Alliteration
Use of repeated consonant sounds for effect
Anaphora
Repeating successive sentences or clauses with the same grammatical structure
Antithesis
A sentence encompassing two opposing ideas
Assonance
Repeating vowel sounds for effect - a form of internal rhyme
Asyndetic listing
A list in which each item is separated by a comma
Chiasmus
A rhetorical device that uses reversal for effect
Colloquial language
Vocabulary particular to a specific region or place
Direct address
Use of the 2nd person to involve the reader
Emotive language
Language designed to prompt and evoke an emotional response
Euphemism
A phrase that softens or avoids awkward subjects
Hyperbole
Exaggeration, often for comic effect
Imagery
The overall term for similes, metaphors, personification, etc.
Irony
Where the meaning is the opposite of the words used or when the situation is the opposite to that expected
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like the noise they describe
Oxymoron
A 2 word phrase encompassing two opposite ideas
Personification
Giving inanimate objects human qualities
Polysyndetic list
A list in which each item is connected by a connective to add emphasis
Repetition
Using a word or phrase successively to emphasize its importance
Rhetorical question
A question that doesn't require an answer in order to prompt the reader to think or respond
Sibilance
Alliteration on the 's' sound for harsh or calming effect
Statistics
Use of numbers, percentages, ratios, etc to strengthen an argument
Superlative
Best or most of something
Tautology
Repeating the same thing twice for effect
Triplet
Three closely-related ideas
Zoomorphism
Giving animal qualities to inanimate objects
Declarative
A statement
Interrogative
A question
Exclamative
An exclamation
Imperative
A command
Dental Alliteration
Repetition of 'd' and 't' sounds
Plosive alliteration
Repetition of 'p' and 'b' sounds
Fricative Alliteration
Repetition of 'f' , 'ph' and 'v' sounds
Liquid alliteration
Repetition of 'l' sounds
Caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.
in media res
a piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action
Analepsis
flashback
Prolepsis
flash forward