Glossary of Terms: Rhetorical Devices

AP Lang

Allusion

Brief reference to a person, event, or place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art.

Analogy

A comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things. Often, an analogy uses something simple or familiar to explain something unfamiliar or complex.

Anaphora

A device in which the writer repeats a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple clauses or sentences.

Anecdote

A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person that speakers use to illustrate a point

Antanagoge

A way of ordering points to downplay negative points, so the reader feels less strongly about them. This is done by placing a negative point next to a positive one. The statement should be phrased in such a way that it becomes apparent that the benefits more than outweigh the costs of the subject you’re discussing.

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in reverse order.

Antithesis

Opposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction.

Aphorism

These are short, concise, and memorable statements that express a wise idea or truth. They motivate people to action and create the impression that the issues at stake are not necessarily tied to the exact circumstances but that they imply a greater truth.

Apostrophe

A rhetorical device in which the writer breaks out of the flow of the writing to directly address a person or personified object.

Call to action

Conclude any piece of persuasive writing with a call to action. Ask your audience to do something. Ask them to write to their congressman, to boycott a product, to disseminate information, etc.

Climax

Organizing single words, to short clauses, to longer sentences, to entire paragraphs so they proceed from the least to the most important to slowly build your reader up to a state of excitement, then deliver your crowning statements.

Concession to the opposition

Concedes a point or two to win over opponents and to show the speaker is open-minded. The speaker is able to prove his argument is valid despite these concessions. In a strong argument, concessions are usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument.

Distinctio

The writer elaborates on the definition of a word to make sure there is no misunderstanding.

Enumeration

The act of supplying a list of details about something. It is used structurally to expand on a central idea, lending force to that idea by enumerating its many different facets.

Exclamations

Use of highly emotional or provocative statements.

Exemplum

Providing your reader with an example to illustrate your point.

Hortative Sentence

A sentence that exerts, urges, intrigues, implores, or calls to action.

Hypophora

The technique of asking a question, then proceeding to answer it.

Loaded Language

 The use of name calling to evoke an emotional response and to make writing more memorable. 

Parallelism (Anaphora)

Repeat the use of a phrase or syntactical pattern to begin or end a series of sentences. Parallelism adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence.

Rebuttal/Refutation

Diminish the power of the opponent by anticipating and then countering his arguments or exposing the weaknesses of his arguments. A denial of the validity of an opposing argument. In order to sound reasonable, refutations often follow a concession that acknowledges that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable.

Repetition

Repeating the same sentence again in the same words or repeating the same word in a sentence is an important technique for achieving cohesion. Of course, careless or excessive repetition is boring and wordy. Used skillfully and selectively, however, this technique can help to hold sentences together and focus the reader’s attention on a central idea.

Restatement (Similar to a motif in fiction)

Reiterate a key idea in a different way each time.

Sententia

A fancy term for a quotation, maxim, or wise saying.

Syllogism

A logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion.

Anadiplosis

A form of repetition that takes the last word of a sentence or phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase.