Rhetorical Terms

Active Voice

The subject of a sentence performs the action expressed by the verb

Active Voice

She wrote a letter
The cat climbed the tree
They played soccer

Passive Voice

The subject receives the action of the verb, rather than performing it

Passive Voice

The ball was thrown by the boy
The cake was baked by my mother
The house was built by my father

Analogy

Comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification

Analogy

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get
A coach is to a football team as a manager is to a business
Finding a good person is like finding a needle in a haystack

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

Allegory

Animal Farm (Communism)
The Tortoise and the Hare (slow and steady wins the race”

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Alliteration

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Sally sells seashells by the seashore

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mention of it explicitly but makes an indirect or passing reference to it

Allusion

He’s a real Romeo
She was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders

Anaphora

Repetition of the beginning words

Anaphora

“I have a dream” MLK Jr. Speech
The Help “You is…”

Anadiplosis

End of one sentence is the beginning of the next

Anadiplosis

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

“When we fight, we fight for freedom”

Analepsis

When a past even is narrated at a point later than its chronological place in a story
Flashback from the past told

Analepsis

In EINTY when the mom recalls the story of the girl from her high school who was killed
In EINTY when the dad recalls his childhood

Prolepsis

Referring to future events / a flash forward

Prolepsis

A Christmas Carol when Scrooges future is revealed through the spirits
In EINTY when the author says that the world would move on as other things began to happen

Anecdote

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

Anecdote

“I remember when I used to sit on my dad’s lap while he drove around town delivering mail”
“That reminds me of when the entire family gathered around the TV to watch Nixon resign”

Antithesis

A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

Antithesis

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Hope for the best; prepare for the worst

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting things side-by-side to highlight their differences or similarities

Juxtaposition

Jumbo shrimp

The beautiful and the grotesque

Apostrophe

Speaking to something or someone as if they are present, understanding, and able to respond, but aren’t

Apostrophe

Talking to a book
Talking to a dead person

Asyndeton

The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence

Asyndeton

“I came, I saw, I conquered”
“Reduce, reuse, recycle”

Colloquial/colloquialism

Informal, conversational, casual

Colloquial/colloquialism

“Y’all”

“Stuff”

“Hit the hay”

Idioms

A phrase/expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of the individual words, instead carrying a figurative/non-literal meaning

Idioms

“Break a leg”

“Barking up the wrong tree”

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt

Euphemism

“Passed away” instead of “died”
“Let go” instead of “fired”

Dysphemism

A derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one

Dysphemism

“Loony bin” instead of “mental hospital”

“Snitch” for speaking up

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements of claims not meant to be taken literally

Hyperbole

I’m so hungry I could eat a horse

My feet are killing me

Understatement

A statement expresses something as less important/intense/severe than it actually is

Understatement

“It seems to be raining a little” during a hurricane”
“I’m feeling a bit under the weather” when severely ill

Rhetorical Question

A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or make a point rather than get an answer

Rhetorical Question

“Do you think money grows on trees?”
“Can fish swim?”

Hypophora

When a speaker/writer asks a question and then immediately answers it

Hypophora

“What’s the benefit of completing the optional exercises? They will help you study".”
“After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die.”

Imperative Sentence

Gives a direct command/instruction/request, typically starting with a verb and implying a '“you” subject

Imperative Sentence

“Close the door”

“Don’t forget your umbrella”

Imperative Verb

Expresses a command/request/instruction, often appearing at the beginning of a sentence without a subject pronoun

Imperative Verb

Stop

Listen

Eat

Turn

Irony

The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, for humor or emphasis

Irony

The child of a formula one driver not being able to drive
A cat-lover being allergic to cats

Metaphor

A word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

Metaphor

Life is a rollercoaster

She has a heart of gold

Simile

Directly compares two things; uses “like” or “as”

Simile

As busy as a bee
As cool as a cucumber

Parallelism

Uses similar sentence structures to emphasize ideas and improve readability

Parallelism

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

“She will figure out what happened to Lydia. She will find out who’s responsible. She will find out what went wrong.”

Parody

Creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation

Parody

SNL
NYT cartoons

Satire

The use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone

Satire

The Simpsons

Family Guy

Polysyndeton

Repeated use of conjugations

Polysyndeton

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of nights…”
“If there be cords, or knives, or poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, I’ll not endure it.”

Personnification

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristic to something nonhuman

Personnification

“The sun smiled down on us”
The wind whispered secrets”

Strategic Pronoun Use

Using pronouns to convey specific messages, build relationships, and influence an audience’s perception

Strategic Pronoun Use

“We”
“I”
“Them”

Tricolon

Using a series of three parallel words/phrases/clauses to enhance emphasis and memorability

Tricolon

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”reme
“Be sincere, be brief, be seated.”

Telegraphic Sentence

A concise sentence typically containing five words or less

Telegraphic Sentence

“No way!”
“Stop now!”

Short Sentence

5-10 word sentences

Short Sentence

“To be or not to be”

Long Sentence

10+ word sentences

Long Sentence

"Just exactly like Father, with the same big hands and the same dark eyes, and the same way of walking, and the same way of looking at you when he was angry, and the same way of laughing, and the same way of talking, and the same way of being, and the same way of dying, the eye could not see from any point".

Involved Sentences

Complex ideas, acknowledging opposing views, linking clauses, brings nuance, or explores gray area

Involved Sentences

While some argue that the rise of artificial intelligence will inevitably lead to widespread job displacement and social instability, others contend that, if implemented ethically and paired with comprehensive retraining programs, AI has the potential not only to enhance human productivity but also to redefine the nature of meaningful work—suggesting that the true impact of automation lies not in the technology itself, but in how societies choose to adapt to and govern it.

Inverted Sentences

Point is held until the end of sentence (meaning is exposed at the end)

Inverted Sentences

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”