Rhetorical Devices Flashcards

just maheer's notes in flashcard form; check his notes out for any additional info/examples

Antithesis

placing two opposing words or phrases near each other in the same phrase with the purpose of showing the reader what the author is trying to emphasize

Allegory

the expression of hidden morals or generalizations through the plot (character, place, or event) of a story

Alliteration

the repetition of the initial sounds in two or more neighboring words; done for emphasis; alliterative sound can correlate with intended meaning or effect

Allusion

used to make an indirect reference and/or call an idea to mind without saying it explicitly

Apostrophe

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or thing or a personified abstraction

Colloquial

using slang or informalities in speech or writing

Connotation

the implied or suggested meaning of a word; association; any emotions, ideas, or situations associated with a word

Denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word

Diction

word choice

Dysphemism

the usage of an offensive or derogatory term in place of a pleasant one

Euphemism

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for an unpleasant word or concept; often obscures or softens the harsh truth

Figurative Language

any language not meant to be taken literally

Genre

the major category into which a literary work fits

Homily

a sermon or serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration for emphasis; can be comedic or serious, also known as an overstatement

Imagery

any writing that appeals to the five senses or describes something so it can be pictured

Invective

an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong or abusive language

Irony

the contrast between what is expected and reality or what is stated and what is meant

Verbal Irony

when something is said with the opposite or different meaning of what is meant to be said

Situational Irony

when the opposite of what was meant to happen occurs due to specific actions or events

Dramatic Irony

when a character natively speaks what he or she believes to be the truth, and/or acts on what he or she believes to be the truth, while the audience knows that he or she has it all wrong

Metaphor

compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other

Extended Metaphor

a metaphor that is shown throughout a certain length in a piece of literature

Metonymy

a larger concept represented by a word that is closely related to the subject

Mood

a device that creates emotion or feeling in the reader

Pun

a play on words that are either identical in sound (homonyms) or similar in sound

Rhetoric

the art of writing and speaking effectively and persuasively; refers to the voices an author or speakers makes to do so

Satire

exaggerating or fabricating writing about a subject in order to ridicule, discredit, or make fun of the subject

Symbol

a recurring idea or object that is used to represent something else such as a message or theme

Syntax

sentence construction

Theme

the central idea or message of a text

Tone

the author's attitude toward his or her subject and/or toward the audience

Understatement

the minimizing of fact or presentations of something as less significant than it is

Oxymoron

a figure of speech where two contradictory words are used together

Paradox

a statement that appears to be self contradictory, foolish, or false, but upon closer inspections contains some deeper truth

Parallelism

when a writer uses repetition to reinforce a view or emotion in the audience

Parody

a deliberately comical imitation of a work or genre

Personification

a type of figurative language that gives human related characteristics and actions to non living objects or any ideologies

Point of View

the perspective from which a story is told

Prose

refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms