Rhetorical Devices Flashcards
(111 cards)
An expansion of detail to clarify a point: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”
Amplification
A sudden break in a sentence’s grammatical structure: “So, then I pulled up to her house — are you still with me here?”
Anacoluthon
Repetition of words, especially located at the end of one phrase or clause and the beginning of the next: “I was at a loss for words, words that perhaps would have gotten me into even more trouble.”
Anadiplosis
Repetition of one or more words at the head of consecutive phrases, clauses, or sentences: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Anaphora
Inversion of word order to mark emphasis: “Enter the forest primeval.”
Anastrophe
Repetition of a word in a sentence in which a different meaning is applied each time: “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired, with enthusiasm.”
Antanaclasis
The contradiction of a negative comment with a positive one, as in “The car wouldn’t start this time, but it least it didn’t catch on fire.”
Antanagoge
Reversal of repeated words or phrases for effect: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Antimetabole
Ironic use of a single word: “It was a cool 100 degrees in the shade.”
Antiphrasis
Repetition of a word or phrase at the close of successive clauses: “You said he was late — true enough. You said he was not prepared — true enough. You said he did not defend his statements — true enough.”
Antistrophe
Contrast within parallel phrases (not to be confused with the ordinary use of the word to mean “extreme opposite”): “Many are called, but few are chosen.” The term can also refer to literary characters who, though not necessarily antagonists, represent opposite personal characteristics or moral views.
Antithesis
Calling attention to something by dismissing it: “No one would suggest that those who are homeless elected to live on the streets willingly.”
Apophasis
A statement of hesitation, also known as dubitatio, in which characters express to themselves an actual or feigned doubt or dilemma: “Should I strike now, or bide my time?”
Aporia
Abrupt discontinuation of a statement: “If you say that one more time, I’m gonna –”
Aposiopesis
Interruption of thought to directly address a person or a personification: “So, I ask you, dear reader, what would you have me do?”
Apostrophe
Absence of conjunctions: “We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”
Asyndeton
Exaggeration, often with sequential enhancement: “You found my purse? You are a hero, a prince, a god!”
Auxesis
A rant of abusive language: “Calling you an idiot would be an insult to stupid people. Are you always this stupid, or are you just making a special effort today?”
Bdelygmia
Excessive braggadocio: “I am the very model of a modern major-general. I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral.” Also known as verborum bombus.
Bomphiologia
An abbreviated expression or telegrammatic statement: “‘Morning,’ he mumbled as he stumbled out of bed”; “I have three words for you, buddy: pot, kettle, black.”
Brachyology
Deliberate use of harsh letter sounds: “The clash and clang of steel jarred him awake.”
Cacophony
A hyperbolic metaphor, as in “Each word was a lightning bolt to his heart.”
Catachresis
This is the reversal of grammatical order from one phrase to the next, exemplified in these two well-known quotes about evaluation: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” and “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”
Chiasmus
Repetition of a point with different wording: “He’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! He’s expired and gone to meet his maker!” (etc., ad absurdum)
Commoratio
