Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
This deck is designed to introduce you to some new and familiar rhetorical devices which can be used to show diversity in the exams - enjoy! (P.S. Some of these are university terms - so it's not going to be easy)
Alliteration
the recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The repetition can be juxtaposed (and then it is usually limited to two words): Yes, I have read that little bundle of pernicious prose, but I have no comment to make upon it.
Allusion
A short, informal reference to a famous person or event
Amplification
Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasise what may have been passed over
Anacoluthon
Finishing a sentence with a different grammatical structure to what it began: “And then the deep rumble from the explosion began to shake the very bones of–no one had ever felt anything like it. Be careful with these two devices because improperly used they can–well, I have cautioned you enough.”
Anadiplosis
Repeats the last word of a sentence/ phrase at or very near the beginning of the next sentence. Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,/ Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain . . . . –Philip Sidney
Analogy
Compares two things which are alike in several respects for the purpose of clarification
Anaphora
Repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive phrases
Antanagoge
Placing a good point next to a fault in order to reduce its impact
Parataxis
Writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions or no conjunctions: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. –Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
Antimetabole
Reversing the order of repeated words or phrases to intensify the final formulation. “Ask not what America can do for you, but for what you can do for America”
Antiphrasis
One word irony, established by context - “Tiny”, the fat man
Antithesis
Binary opposition
Apophasis
Asserts something by seemingly ignoring it “We will not bring up the matter of the budget deficit here”
Aporia
Expresses doubt about an idea or a conclusion
Aposiopesis
Stopping abruptly, leaving a sentence unfinished
Apostrophe
Interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or thing
Appositive
A noun next to another noun - Henry Jameson, the boss of the operation… the notorious feast, the picnic
Assonance
Similar successive sounding vowels
Asyndeton
consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases or clauses. Gives the effect of multiplicity - on his return, he received medals, honours, treasures, titles, fame
Catechresis
An extravagant implied metaphor using words in an alien way - I will speak daggers to her
Chiasmus
A reverse parallelism - where the second part of the sentence is balanced to the first part, but in reverse - so instead of unwillingly learned, the phrase would be learned unwillingly
Climax
Arranging words, clauses or sentences in the order of increasing importance
Conduplicatio
Resembles anadiplosis in the repetition of a preceding word, but repeats a key word from the last phrase, not necessarily the last word
Diacope
Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase as a method of emphasis
Dirimens Copulatio
Mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent the argument from being one sided or unqualified
Distinctio
An explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word: “To make methanol for twenty-five cents a gallon is impossible; by “impossible” I mean currently beyond our technological capabilities.”
Enthymeme
An informally state syllogism which omits either one of the premises or the conclusion
Enumeratio
Detailing parts, causes, effects and consequences to make a point more forcibly
Epanalepsis
Repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end
Epistrophe
Forms the counterpart to anaphora, repetition comes at the end of a sentence
Epithet
An adjective or adjective phrase qualifying a subject
Epizeuxis
Repetition of one word - South America is lush, lush, lush
Eponym
Attributes a skill to a person or event - is he smart? He’s an Einstein
Exemplum
Citing an example, using an illustrative story, either true or fictitious
Sentential Adverb
A single word or short phrase used to lend emphasis to the words immediately proximate to the adverb
Hyperbaton
Several rhetorical devices involving departure from normal word order - “Such amaze”
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration
Hypophora
Consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them
Hypotaxis
Using subordination to show the relationship between clauses or phrases
Litotes
A particular form of understatement generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used - heatwaves are not rare in summer
metabasis
Consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow - it is basically a transitional summary - STEVENS
Metanoia
Qualifies a statement by recalling it - Fido was the friendliest of all St. Bernards, nay of all dogs
Metaphor
Compares two things by speaking of one in terms of another
Metonymy
another form of metaphor, very similar to synecdoche - the orders came direct from the white house
Onomatopoeia
Words which sounds like a word
Oxymoron
Juxaposed words which are contradictory
Parallelism
Recurrent syntactical similarity - several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts of sentences are equal in importance
Parenthesis
A form of hyperbaton, which breaks up a sentence - to some extent - like this
Personification
Metaphorically represents an animal or an inanimate object as having human attributes
Pleonasm
using more words than required to express an idea - we heard it with our own ears
Polysyndeton
Use of a conjunction between each word, phrase or clause, adds multiplicity
Procatalepsis
Anticipating an objection and answering it within the same sentence
Scesis Onomaton
Emphasises an idea by expressing it through several synonyms
Sententia
Quoting a wise saying
Symploce
Combing anaphora and epistrophe
Synecdoche
a type of metaphor which makes one part represent the whole
Meiosis
Understatement
Zeugma
Several similar rhetorical devices combined
Click Here
the recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The repetition can be juxtaposed (and then it is usually limited to two words): Yes, I have read that little bundle of pernicious prose, but I have no comment to make upon it.
