English Rhetorical Devices and Sentence Structures: Definitions and Examples

Alliteration

the repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of a consecutive words or syllables

Allusion

an indirect reference, often to another text or an historic event

analogy

an extended comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things

anaphora

the repetition of words at the beginning of a successive clauses

anecdote

short account of something interesting; story

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Aphorism

a concise statement of a truth or principle

archaic diction

The use of words common to an earlier time period; antiquated language.

Asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence.

attitude

A speaker's, author's, or character's disposition toward or opinion of a subject.

audience

One's listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed.

authority

A reliable, respected source—someone with knowledge.

Bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

colloquialism

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

common ground

Shared beliefs, values, or positions.

complex sentence

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

Connotation

That which is implied by a word, as opposed to the word's literal meaning

Coordination

Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but.

Context

The factors around the text at its inception, including the time, place, history, etc.

Counterargument

A challenge to a position; an opposing argument

declarative sentence

a sentence that makes a statement

deduction

reasoning from general to specific

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word

Diction

word choice

Ethos

A Greek term referring to the character of a person; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals

Exigence

the moment or event that motivates someone to write or to speak about a specific issue, problem, or situation

figurative language

The use of tropes or figures of speech; going beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect.

Figure of speech

An expression that strives for literary effect rather than conveying a literal meaning.

Hyperbole

exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis

Imagery

Vivid use of language that evokes a reader's senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).

imperative sentence

A sentence that requests or commands.

induction

reasoning from specific to general

Irony

A contradiction between what is said and what is meant; incongruity between action and result.

EX) gifted artists hate visiting art museums.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Logos

A Greek term that means "word"; an appeal to logic; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals

Metaphor

A figure of speech or trope through which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else, thus making an implicit comparison. (heart of gold)

Metonymy

Use of an aspect of something to represent the whole.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that two contradictory terms

Paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true(less is more)

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical or syntactical patterns.

Parody

A piece that imitates and exaggerates the prominent features of another; used for comic effect or ridicule.

Pathos

A Greek term that refers to suffering but has come to be associated with broader appeals to emotion; one of Aristotle's three rhetorical appeals

Persona

the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing

personification

Assigning lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.

Propaganda

A negative term for writing designed to sway opinion rather than present information. (WW11 posters)

purpose

One's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.

refute

To discredit an argument, particularly a counterargument.

Rhetoric

The study of effective, persuasive language use; according to Aristotle, use of the "available means of persuasion."- EX) "The very purpose of advertisements is based in rhetoric as they are designed to persuade a specific audience to do (in this case buy) something."

rhetorical modes

Patterns of organization developed to achieve a specific purpose; modes include but are not limited to narration, description, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, exemplification, classification and division, process analysis, and argumentation.

Satire

An ironic, sarcastic, or witty composition that claims to argue for something, but actually argues against it.

scheme

A pattern of words or sentence construction used for rhetorical effect.

sentence patterns

The arrangement of independent and dependent clauses into known sentence constructions—such as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.

similie

a figure of speech that uses "like" or "as" to compare two things.

simple sentence

a statement containing a subject and predicate; an independent clause.

speaker

a term use for the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (real or imagined) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing.

straw man

A logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position.

style

the distinctive quality of speech or writing created by the selection and arrangement of words and figures of speech

subordinate clause

Created by a subordinating conjunction, a clause that modifies an independent clause.

subordination

The dependence of one syntactical element on another in a sentence.

synthesize

Combining or bringing together two or more elements to produce something more complex.

syntax

Sentence structure

Thesis

The central idea in a work to which all parts of the work refer.

Thesis Statement

A statement of the central idea in a work, may be explicit or implicit.

Tone

the speakers attitude toward the subject or audience

Topic sentence

A sentence, most often appearing at the beginning of a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's idea and often unites it with the work's thesis.

Understatement

Lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect.

voice

In grammar, a term for the relationship between a verb and a noun (active or passive voice). In rhetoric, a distinctive quality in the style and tone of writing.