rhetorical strategies

alliteration

repetition of the same sound beginning several words in a sentence

ex: let us go forth and lead the land we love

analogy

An analogy is a comparison between two things that are similar in some way. Analogies are used to explain or clarify an idea, or to make something easier to understand. 

anaphora

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

ex: not as a call to bear arms, though are we need- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are

antithesis

opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction

ex: we shall support any friend, oppose any foe

apostrophe

turning away from the audience to address someone not present

ex: death, where is they sting?

assonance

repetition of different words with the same vowel sounds; two or more words with similar vowel sounds sandwiched between different consonants

ex: too cool for school

asyndeton

omission of normally occurring conjunctions (and, or, but, for, nor, yet, so) between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words

ex: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness

cumulative sentence

ex: "She is simply hard, a straight shooter, a woman clean of received wisdom and open to what she sees

sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence, and then builds and adds on; a sentence that begins with an independent clause and finishes with a series of dependent clauses