AP Lang -- Rhetorical Devices

alliteration

repetition of sounds at the beginning of a word

assonance

repetition of a vowel sound

consonance

repetition of a consonant sound

cacophony

harsh discordance of sounds (e.g. jack cut crispy carrots)

euphony

pleasing sounds from a combination of words

parallelism

repetition of similar words/phrases/ideas to represent that the ideas are of equal or higher value & importance

isocolon

parallelism relating to equal length (syllables/word count)

chiasmus

words are repeated in reverse order (e.g. the fire burned, burned the fire)

antithesis

opposition or contrast of ideas/words in a balanced or parallel structure

climax

height of suspense; turning point in literature; sentence structured in increasing importance

anticlimax

an event/conclusion/statement that is less powerful than built up

paraprosdokian

a sentence/phrase in which the second half is surprising and causes one to rethink the first half

anaphora

repetition of the first word/phrase in successive sentences

epistrophe

repetition of a word/phrase at the end of a phrase/sentence

epanalepsis

repetition of a word/phrase at regular intervals; a sentence starts & ends with the same word

anadiplosis

repetition of the final words of a sentence or line at the beginning of the next

commoratio

attempting to prove a point by repeating it several times in different ways

tautology

repetition of a word/phrase without specific purpose/meaning; redundancy

anacoluthon

a construction involving a break in grammatical sequence

anastrophe

inversion of typical word order

parenthesis

an aside; an explanatory part of a sentence that cannot stand on its own

apposition

two elements, normally noun phrases, placed side-by-side so that one element modifies/defines the other

hysteron proteron

a figure of speech in what should be last comes first; an inversion of the natural order (e.g. I die! I faint! I fail!)

ellipsis

omission of words when something is implied; can be done without an ellipses (...)

juxtaposition

placing of contradictory things next to one another

asyndeton

omission of conjunctions

polysyndeton

repetition of conjunctions

metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word/phrase literally denotes one object/idea in place of another

simile

figure of speech comparing two items with "like" or "as"

personification

giving human/living traits to non-living objects

praeteritio

to lead on by not stating the facts; drawing attention to something while pretending to pass it over

apostrophe

to address someone not present; a personified object/idea

metonymy

one word/phrase substituted for another with which it is closely associated

synechdoche

part of something that refers to the whole; vice-versa (e.g. wheels)

allusion

reference to a person/place/etc.

apotheosis

idolizing something/someone; comparing an object to a god

allegory

representation of abstract/spiritual meaning through concrete forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another

anthimeria

substitution of one part of speech for another; noun-->verb (e.g. google)

periphrasis

substitution of a descriptive word/phrase for a proper name (e.g. kleenex)

euphemism

the substitution for an expression that might offend/suggest something unpleasant to the receiver, instead of using an agreeable/less offensive expression

archaism

old word/phrase; no longer used at the time

onomatopoeia

words that sound like what they are

zuegma

modifies multiple words; use of a word to govern/yoke several words/phrases

antanaclasis

repetition of a single word with different usages

paranomasia

pun; wordplay that suggests multiple meanings; words must look/sound the same

syllepsis

sense of a word changes; verb with two meanings; a single word that modifies 2+ words that causes a different meaning

imagery

use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas

pleonasm

use of more words than necessary to convey a point

hyperbole

exaggeration

litotes

double negative; an idea is expressed by the denial of its opposite

irony

conveying a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

sarcasm

intentionally hurtful satiric or ironic commentary

oxymoron

combination of contrasting words

paradox

statement that is apparently self-contradicting or absurd but contains a possible truth

synaesthesia

mixing of senses