that a Set of Men should be suffered, much less employed and hired, to bawl one Day in Seven against the Lawfulness of those Methods most in use towards the Pursuit of Greatness, Riches and Pleasure, which are the constant Practice of all Men alive on the other Six. But this Objection is I think, a little unworthy so refined an Age as ours. Let us argue this Matter calmly; I appeal to the Breast of any polite Free Thinker, whether in the Pursuit of gratifying a predominant Passion, he hath not always felt a wonderful Incitement, by reflecting it was a Thing forbidden; And therefore we see, in order to cultivate this Taste, the Wisdom of the Nation hath taken special Care, that the Ladies should be furnished with Prohibited Silks, and the Men with Prohibited Wine; And indeed it were to be wisht, that some other Prohibitions were promoted, in order to improve the Pleasures of the Town, which for want of such Expedients begin already, as I am told, to flag and grow languid, giving way daily to cruel Inroads from the Spleen.
—Jonathan Swift, “Argument Against Abolishing Christianity”
What is Antilogy?
an-ti’-lo-gy from Gk. anti, “against” and logia, “speaking”
A contradiction either in terms or ideas. More generally, antilogy names the basic rhetorical theory (propounded by Protagoras) that two contrary arguments may be given about everything.
What is Antimetabole?
an’-ti-me-ta’-bo-lee Gk. anti “in opposite direction”
and metabole “turning about”
Also sp. antimetavole
commutatio
the counterchange
Repetition of words, in successive clauses, in reverse grammatical order.
This figure is sometimes known as chiasmus.
Examples:
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country
—John F. Kennedy
You can take the gorilla out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the gorilla.
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.
—Samuel Johnson, Rasselas
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
—Isaiah 5:20
ki-az’-mus Gk. “a diagonal arrangement”
Repetition of ideas in inverted order
Repetition of grammatical structures in inverted order (not to be mistaken with antimetabole, in which identical words are repeated and inverted).
Examples:
But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er
Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strong loves.
—Shakespeare, Othello 3.3
The idea of affection occurs in “dotes” and “strongly loves”; the idea of doubting in “doubts” and “suspects”. These two ideas occur in the quotation in an A B B A order, thus repeated and inverted
It is boring to eat; to sleep is fulfilling
The pattern is present participle-infinitive; infinitive-present participle
What is Antiphrasis (Paralipsis)?
Irony of one word, often derisively through patent contradiction. Also, a synonym for paralipsis (Quintilian).
Examples:
Referring to a tall person: “Now there’s a midget for you”
par-a-lip’-sis from Gk. para, “side” and leipein, “to leave”
(“to leave to one side”)
Also sp. paraleipsis, paralepsis
antiphrasis, parasiopesis
occultatio, occupatio,
praeteritio, preteritio, praetermissio
the passager, preterition
Stating and drawing attention to something in the very act of pretending to pass it over. A kind of irony.
Example:
It would be unseemly for me to dwell on Senator Kennedy’s drinking problem, and too many have already sensationalized his womanizing…
Melville’s narrator of Moby Dick, Ishmael, manages to characterize Queequeg in the very act of stating he will pass over such details:
We will not speak of all Queequeg’s peculiarities here; how he eschewed coffee and hot rolls, and applied his undivided attention to beefsteaks, done rare. —Moby Dick “Breakfast”
What is Antiprosopoopeia?
an-ti-pro-so-po-pe’-i-a from Gk. anti, “opposite,” prosopon,
“face,” “person” and poiein, “to make”
anti-personification
The representation of persons as inanimate objects.
This inversion of prosopopoeia or personification can simply be the use of a metaphor to depict or describe a person.
Examples:
She was a doormat upon which the tread of too many boots had scraped.
What is Antiptosis?
an-tip-to’-sis from Gk. anti, “in exchange”
and ptosis, “falling, case”
casus pro casu (“case for case”)
A type of enallage in which one grammatical case is substituted for another.
Note: In English, this is apparent only with pronouns, unlike in inflected languages (Greek, Latin, German, etc.)
Examples:
Me Jane, Tarzan.