Alliteration
Click Here
A short, informal reference to a famous person or event
Allusion
Click Here
Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasise what may have been passed over
Amplification
Click Here
Finishing a sentence with a different grammatical structure to what it began: “And then the deep rumble from the explosion began to shake the very bones of–no one had ever felt anything like it. Be careful with these two devices because improperly used they can–well, I have cautioned you enough.”
Anacoluthon
Click Here
Repeats the last word of a sentence/ phrase at or very near the beginning of the next sentence. Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,/ Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain . . . . –Philip Sidney
Anadiplosis
Click Here
Compares two things which are alike in several respects for the purpose of clarification
Analogy
Click Here
Repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive phrases
Anaphora
Click Here
Placing a good point next to a fault in order to reduce its impact
Antanagoge
Click Here
Writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions or no conjunctions: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. –Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
Parataxis
Click Here
Reversing the order of repeated words or phrases to intensify the final formulation. “Ask not what America can do for you, but for what you can do for America”
Antimetabole
Click Here
One word irony, established by context - “Tiny”, the fat man
Antiphrasis
Click Here
Binary opposition
Antithesis
Click Here
Asserts something by seemingly ignoring it “We will not bring up the matter of the budget deficit here”
Apophasis
Click Here
Expresses doubt about an idea or a conclusion
Aporia
Click Here
Stopping abruptly, leaving a sentence unfinished
Aposiopesis
Click Here
Interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or thing
Apostrophe
Click Here
A noun next to another noun - Henry Jameson, the boss of the operation… the notorious feast, the picnic
Appositive
Click Here
Similar successive sounding vowels
Assonance
Click Here
consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases or clauses. Gives the effect of multiplicity - on his return, he received medals, honours, treasures, titles, fame
Asyndeton
Click Here
An extravagant implied metaphor using words in an alien way - I will speak daggers to her
Catechresis
Click Here
A reverse parallelism - where the second part of the sentence is balanced to the first part, but in reverse - so instead of unwillingly learned, the phrase would be learned unwillingly
Chiasmus
Click Here
Arranging words, clauses or sentences in the order of increasing importance
Climax
Click Here
Resembles anadiplosis in the repetition of a preceding word, but repeats a key word from the last phrase, not necessarily the last word
Conduplicatio
Click Here
Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase as a method of emphasis
Diacope
Click Here
Mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent the argument from being one sided or unqualified
Dirimens Copulatio
Click Here
An explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word: “To make methanol for twenty-five cents a gallon is impossible; by “impossible” I mean currently beyond our technological capabilities.”
Distinctio
Click Here
An informally state syllogism which omits either one of the premises or the conclusion
Enthymeme
Click Here
Detailing parts, causes, effects and consequences to make a point more forcibly
Enumeratio
Click Here
Repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end
Epanalepsis
Click Here
Forms the counterpart to anaphora, repetition comes at the end of a sentence
Epistrophe
Click Here
An adjective or adjective phrase qualifying a subject
Epithet
Click Here
Repetition of one word - South America is lush, lush, lush
Epizeuxis
Click Here
Attributes a skill to a person or event - is he smart? He’s an Einstein
Eponym
Click Here
Citing an example, using an illustrative story, either true or fictitious
Exemplum
Click Here
A single word or short phrase used to lend emphasis to the words immediately proximate to the adverb
Sentential Adverb
Click Here
Several rhetorical devices involving departure from normal word order - “Such amaze”
Hyperbaton
Click Here
Deliberate exaggeration
Hyperbole
Click Here
Consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them
Hypophora
Click Here
Using subordination to show the relationship between clauses or phrases
Hypotaxis
Click Here
A particular form of understatement generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used - heatwaves are not rare in summer
Litotes
Click Here
Consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow - it is basically a transitional summary - STEVENS
metabasis
Click Here
Qualifies a statement by recalling it - Fido was the friendliest of all St. Bernards, nay of all dogs
Metanoia
Click Here
Compares two things by speaking of one in terms of another
Metaphor
Click Here
another form of metaphor, very similar to synecdoche - the orders came direct from the white house
Metonymy
Click Here
Words which sounds like a word
Onomatopoeia
Click Here
Juxaposed words which are contradictory
Oxymoron
Click Here
Recurrent syntactical similarity - several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts of sentences are equal in importance
Parallelism
Click Here
A form of hyperbaton, which breaks up a sentence - to some extent - like this
Parenthesis
Click Here
Metaphorically represents an animal or an inanimate object as having human attributes
Personification
Click Here
using more words than required to express an idea - we heard it with our own ears
Pleonasm
Click Here
Use of a conjunction between each word, phrase or clause, adds multiplicity
Polysyndeton
Click Here
Anticipating an objection and answering it within the same sentence
Procatalepsis
Click Here
Emphasises an idea by expressing it through several synonyms
Scesis Onomaton
Click Here
Quoting a wise saying
Sententia
Click Here
Combing anaphora and epistrophe
Symploce
Click Here
a type of metaphor which makes one part represent the whole
Synecdoche
Click Here
Understatement
Meiosis
Click Here
Several similar rhetorical devices combined
Zeugma
