Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
Asyndeton
Omits conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Gives the effect of unpremeditated mutiplicity
Ex.she likes pickles, olives, grapes, raisins.
Polysyndeton
Use of conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause. Gives the effect of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up.
Understatement
Expresses and idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact
Ex. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake interrupted his ness somewhat in the downtown area.
Litotes
A form of understatement, denies the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used. Retains the effect of an understatement or becomes and. Intensifying expression.
Ex. Hitting that telephone pole certainly didn’t do your car any good.
Parallelism
Recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence are expressed similarly to show that they are equal in importance. Adds balance and rhythm and clarity.
Ex. Ferocious dragons breathing fire and wicked sorcerers casting their spells.
Chiasmus
Reverse parallelism; the second part of the sentence is balanced or paralleled by the first part
Ex. What is learned unwillingly is gladly forgotten
Expletive
A single word or short phrase, usually interrupts normal syntax, lends emphasis to the words around it; maintains continuity of the thought
Ex. But the lake, was not, in fact, drained before April.
Zeugma
includes several similar rhetorical devices, all involving a grammatically correct linkage (or yokingtogether) of two or more parts of speech by another part of speech
Used for:shows relationshipsbetween ideas and actions more clearly.
Ex.Fluffy rolled on her back, raised her paws, and meowed to be petted.
Antithesis
establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together orjuxtaposing them, often in parallel structure
Ex. Success makes men proud; failure makes them wise.
Anaphora
the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, orsentences, commonly in conjunction with climax and with parallelism
Ex.Tothink on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity;/ To think on the world verily it is,/ To thinkthat here man hath no perfect bliss. Peacham
Epistrophe
the repetition of the sameword or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences
Ex.Thecars do not sell because the engineering is inferior, the quality of materials is inferior, and theworkmanship is inferior.
