Rhetorical Device Flashcards
Jargon
The language of a specialized trade profession/group
E.g. Idiopathic hypersomnia (medical jargon)
Colloquialism
Words/expressions that belong to a certain geographic location/language
E.g. This lobstah is wicked good. (Boston)
Interrupted Sentence
A sentence that is interrupted by a parenthetical aside
Inverted syntax
Begin with a part of speech other than the subject. Used to either create suspense or connect ideas between sentences more clearly
E.g. In the forest ran the deer.
Listing
A sentence with multiple phrases that create a list
E.g. Never in his life, nor as a son, nor as a parent
Cumulative/
Loose sentence
Sentence whose main clause is at the beginning and then builds through at least three parallel elements
E.g. She holds me in strong arms, arms that have chopped cotton, dismembered trees, scattered corn for chickens, cradled infants, shaken the daylights out of half-grown upstart teenagers.
Periodic Sentence
Sentence that begins with at least three parallel elements and the main clause is at the end to build a climax
E.g. But if life hardly seems worth living, if liberty is used for subhuman purposes, if the pursuers of happiness know nothing about the nature of their quarry or the elemental techniques of hunting, these Constitutional rights will not be very meaningful.
Repetition
Repeating the same word/phrase to add emphasis or make a point
E.g. Peace is great, peace is amazing, peace is wonderful.
Parallel Sentence Structure, General Info
Using the same pattern of words/phrases/clauses to show that two or more ideas have equal weight
E.g. Mary likes hiking, swimming, and biking.
Parallel Structure, specialized (Antithesis)
Contrast of ideas/words in a parallel construction
E.g. “That’s one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.”
Parallel Structure,
specialized
(Anaphora)
Repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive phrases/clauses
E.g. Worried about ________, worried about ____________, worried about ____________
Rhetorical Question
A question posed by the speaker not to seek an answer by affirm/deny a point simply by asking a question about it
E.g. “. . . For if we lose the ability to perceive our faults, what is the good of living on? –Marcus Aurelius
Ellipsis
A rhetorical strategy in which one or more words are understood to be omitted.
E.g. John forgives Mary and Mary, John.
Asyndeton
The omission of a conjunction from a list.
E.g. “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural
Polysyndeton
The use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton.
E.g. “[He] pursues his way, / And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or flies.”
–John Milton
Parenthetical Aside
Consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence
E.g. Our leader—a fearless man whom we all respect–was hiding in the library.
Aphorism
A brief statement that expresses an observation on life, usually intended as a wise observation.
E.g. “The book of Nature is the book of Fate”
“So far as a man thinks, he is free.”
Imagery
The author’s use of the five senses to create images for the reader.
Juxtaposition
Placing two or more things side by side, usually to show contrast
E.g. A juxtaposition in Romeo and Juliet occurs between the realistic, informal Mercutio and the love-sick, unrealistic Romeo.
Paradox
A statement that seems untrue on the surface but is true nevertheless
E.g. “What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.” George Bernard Shaw
Allusion
An indirect, passing reference to some event, person, place or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which are not explained but relies on the reader’s familiarity with what is thus mentioned.
Analogy
Analogies argue that 2 seemingly different items are proportional, and in so doing, build an argument about a larger issue.
E.g. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get
Hyperbole
Extreme exaggeration
Understatement
Expresses an idea with less emphasis/ to a lesser degree than is the actual case.
Verbal Irony
The contrast is between the literal meaning of what is said and what is meant.
Metaphor
Comparison without using like or as
Metonymy
Another form of metaphor in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it.
E.g. —”The White House declined to comment”: Here, the metonym “White House” refers to the President of the United States.
Oxymoron
A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun, used to emphasize contrasts
E.g. “The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, with loads of learned lumber in his head.” —Alexander Pope
Personification
The metaphorical representation of an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes
Simile
Comparison using like or as
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole or the whole for a part
E.g. “He has many mouths to feed.”
Appeal to Credibility/Ethics
A rhetorical appeal to an audience based on the speaker/writer’s credibility, authority, values, or good will.
Appeal to Emotion
The emotional appeal to an audience.
Appeal to Logic
Rhetorical appeals used to convince the audience based on logic or reasoning.
Faulty analogy
Comparing two things that are irrelevant, do not pose a valid comparison
E.g. People who have to have a cup of coffee every morning before they can function are the same as alcoholics who have to have their alcohol each day to sustain them.
Cause and Effect (expository)
Arguing from the presence/absence of the cause to the (non) existence of the result
E.g. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff
Comparison/contrast (expository)
The subject is shown more clearly by pointing out similarities or differences.
E.g. Men Are from Mars; Women Are from Venus, John Gray
Definition (expository)
Writing that has the goal of specifically defining—through examples, anecdotes, and other illustrations—the writer’s own personal view of a term or concept.
E.g. “Being a Man,” Paul Theroux
“On Self-Respect,” Joan Didion
