Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Parallelism
Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
ex. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of misery
Isocolon
A kind of parallelism where a series of structured elements have the same length (# of words, syllables, etc.)
ex. That government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth
Antithesis / Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in the same sentence
ex. That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
Asyndeton
The omission of conjunctions between clauses
ex. They sat in one room, princes, dukes, barons, earls, kings.
Polysyndeton
Employing many conjunctions between clauses
ex. The buffet table was a riot of beef and lamb and fish and vegetables and candied fruits and all sorts of wonderful sweets
Anadiplosis
The repetition from the end of one phrase to the beginning of the next
ex. In education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom
Anaphora
Repetition at the beginning of phrases that is often used in parallelism
ex. This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, this earth of majesty. this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, this fortress built by nature for herself
Epistrophe
Repetition at the end of phrases (the opposite of anaphora)
ex. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us
Ellipsis
Omission of a word or short phrase that is easily understood in context
ex. The average person thinks he isn’t
Parenthesis
Insertion of a phrase or whole sentence that interrupts the normal syntactical flow
ex. This continued for many years-some would say longer than it should have-before the newly elected officials put an end to it
Zeugma
Unexpected items in a sentence are linked together by a shared word
ex. The runner lost the race and his scholarship
Anastrophe
Departure from the normal word order for the sake of emphasis
ex. Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer
Antimetabole
Repetition of words in reverse grammatical order. All antimetabole are chiasmus, but not all chiasmus are antimetabole
ex. Eat to live, not live to eat
Chiasmus
Repetition of ideas in inverted order or repetition of grammatical structures in inverted order. It is a special form of parallelism that flips the original form around
ex. Instead of: He smiled happily and laughed joyfully, a Chiasmus of the sentence would be: He smiled happily and joyfully laughed. (verb/adverb switches to adverb/verb)
Erotema
The rhetorical question: A question in which the answer is readily implied
ex. In this modern age can we truly condone such horrific acts
Hypophora
A question that one poses then immediately answers
ex. Why direct action?…Isn’t negotiation a better path? You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed this is the very purpose of direct action.
Epiplexis
A question that is meant to chide, express grief, or denounce
ex. What kind of an idiot are you? Didn’t you think about the consequences of your actions? Can you ever think about anyone but yourself?
Metonymy
Referring to someone or something by naming an associated object
ex. In a corner, a cluster of lab coats made lunch plans
Synecdoche
Referring to someone or something by naming a part of it
ex. Pigskin = football
The ivories = a piano
Wheels = a car
Anecdote
A short story meant to illustrate a point
Analogy/Metaphor/Simile
A comparison; A direct comparison; An indirect comparison using “like” or “as”
Alliteration
The repetition of a letter sound, usually a consonant sound, many times in close proximity
ex. …grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore…
Litotes
Stating a negative to communicate it’s opposite positive
ex. She’s not bad looking
Hey, not bad!
Understatement
A statement that represents something as smaller or less intense, or less important than it really is
ex. To fail an exam and then say, “it didn’t go well.”
To have a very bad day and then say, “it was alright…”