“Me” is used (the objective case pronoun) instead of the proper subjective case pronoun, “I”. This example also includes ellipsis of the verb “am”
What is Antirhesis?
an-tir-rhee’-sis Gk. anti “against” and rhesis “speech”
Rejecting reprehensively the opinion or authority of someone.
Examples:
Rush Limbaugh is no political commentator; he’s a two-bit showman whose political ideas are about as impressive as his humility.
What is Antisagoge?
an-tis-a-go’-gee from Gk. anti, “against, instead” eis, “in” and agein, “to lead, bring” (“a bringing in instead”)
- Making a concession before making one’s point (=paromologia).
- Using a hypothetical situation or a precept to illustrate antithetical alternative consequences, typically promises of reward and punishment.
Examples:
[of #1]:
Yes, it is most difficult to learn languages, but most necessary.
[of #2]:
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
—Deuteronomy 30:15-19
What is Antistasis (antanclasis)?
an-ti’-sta-sis Gk. “standing against, resistance”
refractio
The repetition of a word in a contrary sense. Often, simply synonymous with antanaclasis.
What is Antisthecon?
an-tis’-the-con from Gk. anti- “against” and
stoicheon “letter order”
Also sp. antistoechon, antistoecon
littera pro littera
Substitution of one sound, syllable, or letter for another within a word. A kind of metaplasm.
Examples:
The following pun is accomplished only through antisthecon, substituting “o” for “a” in the word “reward”:
“A pun is its own reword”
What is Epistrophe (Antistrophe)?
e-pis’-tro-fee from Gk. epi, “upon” and strophe, “turning”
(“wheeling about”)
antistrophe, epiphora
conversio
the counter turne, conversion
Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words.
Examples:
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us.” —Emerson
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you. [. . .]
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres’ blessing so is on you.
— Shakespeare, The Tempest (4.1.108-109; 116-17)
We are born to sorrow, pass our time in sorrow, end our days in sorrow.
What is Antithesis?
an-tith’-e-sis from Gk. anti ìagainstî and thesis
ìa settingî or tithenai ìto set, placeî
contrarium
contentio, comparatio
contrast
Juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas (often, although not always, in parallel structure).
This is closely related to the Topic of Invention: Contraries, and is sometimes known as the similarly named figure of thought, antitheton.
Examples
“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” —Abraham Lincoln
“It can’t be wrong if it feels so right” —Debbie Boone
What is Antitheton?
an-tith’-e-ton from Gk. anti ìagainstî and thesis
ìa settingî or tithenai ìto set, placeî
compositum ex contrariis, contentio
the renconter, the quarreller
contencion
A proof or composition constructed of contraries.
Antitheton is closely related to and sometimes confused with the figure of speech that juxtaposes opposing terms, antithesis. However, it is more properly considered a figure of thought (=Topic of Invention: Contraries).
Examples:
Flattery hath pleasant beginnings, but the same hath very bitter endings. — R. Sherry
What is Antonomasia?
an-to-no-ma’-si-a from anti ìinsteadî and onomazein ìto nameî
periphrasis
pronominatio, pronominacio
change of name, the surnamer
Substituting a descriptive phrase for a proper name, or substituting a proper name for a quality associated with it. (=periphrasis)
Examples:
You must pray to heaven’s guardian for relief.
He proved a Judas to the cause.
Multum Ciceronis est in hac epistola. There is much of Cicero in this letter [Here, what is meant is that there is much eloquence in the letter]
What is Apagoresis?
a-pa-gor’-e-sis from Gk. apagoreuo “to dissuade”
A statement designed to inhibit someone from doing something.
Examples:
If your parents discover what you did, you will not see your next birthday.
The apagoresis above demonstrates the antecedent/consequence relationship. To dissuade a person from an action, it suggests unattractive consequences due to follow such an action. Obviously, the consequence of this apagoresis is exaggerated to be more persuasive.
If you return to Florence, you will be entering the lion’s den.
The apagoresis above uses a metaphor to demonstrate the repercussions of an action. The speaker is comparing Florence to a lion’s den. By making such a strong comparison, the speaker is inferring that the atmosphere in Florence is as dangerous to his subject as a lion’s den would be.
What is Aphorismus?
a-phor-is’-mus Gk. “a distinction, definition”
Calling into question the proper use of a word.
Examples:
For you have but mistook me all this while.
