Literary + Rhetorical Devices (English)

Diction

word choice; important in conveying tone and style

Register

the level of formality or style of diction

Audience

a general term that refers to the reader or listener of a text

Syntax

word order, the author’s grammatical structure, his choice of sentence structure and punctuation which leads to a specific effect

Textuality

the characteristics that define a text

anaphora

the regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses

anastrophe

the inversion of the normal or usual order of the parts of a sentence for rhythm or emphasis

antithesis

uses a contrast in language (often in parallel structure) to bring out a contrast in ideas

apostrophe

interruption of thought to directly address a person or a personification

apposition

the placing of a word or expression beside another of the same grammatical construct so that the second one explains, qualifies or modifies the first; the second expression is set off by a comma or a colon.  

asyndeton

consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses

cacophony

deliberate use of harsh letter sounds

chaismus

a special form of parallelism in which the first clause or phrase is reversed in the second, sometimes repeating the same words

declarative sentence

states a fact or an argument and ends with a period; the most common type of sentence

epistrophe/antistrophe

the counterpart to anaphora, because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

exclamatory sentence  

conveys a strong emotion and ends with an exclamation mark

interrogative sentence

asks a direct question and always ends in a question mark

loose sentence

The main point comes early in the sentence, phrases and subordinate clauses that modify the point follow

parallelism

using the same general structure for multiple parts of a sentence, or for multiple sentences, in order to link them all

periodic sentence

the main idea comes last in the sentence, leaving the reader with a powerful final impression

periphrasis/circumlocution

the author adds in superfluous words and seems to write all around the topic without getting to the point

polysyndeton

the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause (structurally the opposite of asyndeton)

rhetorical sentence

 A sentence that asks a rhetorical question

syntactic permutation

sentence structures that are extraordinarily complex or involved; they are often difficult for a reader to follow

telegraphic sentence

a sentence that includes no more than five words

tricolon

a series of three parallel words, phrases, clauses, or statements

allusion

reference is made to text, event, person or place

alliteration

 the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of consecutive or nearby words

analogy

a cognitive process of transferring traits from one thing or idea to another

Ethos

appeal to credibility and ethics

Pathos

appeal to emotions and feelings

Logos

appeal to logic and reason

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

catalog

a traditional epic device that consists of a long list or inventory

consonance

repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of words or accented syllables

flashback

the description of an event that occurred before the current action in the story

foreshadowing

hints or clues of things to come

hyperbole

a figure of speech using exaggeration, or overstatement, for special effect

imagery

words that create an image in the reader’s mind

irony

a contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens

juxtaposition

the placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences

litotes

understatement, for intensification, by using a word opposite to the condition

metaphor

a comparison between two things that are basically dissimilar

metonymy

one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

paradox

a statement that is apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really contains a possible truth

personification

a figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities

point of view

the angle of the narrator

satire

the highlighting or exposing of human failings or foolishness within a society through ridiculing them

simile

a comparison between two unlike things through specific use of a word of comparison (like, as, than)

symbol

an object or reference that has a deeper meaning than what it is describing

synecdoche

using a part to refer to a whole

tone

a writer’s general attitude to the reader and his subject

understatement

a device in which the force of a descriptive statement is less than what one would normally expect