Rhetorical Analysis Vocab.

metaphor

comparison not using like or as

hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

alliteration

repetition of consonant sounds

analogy

comparison

onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

allusion

a reference to another work of literature, person, or event

oxymoron

a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

simile

a comparison using "like" or "as"

irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

anecdote

short account of event

euphemism

an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive

meiosis

expressive understatement

apostrophe

address to an absent or imaginary person

antithesis

Direct opposite

sarcasm

harsh or bitter derision or irony

consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds

rhetorical question

figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting an answer

epithet

an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.

anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

climax

the turning point of the story

cacophony

harsh sounds

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

pun

a play on words

parallelism

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

aphorism

a concise statement of a truth or principle

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

parody

humorous imitation

colloquialism

a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations

understatement

the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.

syllogism

three-part deduction

eponym

a word based on or derived from a person's name

metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant

parenthesis

the insertion of words, phrases, or a sentence that is not syntactically related to the rest of the sentence

expletive

an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity

chiasmus

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases

connotation

the implied or associative meaning of a word