Rhetorical Devices: Reversed Flashcards
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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
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A short, informal reference to a famous person or event
Allusion
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Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasise what may have been passed over
Amplification
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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
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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
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Compares two things which are alike in several respects for the purpose of clarification
Analogy
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Repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive phrases
Anaphora
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Placing a good point next to a fault in order to reduce its impact
Antanagoge
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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
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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
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One word irony, established by context - “Tiny”, the fat man
Antiphrasis
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Binary opposition
Antithesis
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Asserts something by seemingly ignoring it “We will not bring up the matter of the budget deficit here”
Apophasis
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Expresses doubt about an idea or a conclusion
Aporia
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Stopping abruptly, leaving a sentence unfinished
Aposiopesis
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Interrupts the discussion or discourse and addresses directly a person or thing
Apostrophe
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A noun next to another noun - Henry Jameson, the boss of the operation… the notorious feast, the picnic
Appositive
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Similar successive sounding vowels
Assonance
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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
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An extravagant implied metaphor using words in an alien way - I will speak daggers to her
Catechresis
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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
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Arranging words, clauses or sentences in the order of increasing importance
Climax