I live with bread like you, feel want,
Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,
How can you say to me I am a king?
—Shakespeare, Richard II 3.2.174-177
What is Apocarteresis?
a-po-car-ter’-e-sis Gk. apo “away from” and karteresis
“patient endurance”
Casting of all hope away from one thing and placing it on another source altogether.
What is Apodixis?
a-po-dix’-is Gk. “a showing forth, exposition”
Also sp. apodeixis
Proving a statement by referring to common knowledge or general experience.
What is Apologue?
a’-po-log Gk. “story, tale, fable”
Appeasing and persuading the rude and ignorant through comparisons made in form of a fable.
What is Apophasis?
a-pof’-a-sis Gk. “denial”
expeditio
expedicion, expedition, quick dispatch
The rejection of several reasons why a thing should or should not be done and affirming a single one, considered most valid.
Examples:
Seeing that this land was mine, you must show that either you did possess it, being empty, or made it your own by use, or purchase, or else that it came to you by inheritance. You could not possess it empty when I was in possession. Also, you cannot make it your by use or custom. You have no deed to prove your purchase of it; I being alive it could not descend upon you by inheritance. It follows then that you would put me from my own land before I am dead. —John Smith
What is Apoplanesis?
a-po-plan’-e-sis Gk. “a leading astray”
Promising to address the issue but effectively dodging it through a digression.
What is Aposiopesis?
a-pos-i-o-peeí-sis from Gk. aposiopao ìto be silent after speaking, observe a deliberate silenceî
praecisio, reticentia, obticentia, interruptio
figure of silence
Breaking off suddenly in the middle of speaking, usually to portray being overcome with emotion.
Examples:
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony interrupts his own speech at Caesar’s funeral:
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me,
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
—Shakespeare, Julius Caesar 3.2.104-107
What is Apostrophe?
a-pos’-tro-phe Gk. apo ìaway fromî and strephein ìto turnî
prosphonesis
aversio
the turne tale
Turning one’s speech from one audience to another. Most often, apostrophe occurs when one addresses oneself to an abstraction, to an inanimate object, or to the absent.
Since this figure often involves emotion, it can overlap with exclamatio.
Examples:
Antony addresses Caesar’s corpse immediately following the assasination in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
—Shakespeare, Julius Caesar 3.1.254-257
What is Apothegm?
a’-po-theem Gk. “something clearly spoken”
Also sp. apophthegm
apothegma
One of several terms describing short, pithy sayings. Others include adage, gnome, maxim, paroemia, proverb, and sententia.
What is Appositio (Apposition)?
ap-po-sit’-i-o L. ad “near” and positio “placement”
appositum
epitheton
apposition
Addition of an adjacent, coordinate, explanatory or descriptive element.
Examples:
Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest of scientists, seemed not to have mastered the physics of hair combing.
What is Ara?
a’-ra Gk. “a prayer for evil, a curse”
areia
execracio
execracion
Cursing or expressing detest towards a person or thing for the evils they bring, or for inherent evil.
Melanchthon refers to this as a sort of exclamatio.
What is Articulus?
ar-tic’-u-lus L. “clause”
comma
phrase
Roughly equivalent to “phrase” in English, except that the emphasis is on joining several phrases (or words) successively without any conjunctions (in which case articulus is simply synonymous with the Greek term asyndeton). See also brachylogia.
Articulus is also best understood in terms of differing speeds of style that depend upon the length of the elements of a sentence. The Ad Herennium author contrasts the the slower speed of concatenated membra (see membrum) to the quicker speed possible via articulus.
Examples:
Note in the following exemple the lack of any conjunctions in the series, and the way that the sentence seems to accelerate due to the brief, consecutive phrases:
“Through your ill-will, your injuries, your might, your treachery you have destroyed the enemy” —Ad Herennium
What is Aschematiston?
Gk. “without form or figure”
aschematismus
male figuratum
The use of plain, unadorned or unornamented language. Or, the unskilled use of figurative language. A vice.
What is Asphalia?
as-fay’-li-a Gk. “assurance, security”
Offering oneself as a guarantee, usually for another.
Examples:
After slaying Caesar, Brutus attempts to appease the upset Romans, concluding with this instance of asphalia:
With this I depart, that, as I
slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the
same dagger for myself, when it shall please my
country to need my death.
