Rhetorical Devices

Context

The circumstances surrounding a communication and helping us understand it

Exigence

The part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, stimulates, provokes or prompts writers to create a text or speakers to speak

Purpose

Author's intended goal or objective in communicating with the audience; what the author wants to happen as a result of writing or speaking.

Constraints

Factors that restrict the persuasive strategies and/or opportunities available to a speaker or writer.

Rhetorical purposes

To inform, persuade, entertain

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

Parallelism

The use of the same grammatical pattern (words, phrases, clauses) for items in a list or paired ideas to create balance, rhythm, clarity, and emphasis

Hyperbaton

An inversion of the normal order of words, especially for the sake of emphasis.

Hyperbaton example

"To the market I will go" (instead of "I will go to the market").

Zeugma

A single word governs two or more other words in a sentence, with each a different meaning applied.

Zeugma example

"You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit" - Star Trek.

Polysyndeton

Deliberate use of many conjunctions in close succession.

Polysyndeton example

"We will always remember them, these skilled professionals, scientists and adventurers, these artists and teachers and family men and women, and we will cherish each of their stories."

Polyptoton

Repetition of a word in a sentence with different cases/forms.

Polyptoton example

"Why brand they us / With 'base,' with 'baseness,' 'bastardy,' 'base,'" (Shakespeare 1.2.9-10).

Analogy

A comparison between two things, usually distinct/unlike each other, in order to clarify something further.

Analogy example

"As light as a feather"

Consonance

Literary device that repeats the same consonant sounds in adjacent or nearby words.

Tone

The attitude or emotional quality conveyed by the author through word choice and style.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind.

Circumlocution

The use of many words to express an idea that could be conveyed with fewer words.

Ambiguity

The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness.

Jargon

Special words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that may be difficult for others to understand.

Connotation

The implied or associative meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The literal or primary meaning of a word, as opposed to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

Overstatement

The action of expressing something too strongly; exaggeration.

Understatement

The presentation of something as being smaller or less important than it actually is.

Innuendo

An indirect or subtle reference, often suggesting something derogatory.

Logical fallacy

An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.

Alliteration example

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds.

Colloquialism

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

Verbal irony

When one person says one thing meaning another (sarcasm).

Situational irony

When the opposite of what is expected to happen, happens.

Dramatic irony

When the audience knows something that the characters don't.

Dysphemism

A rhetorical device in which a harsh, blunt, or offensive term is used in place of a more neutral or pleasant one.

Epigram

A short, memorable statement to express a clever truth or summarize a complex idea.

Diction

The writer or speaker's intentional choice of words.

Ad hominem

A logical fallacy involving an attack on a person's character rather than their opinions or arguments.

Paradox

A contradictory statement that has underlying truth.

Paradox example

"I must be cruel to be kind."

Foreshadowing

A literary device that signals what will happen in the future.

Syllogism

A persuasive argument using a major/minor premise and conclusion ("All A are B; C is A; therefore, C is B").

Anaphora

The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines to emphasize an idea or create rhythm.

Personification

A rhetorical device in which the writer gives something non-human human traits or characteristics.

Metaphor

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

Hyperbole

Deliberate and extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant to be taken literally.

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word or phrase of one clause at the beginning of the next clause.

Rhetorical question

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

Ellipsis

Omission of words from the text, represented by three dots (...), that are needed grammatically but can be inferred from the context.

Metonymy

A figure of speech involving the substitution of a related term for what's actually meant.

Metonymy example

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears"

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part is used in place of a whole.

Synecdoche example

"Nice wheels"

Onomatopoeia

A word/phrase that imitates the sound of the thing it describes.

Onomatopoeia example

"SMASH"

Asyndeton

Absence of conjunctions between parts of a sentence.

Asyndeton example

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

Parenthesis

Insertion of some verbal unit that interrupts the normal syntactical flow of a sentence.

parenthesis example

"Holly went down to the hotel restaurant and ordered a light meal (she never even considered room service)."

Epanalepsis

Repetition of the same word or words at both the beginning and ending of a phrase.

Epanalepsis example

"Nothing is worse than doing nothing."

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.

Invective example

"Turn, hell-hound, turn!"

Antithesis

Two contrasting ideas placed in a balanced and parallel grammatical structure.

Antithesis example

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Isocolon

A form of parallel structure where phrases, clauses, or sentences are repeated with similar structure and length.

Isocolon example

Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Enjambment

A continuation of a sentence or clause beyond the end of a line or stanza without a pause or punctuation.

Enjambment example

"No, no, no life! / Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life?"

Assonance example

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

Ethos

The character or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution, used in rhetoric to appeal to credibility and authority.

Metanoia

The self-correction or revision of a previous statement, often mid-sentence.

Epistrophe

A rhetorical device which includes the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences.

Euphemism

An indirect, mild word or expression used as a replacement for a more blunt, harsh, or offensive word or phrase.

Antanaclasis

The repetition of a word or phrase whose meaning changes in the second instance, creating a memorable and witty effect.

Litotes

The deliberate use of understatement by expressing the contrary of an opposite, often used to convey humor or emphasis.

Chiasmus

A reversal of the order of words, phrases, or grammatical structures in successive clauses, following the ABBA pattern.

Apostrophe

The speaker directly addresses someone or something that is absent, dead, or inanimate, as if it was capable of responding.

Idiom

A phrase that can't be understood literally and is only comprehensible through the lens of figurative language.

Juxtaposition

Placing two or more contrasting or complementary elements side by side to highlight their differences, similarities, or relationships.

Metanoia example

"It was Gatsby's mansion. Or rather, as I did not yet know Mr. Gatsby..."

Chiasmus example

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Litotes example

"I'm no rocket scientist."

Euphemism example

"Passed away"

Antanaclasis example

'Your argument is sound, nothing but sound.'

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in two or more neighboring words or syllables.

Aphorism

A concise statement expressing a general truth or principle.

Allegory

An extended metaphor conveying a deeper meaning, often moral or philosophical.

Anastrophe

Intentionally changing the order of words or clauses in a sentence for poetic emphasis.

Allusion

An indirect reference to something without mentioning it explicitly.

Simile

A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things using 'like', 'as', or 'than'.

Motif

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.

Theme

The central topic or idea explored in a text.

Climax in literature

The most intense, exciting, or important point of something in a narrative.

Logos

Appeals to logic and reason using facts, statistics, and logical arguments to persuade.

Pathos

Persuades an audience by appealing to their emotions.

Symbolism

The use of an object, person, situation, or action to represent a larger, abstract idea beyond its literal meaning.

Cacophony

The use of harsh, jarring, or discordant sounds in language to induce an overwhelming sense of chaos, discomfort, or tension.