rhetorical devices Flashcards
alliteration
the
repetition of beginning
consonant sounds in
several consecutive or
neighboring words
allusion
a reference to
a mythological, literary,
or historical person,
place or thing
analogy
a comparison
between two things
intended to show how
they are alike
anaphora
the
repetition of the same
word or group of words
at the beginning of
successive clauses;
it helps to establish
a strong rhythm and
produces a powerful
emotional effect
anecdote
a short
account of a particular
incident or event,
especially of an
interesting or amusing
nature
antithesis
a device
in which two opposite
ideas are put together in
a sentence to achieve a
contrasting effect
assonance
the
repetition of vowel
sounds in a series of
words
asyndeton
the
deliberate omission
of conjunctions in a
series of related words,
phrases, or clauses
connotative diction
words chosen
deliberately for the
feelings and attitudes
associated with them
details
facts, revealed
by the author or speaker,
that support the tone or
purpose of a text
euphemism
the use of
a word or phrase that is
less expressive or direct
but considered less
distasteful or offensive
than another
hyperbole
a deliberate,
extravagant, and often
outrageous exaggeration
used for either serious
or comic effect
imagery
words or
phrases that appeal
to the senses, used
to describe persons,
objections, actions,
feelings, and ideas
irony
the use of words
to convey a meaning
that is the opposite of its
literal meaning
jargon
the language,
especially the
vocabulary, peculiar
to a particular trade,
profession, or group
juxtaposition
a device
in which normally
unassociated ideas,
words, or phrases are
placed next to one
another, often creating
an effect of surprise and
wit
metaphor
a
comparison of two
unlike things using like
or as
oxymoron
a form of
paradox that combines
a pair of opposite terms
into a single unusual
expression
paradox
a statement
containing contradictory
elements that may
appear illogical,
impossible, or absurd
but which actually have
a coherent meaning that
reveals a hidden truth
parallelism
a
grammatical or
structural arrangement
of words, phrases,
sentences, or paragraphs
so that elements of
equal importance are
equally developed and
similarly phrased
personification
a kind
of metaphor that gives
inanimate objects or
abstract ideas human
characteristics
polysyndeton
the
deliberate use of many
conjunctions for special
emphasis—to highlight
quantity or mass of
detail or to create a
flowing, continuous
sentence pattern; it
slows the pace of the
sentence
repitition
a device in
which words, sounds,
and ideas are used more
than once to enhance
rhythm and to create
emphasis
rhetorical fragment
a sentence fragment
used deliberately for a
persuasive purpose or to
create a desired effect
rhetorical question
a
question asked solely to
produce an effect or to
make an assertion and
not to elicit a reply
rhetorical shift
a
turn, a change, or a
movement in a text
resulting from an
epiphany, realization,
or insight gained by the
speaker or writer
simile
a stated
comparison of two
different things or ideas
through the use of the
words like or as
statistics
numerical
facts or data used as
evidence
testimonial
a
statement in support of a
particular truth, fact, or
claim
understatement
a kind
of irony that deliberately
represents something as
being much less than it
really is