—Shakespeare, Julius Caesar 3.2.44-47
What is Assonance?
Repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words.
Examples:
The seargant asked him to bomb the lawn with hotpots.
What is Assumptio (Proslepsis)?
as-sump’-ti’o Lat. “taking to”
assumption
The introduction of a point to be considered, especially an extraneous argument. See proslepsis.
pros-leep’-sis from Gk. pros, “toward” and leepsis, “a taking”
assumptio, circumductio
assumption
When paralipsis (stating and drawing attention to something in the very act of pretending to pass it over) is taken to its extreme. The speaker provides full details.
Examples:
It would be unseemly for me to dwell on Senator Kennedy’s drinking or womanizing, or to call your attention to the recent scandal regarding the purported rape at Au Bar where, some have said, he has passed the torch of alcoholism and womanizing to a new generation.
What is Asteismus?
as-te-is’-mus from Gk. asteios, “of the city”
Also sp. asteismos, astysmus, astismus
facetia, urbanitas
the merry scoffe, civille jest, urbanity
Polite or genteel mockery. More specifically, a figure of reply in which the answerer catches a certain word and throws it back to the first speaker with an unexpected twist.
Less frequently, a witty use of allegory or comparison, such as when a literal and an allegorical meaning are both implied (see Bede).
Examples:
In the following selection from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedick vie to see which can outdo the other in the use of asteismus:
Benedick: God keep your ladyship still in that mind! [of not marrying] so some gentleman or other shall scape a predestinate scratch’d face.
Beatrice: Scratching could not make it worse, an ‘t were such a face as yours were.
Benedick: Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.
Beatrice: A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.
—Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing 1.1:133-140
What is Astrothesia?
as-tro-the’-si-a
A vivid description of stars. One type of enargia.
Examples:
They are the icy spikes of winter nights
That prick the heart-warm blood with stilling chill
They are God’s whiskers, old and frosty white
Or shards of milk the dipper big had spilled
The stars are slow invaders edging in
So cautiously we fail to see their aim
Or else the stars are seedlings planted thin
Within the loamy darkness, bright and plain.
I cannot fathom distances or time
Within the ceaseless broadcast of the sky
Reducing fiery suns to words and rhyme
Arrests, if for a moment, questions why
We would be privy to such cosmic awe
For I am here, confessing what I saw.
—Gideon Burton
What is Auxesis?
ok-see’-sis Gk. “increase, amplification”
incrementum
the avancer
- Arranging words or clauses in a sequence of increasing force. In this sense, auxesis is comparable to climax and has sometimes been called incrementum.
- A figure of speech in which something is referred to in terms disproportionately large (a kind of exaggeration or hyperbole).
- Amplification in general.
This figure (in its second meaning) is often paired with its opposite, meiosis.
Examples:
Said of a scratch:
Look at this wound!
What is Barbarism?
bar’-bar-ism from barbarizein, “to act like a foreigner”
barbarismus
The use of nonstandard or foreign speech (see cacozelia); the use of a word awkwardly forced into a poem’s meter; or unconventional pronunciation.
Like solecisms, barbarisms are possible according to each of the four categories of change.
Examples:
To you he appeals that knew him ab extrema pueritia, whose placet he accounts the plaudite of his pains, thinking his day-labor was not altogther lavish’d sine linea if there be anything of all in it that doth olere Atticum in your estimate. —Thomas Nash, Preface to Greene’s Menaphon
Pronouncing “bourgeoisie” as “bur-goy’-zee”
What is Battologia?
bat-to-log’-i-a Gk. “vain repetition”
vain repetition
Vain repetition. A vice.
What is Benedictio?
ben-e-dic’-ti-o from Lat. bene, “well” and dico, “to speak”
benediction, blessing, beatitude
A blessing, or the act of blessing.
Examples:
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. —Genesis 1:28
What is Bomphilolgia?
bom-phi-o-lo’-gi-a verborum bombus
Exaggeration done in a self-aggrandizing manner, as a braggart.
