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alliteration
repetition of the same sound beginning several words in sequence
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases
anastrophe
transposition of normal word order; most often found in Latin in the case of prepositions and the words they control
antithesis
opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction
aposiopesis
a form of ellipse by which a speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion or modesty
apostraphe
a sudden turn from the general audience to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction absent or present
asyndeton
lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words
chiasmus
pairs of words arranged in inverted order (a-b-b-a)
from the shape of the greek letter chi
hendiadys
use of two words connected by a conjunction, instead of subordinating one to the other
“it sure is nice and cool today!”
hyperbaton
separation of words which belong together, often to emphasize the first of the separated words
hyperbole
exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect
“an hundred years should got to praise”
hysteron proteron
inversion of the natural sequence of events
“put on your shoes and socks”
irony
expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning
“yet brutus says he was ambitious”
litotes
understatement, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed
“not unintelligent”
metaphor
implied comparison
“life’s but a walking shadow; a poor layer”
metonymy
substitution of one word for another which it suggests
“he is a man of the cloth”
onomatapeia
use of words to imitate natural sounds
“bow bow bow bow”
oxymoron
apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another
“festina lente” —> make haste quickly
personification
attribution of personality to an impersonal thing
“england expects every man to do his duty”
pleonasm
use of redundant words, often enriching the thought
“no one, rich or poor, will be excepted”
polysyndeton
repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses
prolepsis
the anticipation of the result of the action of a verb
“overwhelmed the sunken ships…”
simile
an explicit comparison between two things using “like” or “as”
synchysis
interlocked word order (a-b-a-b)
synecdoche
understanding one thing with another; part for the whole
“scuttling across the floors of silent seas”
zeugma
two different words linked to one verb
“he opened the door and her heart”
assonance
recurrence of vowel sounds
ecphrasis
a digression describing a place, connected at the end of the description to the main narrative
enjambment
running over of a sentence from one verse or couplet into another
praeteritio
claiming to not mention or “pass over” something that one plans to say
tmesis
separation of the parts of a compound word, usually for metrical convenience
transferred epithet
a device of emphasis in which the poet attributes some characteristic of a thing to another thing closely associated with it
tricolon crescens
a three part increase of emphasis or enlargement of meaning
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