Lang Rhetorical Devices

Juxtaposition

The fact of two things being placed close together with contrasting effect.

Allusion

An indirect or passing reference to something without mentioning it explicitly.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to something it is not literally applicable to.

Simile

A comparison of one thing with another of a different kind, often using “like” or “as,” to make a description more vivid.

Anaphora

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

Parallelism

The use of successive verbal constructions that correspond in structure, sound, meaning, etc.

Anecdote

A short account of a particular incident, often interesting or amusing.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Imagery

The representation of objects, actions, and ideas in a way that appeals to the senses.

Rhetorical Question

A question asked to make a point or create effect rather than to get an answer.

Repetition

The action of repeating something already said or written.

Analogy

An extended comparison between something unfamiliar and something familiar to clarify meaning.

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

Situational Irony

When actions have an effect opposite from what was intended, producing an unexpected outcome.

Allegory

A story in which each aspect carries symbolic meaning beyond the literal tale.

Symbolism

When a person, place, or object has a meaning in itself but also suggests other meanings.

Satire

A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies.

Sarcasm

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Logical Appeal (Logos)

Persuasion based on statistics, facts, and reasoning.

Emotional Appeal (Pathos)

Persuasion by appealing to readers’ emotions to involve them in the argument.

Ethical Appeal (Ethos)

Persuasion by establishing credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker/writer.

Antithesis

The use of parallel structures to emphasize contrasts, e.g., “Some like it hot; some like it cold.”

Oxymoron

A phrase that combines contradictory terms, e.g., “jumbo shrimp,” “deafening silence.”

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that may reveal a deeper truth, e.g., “save money by spending it.”