What is Brachylogia?
brach-y-lo’-gi-a from Gk. brachy, “short” and logia, “speech”
Also sp. brachiologia, brachiologa
articulus
the cutted comma
The absence of conjunctions between single words. Compare asyndeton. The effect of brachylogia is a broken, hurried delivery.
Examples:
Phillip! Rise! Eat! Leave!
Love, hate, jealousy, frenzy, fury drew him from pity —Angel Day
What is Cacosyntheton?
ka-ko-syn’-the-ton Gk. “ill put-together”
Also sp. cacosintheton
male collocutum
The ill placing of words, as when an adjective improperly follows a noun or when there is any other unpleasing order of words.
What is Cacozelia?
ka-ko-zeel’-i-a
A stylistic affectation of diction, such as throwing in foreign words to appear learned.
Bad taste in words or selection of metaphor, either to make the facts appear worse or to disgust the auditors.
Example:
This is an adultery against the state, to have sex under the trophies of Miltiades. —Seneca
What is Catacosmesis?
kat-a-kos-mees’-is from Gk. katakosmeo “to set in order, arrange”
ordo
Ordering words from greatest to least in dignity, or in correct order of time.
Examples:
Sun and moon
Life and death
First he planned the murder; then he carried it out.
What is Cataplexis?
kat-a-pleex’-is Gk. “a striking down, terrifying menace”
Threatening or prophesying payback for ill doing.
Examples:
In the following quote from The Tempest, Caliban’s curse is rewarded with a threatening prophecy, or cataplexis, from Prospero:
Caliban:
As wicked-dew as e’er my mother brush’d
With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen
Drop on you both! A south-west blow on ye,
And blister you all o’er!
Prospero:
For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps,
Side-stitches, that shall pen thy breath up; urchins
Shall, for that vast of night that they may work,
All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch’d
As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging
Than bees that made ‘em.
—Shakespeare, The Tempest 1.2.321-329
What is Characterismus?
kar-ak-ter-iz’-mus Gk. “designation by a characteristic mark”
description of character
The description of a person’s character. If this is restricted to the body, this is effictio; if restricted to a person’s habits, this is ethopoeia. Characterismus is a kind of enargia (principally when describing physical attributes).
Examples:
He is a monster both in mind and in body; whatever part of mind or body you consider, you will find a monster ) quivery head, rabid eyes, a dragon’s gape, the visage of a Fury, distended belly, hands like talons ready to tear, feet distorted, in short, view his entire physical shape and what else does it all present but a monster? Observe that tongue, observe that wild beast’s roar, and you will name it a monstrosity; probe his mind, you will find a horror; weigh his character, scrutinize his life, you will find all monstrous; and, not to pursue every point in detail, through and through he is nothing but a monster.
—Erasmus, De copia
What is Charientismus?
kar-i-en-tis’-mus Gk. “gracefulness of style”
graciosa nugutio
the privy nippe
Mollifying harsh words by answering them with a smooth and appeasing mock.
Examples:
Bite not my nose off I pray you.
Don’t have a cow.
What is Chorographia?
ko-ro-graph’-i-a from Gk. choros “country” and grapho “to write”
The description of a particular nation.
What is Chreia?
kray’-a Gk. “useful”
Also sp. chria
- The progymnasmata exercise, chreia.
- Employing an anecdote which relates a saying or deed of someone well known.
What is a Chronographia?
chro-no-graph’-i-a from Gk. chronos, “time” and graphein, “to write”
Also sp. cronographia
the counterfeit time, description of time
Vivid representation of a certain historical or recurring time (such as a season) to create an illusion of reality. A kind of enargia.
Examples:
Listen, my children and you shall hear
of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
On the eighteenth of April in seventy-five,
Hardly a man is now alive,
that remembers that famous day and year.î
(Longfellow, ìPaul Revereís Rideî)
What is Climax?
cli’-max Gk. “ladder”
Also sp. klimax, clymax
gradatio, incrementum
the marching figure, gradation
Generally, the arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure. More specifically, climax is the repetition of the last word of one clause or sentence at the beginning of the next, through several clauses or sentences (= anadiplosis)
Examples:
Miss America was not so much interested in serving herself as she was eager to serve her family, her community, and her nation.
