Rhetorical Devices Terms

Question 1

Hyperbole

Answer 1

a device that consists of exaggerating some part of your statement in order to give it emphasis or focus

Question 2

Understatement

Answer 2

a device in which the forces of a descriptive statement is less than what one would normally expect

Question 3

Litotes

Answer 3

a device that emphasizes its point by using a weird opposite to the condition

Question 4

Antithesis

Answer 4

a device that makes use of a contrast in language to bring out a contrast in ideas

Question 5

Hypophora

Answer 5

the technique of asking a question then proceeding to answer it

Question 6

Rhetorical Question

Answer 6

asking a question in which the answer is implied

Question 7

Procatalepsis

Answer 7

deals specifically with objections and it usually does so without even asking the question

Question 8

Distinctio

Answer 8

a device where the writer elaborates on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding

Question 9

Similie

Answer 9

a device in which the writer compares two things that are already somewhat related, using the words “like” or “as”

Question 10

Metaphor

Answer 10

speaks of one thing as though it actually were another by using a form of the very to be (is, was, are, am, be, etc.)

Question 11

Analogy

Answer 11

a device that compares two things, making use of something already well known to explain something that is less well known

Question 12

Allusion

Answer 12

is a reference to some fairly well known event, place, or person

Question 13

Eponym

Answer 13

referring to a specific famous person to link his or her attributes with someone else

Question 14

Sententia

Answer 14

a fancy term for a quotation, maxism, or wise saying

Question 15

Exemplum

Answer 15

is is simply providing your reader with an example to illustrate your points

Question 16

Climax

Answer 16

organizing ideas in your writing so that they proceed from the least to the most important

Question 17

Parallellism/Chiasmus

Answer 17

it consists of using the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or multiple sentences, in order to link them all

Question 18

Anadiplosis/Conduplicatio

Answer 18

two forms of repetition
-anadiplosis=takes the last word of a sentence or phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase
-conduplicatio=takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats it at the beginning of the next sentence

Question 19

Metabasis

Answer 19

a device used to sum up a body of work that has come before so that you can move on to a new point

Question 20

Parenthesis

Answer 20

a device that is used to insert an aside or additional info into the main flow of your writing

Question 21

Apostrophe

Answer 21

a device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object

Question 22

Enumeratio

Answer 22

the act of supplying a list of details about something it is used structurally to expand on a central idea, lending force to that idea by enumerating its many different facets

Question 23

Antanogoge

Answer 23

is a way of ordering points to downplay negative points so that the reader feels less strongly about them

Question 24

Epithet

Answer 24

it involves attaching a descriptive adjective to a noun to bring a scene to life or evoke a particular idea or emotion

Question 25

Asyndeton/Polysyndeton

Answer 25

two forms that add stylistic force to your writing by handling conjunctions in non-standard ways
-Asyndeton=leaves out conjunctions in a list or between clauses
-Polysyndeton=puts a conjunction between every item

Question 26

Zeugma

Answer 26

a device in which unexpected items in a sentence are linked together by a shared word

Question 27

Synecdoche/Metonymy

Answer 27

-Synecdoche=is the use of a part of something to represent the whole
-Metonymy=allows you to refer to something closely related to the actual object and use that as a was of referring to the object itself

Question 28

Hyperbaton

Answer 28

device in which you arrange the words in your sentence in an unexpected order

Question 29

Aporia

Answer 29

a device a writer will use to express doubt about an idea

Question 30

Anaphora

Answer 30

device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences

Question 31

Epistrophe

Answer 31

is a close relative to anaphora, it is one in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences

Question 32

Symploce

Answer 32

combines both anaphora and epistrophe

Question 33

Amplification

Answer 33

writers repeat something they’ve just said, while adding more detail and information to the original description

Question 34

Personification

Answer 34

is the act of giving human attributes to something that is nonhuman