rhetorical devices

Paradox

seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true

Personification

figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor) the whole for a part (as the law for police officer)

Irony

a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

Metaphor

The comparison of two seemingly dissimilar things without using the terms like or as.

Analogy

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as".

Hyperbole

An exaggeration used for effect.

Literary Allusion

A reference in a literary work to a person, place or thing in history or another work of literature. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well known characters or events.

Biblical Allusion

A reference to the bible in a literary work.

Historical Allusion

A reference to a historical figure or event.

Pun

a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

Zeugma

The use of a verb that has two different meanings with objects that compliment both meanings.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition (combination) of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses.

Parallelism

Words or phrases that are similarly constructed and in close proximity to one another.

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Epistrophe

repetition of a word or phrase at the end of consecutive phrases or lines.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.

Asyndeton

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

Polysyndeton

uses conjunctions after every word or term.

Anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are in close proximity to one another.

Consonance

repetition of consonant sounds within and at the ends of words.

Assonance

repetition of vowel sounds in closely positioned words—at the beginning, end, or within the words.

Chiasmus

A sentence strategy in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is a reversal of the first.