The following passage from the Bible shows that version of climax that is synonymous with anadiplosis:
But we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope; and hope confoundeth not, because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us. —St. Paul
What is Coenotes?
cee’-no-tees Gk. “sharing in common”
combined repetition
Repetition of two different phrases: one at the beginning and the other at the end of successive paragraphs.
Note: Composed of anaphora and epistrophe, coenotes is simply a more specific kind of symploce (the repetition of phrases, not merely words).
Examples:
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever
O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
— Psalm 136:1-3
What is Colon?
ko’-lon Gk. “clause”
membrum, membrum orationis
clause
Roughly equivalent to “clause” in English, except that the emphasis is on seeing this part of a sentence as needing completion, either with a second colon (or membrum) or with two others (forming a tricolon). When cola (or membra) are of equal length, they form isocolon.
Colon or membrum is also best understood in terms of differing speeds of style that depend upon the length of the elements of a sentence. The Ad Herennium author contasts the slower speed of concatenated membra to the quicker speed of words joined together without conjunction (articulus).
Examples:
Each of the three membra in the following sentence is numbered:
(1) You have not considered the well-being of the country, (2) nor have you seen to the welfare of your friends, (3) nor have you resisted your enemies. —Ad Herennium
What is Comma?
See articulus. Like other modern terms for punctuation, “comma” first referred to a portion of a sentence set of by a “comma mark.”
What is Communicatio?
kom-mun-i-ka’-ti-o L. “sharing, deliberating with the audience”
In general, to include one’s audience overtly in a discourse. A term that comprises several more specific ones.
This may mean addressing one’s opponent, the judges of a case, or the general auditors of a speech.
What is Comparatio?
com-pa-ra’-ti-o L. “comparison”
A general term for a comparison, either as a figure of speech or as an argument. More specific terms are generally employed, such as metaphor, simile, allegory, etc.
What is Comprobatio?
com-pro-ba’-ti-o L. “full approval”
conciliatio
Approving and commending a virtue, especially in the hearers.
What is Conceit?
An extended metaphor. Popular during the Renaissance and typical of John Donne or John Milton. Unlike allegory, which tends to have one-to-one correspondences, a conceit typically takes one subject and explores the metaphoric possibilities in the qualities associated with that subject.
Examples:
Robert Herrick’s “The Vine”
What is Concessio?
kon-kes’-si-o
Conceding an argument, either jestingly and contemptuously, or to prove a more important point. A synonym for paromologia.
What is Conclusio (Enthymeme)?
con-clu’-si-o L. “conclusion, summation”
Term given by the Ad Herennium author for enthymeme. Not to be confused with conclusion, the English equivalent of the last part of an oration, the peroratio.
ení-thy-meem Gk. “a thought, a consideration”
conclusio
- The informal method of reasoning typical of rhetorical discourse. The enthymeme is sometimes defined as a “truncated syllogism” since either the major or minor premise found in that more formal method of reasoning is left implied. The enthymeme typically occurs as a conclusion coupled with a reason. When several enthymemes are linked together, this becomes sorites.
Example:
We cannot trust this man, for he has perjured himself in the past.
In this enthymeme, the major premise of the complete syllogism is missing:
- Those who perjure themselves cannot be trusted. (Major premise - omitted)
- This man has perjured himself in the past. (Minor premise - stated)
- This man is not to be trusted. (Conclusion - stated)
- A figure of speech which bases a conclusion on the truth of its contrary.
Example:
If to be foolish is evil, then it is virtuous to be wise.
This also an example of chiasmus
What is Conduplicatio?
con-du-pli-ca’-ti-o L. “doubling”
The repetition of a word or words. A general term for repetition sometimes carrying the more specific meaning of repetition of words in adjacent phrases or clauses. Sometimes used to name either ploce or epizeuxis.
Examples:
War it is that you are bringing into Attica, Aeschines, an Amphictyonic war.
—Demosthenes, De corona 143
What is Congeries?
con’-ger-eez Lat. “heap,” “pile”
synonymia
interpretatio
Piling up words of differing meaning but for a similar emotional effect.
