Rhetorical Devices

Alliteration

repetition of sound

Allusion

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* An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text, although it can be other things commonly known, such as plays, songs, historical events) with which the reader is supposed to be familiar.

Analogy

A comparison of one pair of variables to a parallel set of variables. When a writer uses this, he or she argues that the relationship between the first pair of variables is the same as the relationship between the second pair of variables. “America is to the world as the hippo is to the jungle.” Similes and metaphors are sometimes also this

Anecdote

A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Often inserted into fictional or non fictional texts as a way of developing a point or injecting humor

Diction

Word choice, particularly as an element of style. Different types of words have significant effects on meaning. (i.e. formal vs informal, academic jargon vs. colloquial language

Euphemism

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A more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. Sometimes they are used for political correctness. “Physically challenged,” in place of “crippled.” Sometimes a euphemism is used to exaggerate correctness to add humor. “Vertically challenged” in place of “short.”

Hyperbole

Exaggeration. “My mother will kill me if I am late.”

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn’t make sense if you take it literally. “I got chewed out by my coach.”

Imagery

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Word or words that create a picture in the reader's mind. Usually this involves the five senses. Authors often use imagery in conjunction with metaphors, similes, or figures of speech.

Juxtaposition

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Placing things side by side for the purposes of comparison. Authors often uses examples in order to make a point.(For example, an author may compare the average day of a typical American with that of someone in the third world in order to make a point of social commentary).

Metaphor

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Making an implied comparison, not using “like,” as,” or other such words. “My feet are popsicles.” An extended metaphor is when the thing is continued later in the written work. If I continued to call my feet “my popsicles” in later paragraphs, that would be an extended thing.

Metonymy

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Replacing an actual word or idea, with a related word or concept. “Relations between London and Washington have been strained,” does not literally mean relations between the two cities, but between the leaders of The United States and England. Often used with body parts: “I could not understand his tongue,” means his language or his speech.

Pacing

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The speed or tempo of an author’s writing. Writers can use a variety of devices (syntax, polysyndeton, anaphora, meter) to change the pacing of their words. An author’s thing can be fast, sluggish, stabbing, vibrato, staccato, measured, etc.

Parallelism

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Also known as balanced sentences.) Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns. This is used to add emphasis, organization, or sometimes pacing to writing. “Cinderella swept the floor, dusted the mantle, and beat the rugs.” “I came, I saw, I conquered”

Personification

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Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human. “The tired old truck groaned as it inched up the hill.”

Rhetorical Question

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Question not asked for information but for effect. “The angry parent asked the child, ‘Are you finished interrupting me?’” In this case, the parent does not expect a reply, but simply wants to draw the child’s attention to the rudeness of interrupting. 

Simile

Using words such as “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two very different things. “My feet are so cold they feel like popsicles.

Tone

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A writer's attitude toward their subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language and organization. To identify tone, consider how the piece would sound if read aloud (or how the author wanted it to sound aloud). Tone can be: playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, somber, etc.