Often congeries is simply the Latin term for synathroesmus (“collection”). However, the Latin term seems to emphasize the emotional amplification of such an accumulation, making congeries akin to climax and grouped among both the Figures of Pathos and the Figures of Amplification (Thus Melanchthon distinguishes incrementum [climax] as a kind of congeries). If the piling up occurs by rapidly touching on one thing and then another, congeries may be considered a type of epitrochasmus.Some authorities equate congeries with synonymia (as Melanchthon 1523 D1r; 1531 D4v-E1r))
What is Conjunctio (Synzeugma)?
con-junc’-ti-o L. “connection”
Term given by the Ad Herennium author for synzeugma. Not to be confused with the part of speech having the same name, conjunctio (a conjunction).
sin-zoog’-ma conjunctio
That kind of zeugma in which a verb joins (and governs) two phrases by coming between them. A synonym for mesozeugma.
Examples:
Either with disease beauty fades or with time.
The phrases “with disease” and “with time” are both governed and joined by “beauty fades”
What is Consonance?
The repetition of consonants in words stressed in the same place (but whose vowels differ). Also, a kind of inverted alliteration, in which final consonants, rather than initial or medial ones, repeat in nearby words. Consonance is more properly a term associated with modern poetics than with historical rhetorical terminology.
What is Systole?
sis’-to-lee from Gk. syn, “together” and stellein, “to place”
contractio
To make short a naturally long vowel. A kind of metaplasm.
Examples:
In the following stanza, the rhyming words only do rhyme if the second word, “feel” has its vowel sound shortened to the equivalent of “fill”:
Poor duck, by buckshot robbed of useful bill,
Poor hunter, maimed by sorrow he must feel.
What is Correctio?
cor-rec’-ti-o L. “correction, amendment”
The amending of a term or phrase just employed; or, a futher specifying of meaning, especially by indicating what something is not (which may occur either before or after the term or phrase used). A kind of redefinition, often employed as a parenthesis (an interruption) or as a climax.
Examples:
Hamlet employs correctio when he expresses his unhappiness at the marriage of his mother and uncle so soon after his father’s death:
That it should come [to this]!
But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two.
—Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.2.137-38
I desire not your love, but your submissive obedience.
What is Prosopopoeia?
pro-so-po-pe’-i-a from Gk. prosopon, “face,” “person”
and poiein, “to make”
prosopeia
conformatio, personae confictio
the counterfait in personation
- A synonym for the figure of speech personification
- The progymnasmata exercise, impersonation.
What is Topographia?
top-o-graf’-i-a
counterfait place, description of place
Description of a place. A kind of enargia.
What is Deesis?
de’-e-sis Gk. “an entreating, a calling to witness”
Also sp. deasis
obsecratio, obtestacio
obtestacion, adjuration
An adjuration or calling to witness; or, the vehement expression of desire put in terms of “for someone’s sake” or “for God’s sake.”
Examples:
“For God’s sake hold your tongue and let me love…”
—John Donne
What is Dehortatio?
de-hor-ta’-ti-o L. “dissuasion”
Dissuasion.
What is Dendrographia?
den-dro-graf’-i-a from Gk. dendron “tree” and grapho “to write”
Creating an illusion of reality through vivid description of a tree.
Examples:
Its trunk was but a wizened arm, its branches bony fingers grasping vainly at the winter sky.
What is Deprecatio?
dep-re-ca’-ti-o Lat. “a praying against”
deprecation, imprecation
A praying against evil, against others, or oneself; a prayer for the removal of some evil.
Examples:
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. —Matt 26:39
What is Descriptio?
de-scrip’-ti-o L. “diagram, description”
Although descriptio is synonymous with enargia, the Ad Herennium author further specifies that it contains an exposition of the consequences of an act.
Examples:
Should you let the defendant go free, consider how he will prey upon other hapless victims, perhaps even hunting in your own neighborhood.
en-ar’-gi-a from Gk. enarges, “visible, palpable, manifest”
diatyposis, hypotyposis
demonstratio, descriptio
Generic name for a group of figures aiming at vivid, lively description.
What is Diacope?
di-a’-co-pee from Gk. diakopto, “to cut in two, cut through”
the doubler
Repetition of a word with one or more between, usually to express deep feeling.
Examples:
As Shakespeare’s Tempest opens a terrible storm frightens those aboard a ship, of which one proclaims
“All lost! To prayers, to prayers! All lost!”
